What's on in Monteverde (Santa Elena), Costa Rica through the year

Busy — Dry season, school holidays in 3 of the markets that fill it

• Rule

  Timed entry to the preserve

  1 Jan – 31 DecBook early

  The Cloud Forest Preserve caps visitor numbers per time slot on scientific advice and sells its walks by the hour. The half-seven slots and the night walk go first; book rather than turn up at the gate. Source ↗

Still on: The windy months (1 Dec – 28 Feb (usually)), Dry season (15 Dec – 15 Apr (usually))

Busy — Dry season

Nothing new starts in February.

Still on: Timed entry to the preserve (1 Jan – 31 Dec), The windy months (1 Dec – 28 Feb (usually)), Dry season (15 Dec – 15 Apr (usually))

Peak crowds — Semana Santa, Dry season

• Nature

  Quetzal nesting season

  1 Mar – 15 Jun · usuallyBirdlife season

  Resplendent quetzals hold territory around the fruiting wild avocados in the spring, which is when a guide can reliably put you on one. Outside the nesting months they drift downhill and become luck.

• Holiday

  Semana Santa

  29 Mar – 5 AprEaster & Holy WeekCrowdedBook early

  Costa Ricans come up off the coast for a cooler week and every room along the ridge goes. It is the one stretch of the year when the reserve trails feel busy rather than empty. Source ↗

Still on: Timed entry to the preserve (1 Jan – 31 Dec), Dry season (15 Dec – 15 Apr (usually))

Peak crowds — Semana Santa, Dry season

Nothing new starts in April.

Still on: Timed entry to the preserve (1 Jan – 31 Dec), Quetzal nesting season (1 Mar – 15 Jun (usually)), Semana Santa (29 Mar – 5 Apr), Dry season (15 Dec – 15 Apr (usually))

Shoulder season — an ordinary month

Nothing new starts in May.

Still on: Timed entry to the preserve (1 Jan – 31 Dec), Quetzal nesting season (1 Mar – 15 Jun (usually))

Quiet — school holidays in 3 of the markets that fill it, one of its worst months for weather

Nothing new starts in June.

Still on: Timed entry to the preserve (1 Jan – 31 Dec), Quetzal nesting season (1 Mar – 15 Jun (usually))

Shoulder season — school holidays in 3 of the markets that fill it, an ordinary month

Nothing new starts in July.

Still on: Timed entry to the preserve (1 Jan – 31 Dec)

Shoulder season — school holidays in 3 of the markets that fill it, an ordinary month

Nothing new starts in August.

Still on: Timed entry to the preserve (1 Jan – 31 Dec)

Quiet — school holidays in 2 of the markets that fill it, one of its worst months for weather

Nothing new starts in September.

Still on: Timed entry to the preserve (1 Jan – 31 Dec)

Quiet — one of its worst months for weather

Nothing new starts in October.

Still on: Timed entry to the preserve (1 Jan – 31 Dec)

Shoulder season — an ordinary month

Nothing new starts in November.

Still on: Timed entry to the preserve (1 Jan – 31 Dec)

Busy — Dry season, school holidays in 3 of the markets that fill it

• Season

  The windy months

  1 Dec – 28 Feb · usuallyWind seasonRisk

  The trade winds come over the continental divide hard enough to lean on, carrying cloud with them even on a dry day. The dwarf forest along the top of the reserve is bent permanently the same way.

• Season

  Dry season

  15 Dec – 15 Apr · usuallyCrowded

  The cloud lifts often enough to see the Gulf of Nicoya from the ridge and the road up from the Interamericana stops being an event in itself. Also when the whole of Monteverde is busiest.

Still on: Timed entry to the preserve (1 Jan – 31 Dec)