Reserva Biologica Bosque Nuboso Monteverde (not a SINAC park)

The Reserva Biologica Bosque Nuboso Monteverde is one of the most visited nature destinations in Costa Rica (about 70,000 visitors per year), known for its cloud forest and its extremely high biodiversity (more than 2,500 plant species, 400 bird species, 100 mammal species).

Important distinction: unlike all the other destinations in this knowledge base (Manuel Antonio, Arenal, Poas, etc.), Monteverde is NOT a national park of the SINAC — it is a private reserve, owned and managed by the Centro Cientifico Tropical (CCT), a Costa Rican non‑profit scientific and educational NGO founded in 1962. This means that SINAC’s reservation rules, fees and schedules (online system sinacweb.sinac.go.cr, national/resident vs. foreign visitor fees set by decree) do NOT apply here — Monteverde has its own ticket‑sale system, administered directly by the CCT.

Location: about 5 km east of the center of Santa Elena, canton of Monteverde, province of Puntarenas.

Size: approximately 10.522 hectares of cloud forest.

Note: the exact opening hours, current admission fee, and the official reservation channel for Monteverde could not be confirmed in this verification — unlike the SINAC parks in this database, that information was not available with the same precision in this review. Please verify directly at cct.or.cr before traveling.