Reserva Biológica Bosque Nuboso Monteverde

Introducing Reserva Biológica Bosque Nuboso Monteverde

When Quaker settlers first arrived, they agreed to preserve about a third of their property in order to protect the watershed above Monteverde. By 1972, however, encroaching squatters began to threaten the region. The community joined forces with organizations such as the Nature Conservancy and the World Wildlife Fund to purchase 328 hectares adjacent to the already preserved area. This was called the Reserva Biológica Bosque Nuboso Monteverde (Monteverde Cloud Forest Biological Reserve), which the Centro Científico Tropical (Tropical Science Center) began administrating in 1975.

In 1986 the Monteverde Conservation League (MCL) was formed to buy land to expand the reserve. Two years later they launched the International Children’s Rainforest project, which encouraged children and school groups from all over the world to raise money to buy and save tropical rain forest adjacent to the reserve. Today the reserve totals 10, 500 hectares.

The most striking aspect of this project is that it is the result of private citizens working for change rather than waiting around for a national park administered by the government. The reserve relies partly on donations from the public. Considering that the ridiculously under-funded Minae struggles to protect the national-park system, enterprises like this are more important than ever for maintaining cohesive wildlife corridors.

Visitors should note that some of the walking trails are very muddy, and even during the dry season (late December to early May) the cloud forest is rainy (folks, it’s a rain forest – bring rainwear and suitable boots). Many of the trails have been stabilized with concrete blocks or wooden boards and are easy to walk on, though unpaved trails deeper in the preserve turn into quagmires during the rainy season.

Because of the fragile environment, the reserve allows a maximum of 160 people at any time. During the dry season this limit is almost always reached by 10am, which means you could spend the better part of a day waiting around for someone to leave. The best strategy is to get there before the gates open, or better (and wetter) to come during the off season, usually May through June and September through November.

Here are a couple of important points to consider, so read this part very carefully. If you only have time to visit either the Monteverde or Santa Elena reserve, you should know that Monteverde gets nearly 10 times as many visitors, which means that the infrastructure is better and the trails are regularly maintained, though you’ll have to deal with much larger crowds. Also, most visitors come to Monteverde (and Santa Elena) expecting to see wildlife, though it’s important to realize that both reserves cover large geographic areas, which means that the animals have a lot of space to move around in. Taking a night tour or staying overnight in one of the lodges deep within the reserve will maximize your chances of spotting wildlife, though it’s best to enter the parks without any expectations. The trees themselves are primitive and alone worth the price of admission, though a lot has changed since the quetzal-spotting days of 1983. The animals have adapted to the increased tourist volume by avoiding the main trails, though the majority of people who visit either reserve are more than satisfied with the whole experience.

Last updated: Mar 2, 2009