Private Nature Tour in the Monteverde Cloud Forest with Entrance Fee Included
Entrance fees included — we handle the purchase for you
Private departure · admission included
24-hour booking cutoff · 100% refund (guide service and admission) if you cancel at least 48 hours before the tour · tours run rain or shine: entrance fees are non-refundable with less than 48 hours' notice · 2-person minimum, solo guests book via manual request.
- Start time
- Per admission time; 7:30 am when available
- Modality
- Private only
- Where
- Monteverde Cloud Forest Biological ReserveMap: Monteverde Cloud Forest Biological Reserve
Requests close 24 hours before the tour. Cancel at least 48 hours in advance for a reserve-admission refund — cancellation policy
Photos from this tour
19 photos by our guidesOverview
The Monteverde Cloud Forest Biological Reserve works on timed admissions, which is the part most visitors find fiddly. On this product that piece is handled with your booking: your admission is included and secured for the confirmed time, and your guide walks in with you.
What you get inside is the private Cloud Forest experience — tall primary forest, moss-loaded trunks, tree ferns and the ridge of the continental divide, interpreted for your party only, with a spotting scope for the canopy. Because nobody else shares the departure, the route follows your interests and pace.
Reserve rules still apply on this tour: the group leaves the reserve when the guided walk ends, so plan it as a self-contained half day rather than an open ticket for the afternoon.
Guided by Nasua Tours' certified naturalist guides, led by founder Oscar Castillo Mejía (license #1090) — read more about the team. Still comparing options? The Monteverde planning guide explains how this tour differs from the others. Travelling for birds? Check the quetzal, bellbird and manakin seasons.
Itinerary
Admission already arranged
Your guide meets you at the entrance for the confirmed admission time with your included ticket in hand — no ticket window, no extra payment.
Under the tall canopy
Interpretation of the primary cloud forest: epiphytes, strangler figs, hanging gardens and the species that live only in this life zone.
Ridge and cloud
At the divide, wind-shaped trees and passing cloud show why the forest looks the way it does on each slope.
Scope views and exit
Telescope views of the morning's sightings, then the guided tour closes and the group leaves the reserve together.
What to expect
On this product the reserve admission is already included in the price — there is nothing to pay at the gate.
What's included
- Professional bilingual guide, officially certified by the Costa Rican Tourism Board
- High-end spotting telescope shared among your party for crystal-clear wildlife observation and smartphone photography
What to bring
- Reliable waterproof jacket or poncho
- Sturdy hiking shoes or trail sneakers
- Fully charged camera or smartphone for telescope-magnified photos
- A reusable water bottle and insect repellent
Optional or not included
- Transportation
- Meals
Good to know
The essentials before your tour: what to bring, what to wear, where we meet and whether the reserve entrance is included.
What to bring
- Insect repellent — mandatory, the cloud forest has insects all year round
- Closed walking shoes — sandals or socks alone are not allowed
- A rain poncho or waterproof jacket, plus a warm layer for the cool, damp cloud-forest air
What to wear
- Long, quick-dry trousers and a light long-sleeve top are the most comfortable choice on the trail
- Dress in layers: mornings and nights are cool and the cloud forest is humid
- Comfortable clothes you don't mind getting damp from mist or light rain
Meeting point
- Map: Monteverde Cloud Forest Biological ReserveStart time depends on the reserve admission time — 7:30 am whenever it is available. You leave the reserve when the tour ends; staying on afterwards is not allowed.
Is the reserve entrance included?
Yes — the reserve admission is included in the price of this tour. We handle the purchase, so there is nothing to pay at the gate.
Visiting the Monteverde Cloud Forest Reserve? Send us a copy of each guest's passport — or their full name, date of birth and passport number — by WhatsApp or email in advance; the reserve asks for this information to issue the entrance tickets.
Not a mass-market tour
This is an exclusive experience run in small groups or fully private — never a large commercial departure. You walk with one of our certified naturalist guides, led by Oscar Castillo Mejía, at your pace, with professional optical equipment on the trail and your reserve admission already included and confirmed with your booking.
- Small groups or fully private — no crowded buses
- Personal attention from a certified naturalist guide
- Professional spotting scope and quality optics included
- Reserve admission included and confirmed for you
What guests said about this tour
Read all reviews“We took a private day tour with Oscar, and it was an absolutely amazing experience. Oscar conveyed boundless enthusiasm about all the nature we saw, making it an unforgettable day.”
Jaymee CoonjobeeharryGoogle · 2 years ago“We hired several wildlife guides during our three weeks in Costa Rica, but Christian from Nasua Tours was the best — an excellent eye for wildlife and impressive knowledge. If you book only one guided tour in Costa Rica, make it this one.”
Jim LTripadvisor “This was one of the best eco-tours I've taken to date. A first-rate guide, highly knowledgeable about indigenous wildlife and flora of Costa Rica and Monteverde, and about the specific preserves where you might find the species you hope to see.”
Josh Pelta-HellerFacebook
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Booking & cancellation policies
These terms apply to every Nasua Tours booking and you accept them before your request is sent.
Booking cutoff: 24 hours
Requests close 24 hours before the tour starts, so admission and guiding can be arranged in time.
Full refund if you cancel at least 48 hours before the tour
Cancel at least 48 hours before the tour starts and both the guide service and the reserve admission (entrance tickets) are refunded 100%. With less than 48 hours' notice, the entrance tickets are no longer refundable.
Tours run rain or shine
Monteverde weather is unpredictable, so tours run rain or shine. Entrance fees already purchased are non-refundable.
Minimum booking: 2 people (solo guests welcome)
Shared groups open with a 2-person minimum, and the booking system is already set that way. Traveling solo? Send us a manual tour request and we'll do our best to add you to an existing group.
Questions about this tour
- Is the reserve entrance fee included?
- The reserve entrance fee is already included in the price of this product, so there is nothing to buy at the gate on the day of your tour.
- Can we stay in the reserve after the tour ends?
- No. At the Monteverde Cloud Forest Biological Reserve you must leave when the tour ends; staying afterwards is not allowed.
- How long is the nature tour and when does it start?
- At the Monteverde Cloud Forest Biological Reserve, the start time depends on the admission slot available; when possible, we also start at 7:30 am.
- How is it different from the birdwatching tour?
- The nature tour is a natural history walk: your guide interprets how flora and fauna are intertwined, with wildlife sightings along the way. The birdwatching tour starts earlier and is built specifically around finding and scoping birds.
- Are reserve entrance fees included?
- Yes. The price of this tour covers the guided service plus the reserve admission, with 15% tax already included, so there is nothing to buy at the gate on the day of your tour. Infants 0–3 are free.
- How much does the tour cost?
- The request panel shows the total for this private tour at the Monteverde Cloud Forest Biological Reserve, with reserve admission and taxes already included. The price per guest depends on group size. Children 4–10 have their own rate and infants 0–3 are free. You confirm the exact total with Nasua Tours before anything is booked.
- Is a guided nature tour better than walking the reserve alone?
- You can walk the trails alone, but most wildlife is quiet, camouflaged or high in the canopy. A certified naturalist guide interprets what you are seeing and uses a spotting telescope to show details you would otherwise walk past.
- Do I need any experience or special fitness?
- No experience is needed and the pace is relaxed on maintained reserve trails. Tell Nasua Tours about mobility or pace concerns in your request so the route can be adjusted.
Continue your Monteverde experience
You can combine tours to see different sides of Monteverde. These pair well with this one:
Night Walk Tour
The walk finishes late morning, so the 5:30 pm night walk can work that same evening — the same forest with an entirely nocturnal cast.
Private Full Day Birding Tour
Travellers who want more time on the trails often move up to the nine-hour private day across two reserves.
Build a multi-tour itinerary
Send us the tours you like and the dates you are in Monteverde. Oscar sequences them realistically around start times and reserves, then replies with the current rates and one combined plan.
About 3 hours
Entrance fee included