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Popular Tours - Northern Region
Monteverde
Selvatura Hanging Bridges/Butterfly/Hummingbird Gardens - Selvatura's Suspension Walkways provide a tour in which all visitors can walk through our bridge system and peacefully admire the wonders of the virgin cloud forest from the level of its canopy . Selvatura's Suspesion Walkways represent the state of the art in bridge engineering and construction featuring some of the most advanced techniques of wight support and other safety measures. This tour is designesd to be suitable for people of all ages. Our tour consists of 8 bridges of various lengths ranging between 204 and 480 feet (68 and 160 metes). The total length of the tour us about 1.8 miles (3 Kilometers). All bridges feature a 4 feet width making them not only the most comfortable bridges but also the most secure available. All our bridges can easily support up to 40 peolpe at a time. Private guided Natural History walks are also offered through our trail and bridge system. Selvatura's Suspension Walkways provide the safest possible way to enjoy the canopy and the cloud forest froim it's most interesting perspective. Our bridge system is also praised by birdwatchers. If you are looking for a surreal experience, Selvatura's Butterfly Garden is a must. Selvatura features Central America's largest butterfly garden. Inside the garden a controlled environment hosts a magnificent collection of butterflies from over 50 different species found throughout the tropics. Inside our garden you can admire the spectacular Morpho butterfly (Morpho Peleides) and many others. You can also experience the beauty of our indoor waterfalls and admire more than 60 different species of tropica plants. All these marvels are located within a dome with an area of 8100 square feet (2700 square meters). Selvatura's Butterfly Garden is a perfect setting for wonder, appretiation and spirituality. Another attraction at Selvatura is the Hummingbird garden where our visitors can observe over 14 different species of hummingbirds flying arround in a peaceful setting inside the forest. Selvatura's hummingbird garden is the perfect choice for those who want to wander about in a beautiful environment or simply for those who want to wait and take pictures of these curious and beautiful birds.
Departures: 8:00 A.M.
Duration: 4 hours
Frequency: Daily
Items to bring/wear: Small backpack, sneakers/hiking shoes, shorts/long pants, t-shirt, insect repellent, camera, sweater, rain gear if necessary
Includes: Transportation, tour guide and entrance fee, lunch
Sky Trek Canopy Tour - Sky Trek is a network of under story trails and platforms reaching high above the ground in the midst of the tree boughs. Zip lines attached from one platform to another allow you to slide through the forest canopy with the use of special equipment. Two suspension bridges along the trails give you a great view of the forest, and an observation platform above the canopy offers you a panoramic view of Guanacaste and Puntarenas lowlands. The tour includes ten different cables through and above the canopy, divided in four different sets. As the tour progresses the speed and length are increased from 30 meters (100 ft) long and 22 meters (72 ft) high in the first set to 427 meters (1400 ft) long and 127 meters (416 ft) high in the last set of cables.
Departures: 7:30 am, 8:30 am, 9.30 am, 10:30, 11:30, 1:30pm, 2:00pm, 2:30 pm and 3:00 pm. Tour available with or without transportation from Monteverde area hotels.
Duration: 4 hours
Frequency: Daily
Items to bring/wear: Small backpack, sneakers/hiking shoes, shorts/long pants, t-shirt and camera
Includes: Transportation, tour guide and entrance fee
Sky Walk, Hanging Bridges - Sky Walk is a network of suspension bridges and trails built within the Monteverde cloud forest. It allows different observational levels to admire the flora and fauna starting at the forest ground and ending at the treetops. The Sky Walk consists of seven suspension bridges the highest being 46 meters (150 ft) and the longest being 300 meters (984 ft). In the Monteverde Cloud Forest plants abound which are specially adapted to absorb moisture directly from the mist. It is from these huge, misty forests that Costa Rica's abundant water sources derive. Epiphytes (plants which live on trees in order to reach the sunlight) also abound in these forests, adding to the water-gathering ability of the trees. The epiphytes are not parasites; they feed off water and dust and nutrients which accumulate around their roots. Costa Rica has roughly 1,500 species of orchids, almost all of them epiphytes. Costa Rica, in fact, provides much of the world's supply of orchids. Other epiphytes include bromeliads (over 200 species, much more commonly seen than the orchids.) The epiphytes, treetops and vines create a canopy that preserves the moisture within the forest, and also provides a home for many small animals and insects that live their whole lives in the canopy, never touching the ground. The cloud and Costa Rica rainforest comprise some of the world's most complex ecosystems. Sky Walk gives a chance to everybody to easily see up close the beauty of the canopy. Until recently, little was known about life in tropical forest treetops, because getting up there was nearly impossible. Early explorers used ropes and pulleys or ladders carved into tree trunks. Today, biologists explore the canopy via towers, suspension bridges like Skywalk, rafts lowered gently onto treetops by dirigibles, and even construction cranes. Biologists now know that about 90 percent of all organisms in a rainforest are found in the canopy. The sun that barely reaches the forest floor strikes treetops with full force, fueling the photosynthesis that results in leaves, fruit, and seeds. Since there's so much good food way up there, animals abound in the canopy. The Sky Walk tour includes 2.5 kilometers of trails and 6 suspended bridges across deep canyons at the level of the treetops. The longest bridge is about 243 meters (800 feet) in length. Anybody that can walk for 2 hours can live this experience. There is no strenuous climb or mud and the trails are very well maintained. It takes an average of 2 hours, much more if you pay attention to all the different plants, trees and wildlife along the way. The temperature can be cool in these mountains so wear pants, good walking shoes and bring a light jacket or sweater. Insect repellent is not necessary but suntan protection lotion is. Binoculars and poncho or umbrella are recommended. After all, this is a Cloud Forest. At the entrance, you can find a restaurant & souvenir shop. Because there is a 12 person maximum capacity per bridge, reservations are recommended, especially in July, August and from December till May.
Departures: 7:00 A.M.
Duration: 2 hours
Frequency: Daily
Items to bring/wear: Small backpack, hiking shoes, shorts/long pants, camera, and binoculars, insect repellent.
Night Hike, Santa Elena Cloud Forest - Located over the highlands of Monteverde, famous spot in the world for its wide biodiversity. Santa Elena Cloud Forest Reserve offers an interesting alternative for those seeking for adventure in real contact with nature. A perfect place to take an "Unforgettable Walk in the Clouds", ideal for bird watching, hiking, doing research. The Night Tour , t his exciting tour starts at sundown (5:30 p.m.). In approximately 2 hours we cover by foot a diversity of trails surrounded by thick jungle. The jungle's activity is much more surprising at night. While enjoying the night walk, you will have the opportunity to observe frogs, olingos, kinkajous, sloths, porcupines, white-nosed coati, lizards, sleeping birds, tarantulas, spiders, grasshoppers, crickets, snakes, and much more of mammals, arachnids, insects and reptiles. We suggest bringing a flashlight, comfortable shoes, a raingear.
Departures: 5:30 P.M.
Duration: 2 hours
Frequency: Daily
Items to bring/wear: Small backpack, sneakers/hiking shoes, shorts/long pants, t-shirt, insect repellent, camera, sweater, rain gear if necessary and SMALL FLASHLIGHT .
Includes: Transportation, tour guide and entrance fee
Monteverde Cloud Forest Reserve - The Monteverde Cloud Forest Reserve offers daily-guided tours, which include a walk in the cloud forest with an experienced naturalist guide (approximately 3 hours), and 20 minutes slide show. On the tour your naturalist guide will describe the biological importance of a wide variety of species of plants, trees, birds, butterflies, reptiles and mammals in six distinct ecological zones protected by the Monteverde Cloud Forest.
Departures: 7:00 A.M.
Duration: 4 hours
Frequency: Daily
Facilities: Restaurant, souvenir shop, art gallery. No restrooms on trails.
Items to bring/wear: Small backpack, hiking shoes, long pants if cool, light jacket, binoculars, and camera
Includes: Transportation, tour guide, and entrance fee
Selvatura's Canopy Tour - One of the safest and most thrilling adventures of all time. At Selvatura's Canopy Tour the visitors will be able to see the marvels of the virgin cloud forest from the canopy perspective. It is also possible to observe some of the cloud forest's most amazing flora and fauna including a wide variety of epiphytes, monkeys and exotic birds. Surely this tour is the experience of a lifetime. Our tour consists on 14 platforms connected by stainless steel cables on which our visitors cruise through virgin cloud forest while being attached by a top class security harness. The total length of the tour is 1.8 miles (3 kilometers) cruising through altitudes of up to 300 feet (100 meters). All of Selvatura's Canopy guides are highly trained and have experience working in the field prior to being employed on our tour. Selvatura is a conservation project located in Monteverde, Costa Rica, a location famous for its cloud forest. Selvatura comprises a wide variety of activities that can be enjoyed by people of all ages and physical condition. Selvatura is a project that has been developed under rigorous engineering supervision to provide the best safety, security and quality possible in all our activities. Also all contruction in Selvatura has been approved bt the Costa Rica College of Engineers and Architects as being safe for all visitors.
Departures: 8:30 am, 1:00 P.M.
Duration: 2 hours
Frequency: Daily
Items to bring/wear: Small backpack, sneakers/hiking shoes, shorts/long pants, t-shirt, insect repellent, camera, sweater, rain gear if necessary.
Includes: Transportation, tour guide
Selvatura Hanging Bridges - Selvatura's Suspension Walkways provide a tour in which all visitors can walk through our bridge system and peacefully admire the wonders of the virgin cloud forest from the level of its canopy . Selvatura's Suspesion Walkways represent the state of the art in bridge engineering and construction featuring some of the most advanced techniques of wight support and other safety measures. This tour is designesd to be suitable for people of all ages. Our tour consists of 8 bridges of various lengths ranging between 204 and 480 feet (68 and 160 metes). The total length of the tour us about 1.8 miles (3 Kilometers). All bridges feature a 4 feet width making them not only the most comfortable bridges but also the most secure available. All our bridges can easily support up to 40 peolpe at a time. Private guided Natural History walks are also offered through our trail and bridge system. Selvatura's Suspension Walkways provide the safest possible way to enjoy the canopy and the cloud forest froim it's most interesting perspective. Our bridge system is also praised by birdwatchers.
Departures: 8:00 A.M. 1:00 P.M.
Duration: 2 hours
Frequency: Daily
Items to bring/wear: Small backpack, sneakers/hiking shoes, shorts/long pants, t-shirt, insect repellent, camera, sweater, rain gear if necessary.
Includes: Transportation, tour guide
Selvatura's Butterfly / Hummingbird Gardens - If you are looking for a surreal experience, Selvatura's Butterfly Garden is a must. Selvatura features Central America's largest butterfly garden. Inside the garden a controlled environment hosts a magnificent collection of butterflies from over 50 different species found throughout the tropics. Inside our garden you can admire the spectacular Morpho butterfly (Morpho Peleides) and many others. You can also experience the beauty of our indoor waterfalls and admire more than 60 different species of tropica plants. All these marvels are located within a dome with an area of 8100 square feet (2700 square meters). Selvatura's Butterfly Garden is a perfect setting for wonder, appretiation and spirituality. Another attraction at Selvatura is the Hummingbird garden where our visitors can observe over 14 different species of hummingbirds flying arround in a peaceful setting inside the forest. Selvatura's hummingbird garden is the perfect choice for those who want to wander about in a beautiful environment or simply for those who want to wait and take pictures of these curious and beautiful birds.
Departures: 8:30 am, 1:00 P.M.
Duration: 2 hours
Frequency: Daily
Items to bring/wear: Small backpack, sneakers/hiking shoes, shorts/long pants, t-shirt, insect repellent, camera, sweater, rain gear if necessary.
Includes: Transportation, tour guide
Horseback Riding in the Monteverde Cloud Forest - A unique and memorable horseback ride and forest experience. The horse takes you in about 2.5 hours from the village of Sta. Elena to the 300 meters higher elevation for the Arenal Volcano lookout point. Depending on the weather you like to enjoy outside- the Arenal Volcano view is spectacular. You need to be lucky. With mist and clouds it gets a different memory, very mystic and it has something of a fairytale. In either case you will never forget the Cloud Forest of Monteverde in Costa Rica.
Departure: 9:00 A.M. Pick up times vary depending on the hotel location
Duration: 5 hours
Frequency: Daily
Items to bring/wear: Small backpack, insect repellent, rain gear if necessary, binoculars, camera, Long pants for the horseback ride
Participant Requirements: Good physical condition
Includes: Transportation, tour guide, and horses, refreshments
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