Last Updated: May 19, 2025
If you only have a few days in Monteverde, it can be overwhelming to choose from so many different tours and activities. This guide will help you find the best things to do with kids in Monteverde, where to do them, and which provider gives you the best experience.
If you’re wondering how to efficiently pack all of this into a few days, check out my suggested 7 day itinerary from San Jose or 7 day itinerary from Liberia. If you need a place to stay, my number one recommendation for families in Monteverde is Valle Escondido Nature Reserve and Farm (check prices here). To know why I picked this inn and get more tips and recommendations, see Best places to stay for families in Monteverde. For more help planning your trip, see Step-by-Step Travel Guide to Costa Rica for Families.
And as a thank you for visiting my site, get a FREE copy of my Wildlife Spotting Guide for Kids, and more educational fun fact guides.
1. Cloud Forest Hike and Hanging Bridges
The number one reason most people come to Monteverde is to experience the cloud forest ecosystem. A cloud forest is a special type of rainforest found only at high elevations. They are constantly covered in mist and fog, creating a unique habitat and ecosystem. Download my free Kid’s Guide to Costa Rica’s Forests to make this an educational experience for them.
Best Cloud Forest Hike for Families
- Selvatura Park – Features the longest system of hanging bridges in Costa Rica, all located within beautiful virgin cloud forest. There are 8 suspension bridges connected by a 2-mile nature trail, giving you a unique perspective of the forest from above and below. This is a great option with kids who will enjoy traversing the bridges and exploring this 2-hour trail at their own pace. You can also combine your visit with one of Selvatura Park’s other attractions like the sloth sanctuary and butterfly garden. Check their website for prices and to book.
Other Options
- Treetopia Park – Formerly called Sky Adventures, this park has a 1.7 mile trail with six hanging bridges (including the longest single bridge) and a 20-minute Ariel gondola ride over the forest canopy. Choose this option if you are interested in the gondola ride, though the forest at Selvatura is denser and at a higher elevation.
- Monteverde Cloud Forest Biological Reserve – This reserve has the best network of well-marked hiking trails, one hanging bridge, and great wildlife-spotting opportunities. It is the most well-known reserve on the list and also less expensive. If you want to focus on wildlife and learn about the forest system, a guided hike is the best way to explore this park. You can check prices and book here.
- Santa Elena Cloud Forest Reserve – This less-visited reserve is at a higher elevation, so it is more misty and cloudy. On hot, dry days, you might prefer this reserve if the lower elevation forests are not as cloudy. It also has a viewpoint where you can see as far away as Arenal Volcano on clear days. It is not as great for wildlife viewing as Monteverde Reserve, but it receives fewer visitors, so choose this option if you want to avoid crowds
How long do I need? 2 hours (or more for longer hikes)
Don’t forget to download my free Kid’s Guide to Costa Rica’s Forests before you go.
2. El Tigre Waterfalls
El Tigre is one of the best waterfall hikes in Monteverde. It takes you through a private park to visit 4 small secluded falls and across ten small suspension bridges.
The hike can be done in two ways – walk the entire 5-mile route, or hike the first 3 miles and take a horse ride or safari car for the rest of the way. The second option is more expensive but it makes the experience far less strenuous for kids or adults who want an easier hike. At the 3-mile point, you can also try out a unique bike zipline for an extra cost. You can book directly on their website here.
How long do I need? A half day for the full experience.
Related Post: Best Things to Do in La Fortuna
3. Ziplining and Canopy tours
Monteverde is considered one of the world’s best destinations for zip-lining, with the longest cable in Latin America, stunning scenery, and some dramatic elevation changes.
The Best Ziplining Tour for Families
The Original Canopy Tour – This was the first and original ziplining tour in all of Costa Rica and is still one of the highest-rated and most popular options. It has ten ziplines that are not as high or scary as the other major operators, making it a great option for families (ages 5+). What makes this tour extra awesome is that it’s the only one where you get to climb through the interior of a hollow Ficus tree, one of Monteverde’s most fascinating botanical wonders, to reach the ziplining platform. There are optional add-ons like Tarzan swing and rappelling if you have family members who want a bigger thrill. You can check prices and book this tour here.
Other Options:
- 100% Aventura – Has a total of 11 cables and features the longest zipline in Latin America (1.5km), a Tarzan swing and a “Superman” cable where you fly face-down. Choose this option for the biggest thrills.
- Selvatura Park – With 13 cables, this option is best if you want to combine your adventure with a hanging bridges hike and a visit to their butterfly or sloth sanctuaries.
How long do I need? 2 – 3 hours. More if you combine activities
4. Birdwatching
Monteverde is one of the best places in the world for birdwatching. Resplendent Quetzals with their vibrant, emerald-green feathers, can be exceptionally difficult to find in the wild, making a successful quetzal sighting one of the most celebrated achievements for birdwatchers.
What to know about entrance fees: The birds migrate across the various reserves throughout the year, so even if you have pre-booked a tour (which you should because guides get snapped up quickly), a guide might suggest changing the reserve to where the birds are more active that day. For this reason, most guided tours will not include the entrance fee in the tour price. Instead, you pay the fee directly to the reserve they choose on the day of the tour.
The Best Birdwatching Tours for Families
- Curi Cancha Reserve – The foliage here is a little less dense than at Monteverde Reserve, making it the best place to see birds. There are two ways to visit. For a more relaxed pace, go on a self-guided walk, where you will see the hummingbird garden, blue morpho butterflies, hedge maze, monkeys, giant hollow Ficus trees, and other kid-friendly attractions. If you are more serious about birdwatching, definitely get a guided tour. You can check prices and book here.
Other Options
- Monteverde Cloud Forest Biological Reserve – The most popular reserve, this is another favorite haunt of quetzals and other birds. For a guided tour, you can check prices and book here.
How long do I need? Guided tours are between 2 to 4 hours starting early in the morning to maximize sightings. A self-guided walk around Curi Cancha is about 2 hours.
5. Coffee Tours
You will see a number of these tours all over Costa Rica, and they are a great way to turn education into a delicious adventure. Most tours are very interactive with hands-on demonstrations that kids love. Coffee has been central to Costa Rica’s economy for nearly two centuries, and they are world-renowned for producing beans with exceptional flavor profiles. Many tours also include cocoa and sugarcane production to make their offering more appealing.
Should I do the coffee & chocolate tour in La Fortuna or Monteverde? If you are more interested in coffee, which is what Costa Rica is really famous for, Monteverde is better. Because of the higher elevation, it creates ideal growing conditions for specialty coffee. If you’re more interested in chocolate, La Fortuna is better because cacao only grows in hot, tropical weather.
The Best Coffee and Chocolate Tour for Families
Don Juan Coffee, Chocolate and Sugarcane tour – This is the most well-known and professionally operated farm tour with excellent guides and plenty of interactivity for kids. Even though cacao is not traditionally grown in Monteverde, this tour equally focuses on the chocolate production process, which kids love. The tour ends with free chocolate samples and hot chocolate (and parents, you get coffee, don’t worry). Check Prices and Book this Tour here.
Other Options
- El Trapiche Tour – Another great option. Choose this tour if you want more emphasis on coffee, though chocolate and sugar cane are also briefly covered.
- Cafe Monteverde – The most specialized tour on just coffee, with more extensive coffee tastings, technical detail of its production methods, and sustainable farming. Choose this tour if you have older kids and want to focus on the educational aspect of coffee.
How long do I need? 2.5 hours
6. Night tours
A night tour is a great way to see Monteverde’s ecosystem of nocturnal creatures. On a typical tour, you might see a scorpion carrying dozens of babies on it’s back, a sleeping monkey, sloths, frogs, snakes and more. Tours begin right after dark at 6pm so don’t worry about kids having to stay up late. There are a lot of night tour options in Monteverde so choosing one can be tough.
Should I do a Night Tour in La Fortuna or Monteverde? Monteverde has a cooler and more pleasant climate than La Fortuna. This means fewer bugs, especially at night time. If anyone in your family is squeamish about bugs, Monteverde is the better option (there will still be some bugs). On the other hand, the nocturnal red-eyed tree frog, a big hit with kids, can only be seen in the wild in La Fortuna. You can also do a night tour in both places and have a different experience. Either way, download my Free Wildlife Spotting Guide before you go on this tour.
Best Night Tour for Families
Refugio Monteverde – Our favorite option because group sizes are limited to 6-7 people per guide, which can greatly enhance the experience. Kids under 7 are free and they make an effort to group families with other families so that the guide can make the explanations more kid-friendly. There will be multiple groups each night, but they spread out around the reserve, so most of the time you are alone with your guide. The guides text each other about major sightings – this means you will see more wildlife, but it can get crowded for short periods when multiple groups descend in the same place. Check prices and book this tour here.
Other Options
- Monteverde Cloud Forest Reserve – The tour takes place in the main reserve with pristine primary forest and highly trained guides. This tour can have larger group sizes and its popularity means it can get booked out fast.
- Valle Escondido – This reserve is less well known, so choose this option if you don’t to see other tour groups. The reserve also operates a hotel, which is my number one place to stay for families.
- Kinkajou Night Tour – One of the original night tours in the area, this tour also takes place in a private reserve. Group sizes here can get large. Larger mammals like kinkajous and sloths are more commonly spotted on this tour.
How long do I need? 2 hours usually at 6 or 8 pm.
7. Butterfly garden
Monteverde is one of the best places in the world to see a large variety of butterflies. The large blue morpho butterfly is hard to miss as it flutters through sunlit areas of the cloud forest. Monteverde is also home to several excellent butterfly gardens that showcase Costa Rica’s incredible butterfly diversity. Since the exhibits are sheltered, this is also a great alternative for a rainy day.
The Best Butterfly Gardens for Families
- Monteverde Butterfly Gardens – One of the oldest and most established butterfly exhibits, it features four different climate-controlled habitats and an excellent insect exhibit with tarantulas, walking sticks, and leaf insects. A guided tour is required and is about an hour long. The garden is located in Santa Elena, so very easy to get to.
- Selvatura Butterfly Garden – This is one of the largest exhibits in Central America. This option can be expensive and hard to reach, so I only recommend choosing this one if you combine it with hanging bridges or other experiences at Selvatura.
How long do I need? 1 hour
8. Climb a hollow Ficus Tree from the inside
Hollow Ficus Trees or Strangler figs are found in Monteverde’s cloud forests and are one of the most unique trees you will encounter. They begin life by growing around a host tree until they eventually encircle it completely and “strangle” their hosts. As the host tree dies and decomposes, the fig’s network of roots forms a hollow, free-standing tree.
The Best Ficus Tree Climbing Tour for Families
- The Original Canopy Tour – This is a family-friendly zipline tour where climbing a ficus tree is included as part of the course. This option is great if you don’t want to go out of your way to experience this, and if you also zipline here. You can check prices and book this tour here.
- Finca Modelo – This standalone family-run tour located in Finca Modelo, will give you the opportunity to climb a hollow Ficus tree from the inside and the outside. You will be given safety equipment and harnesses for the entire climb. The interior climb is easier as the tree provides natural footholds and is the main appeal of this attraction. Once you reach the top, there is a platform set up from where you can enjoy lovely views of the forest around. Kids must be 8+ to join.
- Savia – The ‘Ficus Experience Package’ combines the tree climb with other cool canopy experiences like hammock on the treetop, hang like a bat and more.
How long do I need? 2 – 4 hours depending on the tour company
9. Bat Jungle
If you or your kids are interested in bats, this small exhibit opens at 9 am and is worth a quick stop before you head out for the day. There are two small interactive exhibit rooms explaining the lifestyle and habitats of native bats. This is followed by a dark enclosure filled with rescued bats that you explore with a flashlight. The visit is relatively short and can be done in about 30 minutes. The entrance fee is $7 for adults and can be purchased at the counter.
How long do I need?– 30 minutes
10. Local Waterfalls
Monteverde waterfalls is on route 620 near the Bat Jungle. Just enter “Monteverde Waterfalls” into your map. For a small fee of $7, you can take a short, scenic 15-minute hike on an easy trail. There are a couple of rope bridges enroute to the base of these falls. If the weather is good, you can jump in for a quick swim.
How long do I need?: 1 hour
11. Frog Pond Ranario
This small attraction is in the town of Santa Elena and has several enclosures where you can get a close look at the many colorful and fascinating frogs in Costa Rica. For $20, you can visit during the day, and come back again at night since most frogs are nocturnal.
How long do I need? 1 hour
12. Orchid gardens
The Orchid Garden in Monteverde is a specialized botanical garden dedicated to Costa Rica’s incredible diversity of orchids. The garden features over 400 species, many of which are miniature varieties that you might miss in the wild. A guided tour is the only option to visit the facility.
How long do I need? 1 hour
13. Horseback riding
If you want an alternative to using your feet, several operators offer cloud forest rides with beautiful views. Rides typically include forest trails and sometimes open pastures with mountain views.
- Sabine’s Smiling Horses is one of the most reputable operators in the area. They offer 2-3 hour tours through the cloud forest, open pastures, and farmland with mountain views. They’re known for well-treated horses and knowledgeable guides who can point out wildlife and plants along the way.
- Monteverde Horse Tours provides rides through the countryside with views of the Gulf of Nicoya on clear days. Their routes typically include forest trails, open fields, and sometimes visits to small local farms.
How long do I need? Half day
14. Bungee jumping
If you’re still looking for some extra thrills, Extremo Park in Monteverde is home to the highest bungee jump and Tarzan swing in Central America. Minimum age is 14 years.
How long do I need? 1 hour
Ready for the Next Step?
- Complete Step-by-Step Guide to Costa Rica for Families – Know everything you need about flights, food, currency, rental cars, accommodation and activities
- 7 Day Itinerary from San Jose Airport or 7 Day Itinerary from Liberia Airport
- Best Things to Do in La Fortuna
- Best Places to Stay in Montverde for Families
- Download a Free Wildlife Spotting Guide and other Costa Rica Fun Facts for Kids by subscribing to my Newsletter.
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