Straddling the Continental Divide at 1,440 meters (4,662 ft), the Santa Elena and Monteverde Cloud Forest area offers one of the most interesting places to visit in Costa Rica.

In the Monteverde cloud forests there are more than 100 species of mammals including 5 species of cats, over 400 species of birds including 30 kinds of hummingbirds, tens of thousands of insect species (over 5000 species of moths) and 2,500 species of plants (420 kinds of orchids). The area is acclaimed as one of the most outstanding wildlife refuges in the New World Tropics.

It has captured worldwide attention of biologists, conservationists, and the nature-oriented public. The diverse habitats, organisms, and interactions in primary and human-affected landscapes of the Monteverde area have been investigated for over 30 years.

What is a Cloud Forest?

A cloud forest is a highland forest characterized by nearly 100% humidity throughout the year. Here in these Reserves, warm Northeasterly trade winds, filled with moisture, blow in over the Atlantic. As the winds sweep up to the Continental divide, they cool and condense to form clouds, bathing the forest in a constant soft mist. The cloud forest here receives an incredible four meters of rain every year- that is almost twelve feet.

One of the most characteristic features of Monteverde cloud forest is the abundance of vegetation. Competition for growing space is so intense that trunks and branches are almost entirely covered with a variety of epiphytes, lichens, liverworts, bryophytes and mosses. The epiphyte mats store moisture, which is especially important in the dry season (February to May). The lush cloud forest canopy of Monteverde is thus home to many species of insects, amphibians, and mammals, which never even come down to the forest floor.

A walk through the cloud forest of Monteverde can be an eerie experience. As the high clouds creep through the twisted trees and hanging vines around you, strange sounds fill the air. Strong winds and the added weight of water-laden epiphytes often cause branches to fall to the ground. This reduces the height of the cloud forest canopy and adds to the forest's gnarled appearance. Falling branches also create light gaps, allowing the growth of light tolerant plants and producing a constant mosaic of succession. A perfect place for hiking, bird watching, volunteering or do some research.

Monteverde Cloud Forest Reserve

The Monteverde Cloud Forest Reserve, a private preserve administered by the Tropical Science Foundation, protects 12,000 ha of primary montane cloud forest, fosters research projects, and provides environmental education for over 40,000 Costa Ricans and international visitors each year.

Wind-sculptured elfin woodlands on the exposed ridges are spectacularly dwarfed, whereas protected cove Monteverde rainforests have majestically tall trees festooned with orchids, bromeliads, ferns, vines, and mosses. Poorly drained areas support swamp forests, while parts of the Monteverde Cloud Forest Reserve, dissected by deep gorges, have numerous crystal clear streams tumbling over rapids and waterfalls. The variable climate and large altitudinal gradient has helped produce an extremely high biodiversity. Spectacular wildlife includes the Jaguar, Ocelot, Baird´s Tapir, Three-wattled Bellbird, Bare necked Umbrella bird and Resplendent Quetzal.

History of the Monteverde Cloud Forest Reserve

In 1972 under the threat of homesteading in the surrounding rain forest, visiting scientists George Powell and his wife joined forces with long-time resident Wilford Guindon to promote the establishment of a nature preserve. The Tropical Science Center was receptive to these efforts and accepted institutional responsibility for ownership and management of the protected areas. An initial land purchase of 328 hectares formed the core of the Monteverde Cloud Forest Preserve, Costa Rica. In 1975 the 554-hectare community watershed reserve, founded in the mid-60s by members of the Quaker community and named Bosque Eterno S.A., was annexed under an administrative contract to the Preserve. After the Preserve's creation, the Tropical Science Center continued to secure the financial and human resources necessary to expand, consolidate, and properly protect and manage the Rainforest Preserve's current 10,500 hectares.

Santa Elena Cloud Forest Reserve

A walk through a Costa Rica Monteverde cloud forest reveals a lush green garden of mosses, ferns, flowers and epiphytes growing thickly on every tree. Clouds drift in and settle among the slopes, giving the continuous moisture required for such exuberant plant growth. Dangling roots and vines sweep across the trails. The air is rich with the sounds of birds and the occasional scurrying of small mammals on the forest floor. In the distance a howler monkey roars.

The community of Santa Elena borders the Monteverde Conservation area in the Cordillera de Tilaran of Central Costa Rica. Within this region of pristine cloud forest, three hundred and ten hectares ( seven hundred and sixty five acres) have been permanently leased by the administration of the Santa Elena community High School of Monteverde.

History of the Santa Elena Cloud Forest Reserve

The original vision was to use this land for agricultural research and education in Monteverde. For a variety of reasons, however, the farming proved to be unsuccessful. In 1989, it was decided to convert the land into a cloud forest reserve. Together with Youth Challenge International, a Canadian based non-profit organization, the community established an eco-tourism reserve, which officially opened on March 1, 1992.

The reserve was created out of a community's determination to help preserve the unique cloud forest surrounding them and to use tourism as a tool to benefit community development in Monteverde. Entrance fees are used for the protection and management of the Reserve and to provide higher quality education for schools of Monteverde.

The Santa Elena Cloud Forest Reserve of Monteverde is one of the first community administered reserves in the country (not a national park, but under the protection of the Arenal Conservation Area). It is an excellent example of what people can do to preserve and learn from their environment.