Monteverde Night Hikes
A thousand eyes stare back reflecting in the glow of our flashlights. The sun has set and the only remaining light shines from our fingertips we venture deeper in the liquid darkness under the rainforest canopy. Some of the eyes glitter like a single carat diamond ring; frogs; insects and snakes illuminated in the limelight. High above, the trees rustle with the sounds of animals rousing from their slumber, climbing through branches, foraging for food.
read more closeThere's a reason that things go bump in the night. The other half of the rainforest's residents stretches their legs and wings as the sun sets on the rainforest. The night features a whole new ecosystem in the rainforest, from stick bugs and tarantulas, to two-toed sloths, wide eyed-kinkajous, scaly snakes and armadillos. If you're brave enough to hike through the forest under the cover of night, Monteverde has a handful night hikes to test your fortitude.
Monteverde Cloud Forest Reserve
Night hikes in the Monteverde Cloud Forest Reserve start at a nearby cafe. In the daytime, the cafe's known for the mass of hummingbirds that flock to its feeders providing entertainment for coffee drinkers, but at night the feeders attract nectar-eating bats. You'll catch glimpses of them as the swoop past, or as they hover over the feeders reaching their long tongues into the sugar water before veering out of sight. Hiking deeper into the reserve it's possible to encounter any number of mammals and insects, but the sheer size of the forest can, at times, make them difficult to encounter. Well-versed guides will take you to the nesting spots of sleeping birds and the dens of orange-kneed tarantulas – a sight you are almost sure to see on any Monteverde night hike.
Bajo del Tigre
A little lower in altitude than the Monteverde Cloud Forest Reserve, you'll find Bajo del Tigre Reserve. Part of the Children's Eternal Rainforest, this reserve is home to premontane wet rainforest; slightly drier than its cloud-covered counterpart. The tour starts as the sun sets over the Nicoya Gulf, a view possible to see from the outlook near reception. Guides will take you through winding trails, often working in teams of small groups that keep contact through radio. If the guides find something, they'll inform one another; effectively doubling the chances of seeing wildlife on the tour. Bajo del Tigre's a natural wildlife corridor that provides a route for wildlife between reserves. Visitors frequently encounter orange-kneed tarantulas, scorpions and a host of other insects the guides are afraid to get close and personal with. Guides follow the habits of sleeping birds like the blue-crowned motmot; making them another common sighting in the reserve. Sloths, snakes and white-nosed coatis are among the other animals often seen on night hikes at Bajo del Tigre.
Santamaria
Santamaria is one of the most popular night hikes in Monteverde. It's a small 17-acre reserve owned by a local family crisscrossed with trails weaving in and out of the premontane wet rainforest. In the dry season (Dec.-May), it's not uncommon for five different groups to move throughout the reserve. Despite the extra noise and light, the additional groups are extremely helpful when looking for some of the elusive creatures of the night. Using walktie-talkies, the guides keep in contact and inform each other about where they've spotted different animals. With this method, it's more likely you'll see mammals drifting between the trees like two-toed sloths and kinkajous – a big-eyed leaf eating mammal with a long tail. Oversized-guinea pigs, known as agoutis, are often seen rummaging through the undergrowth along with white-nosed coatis; and if you're lucky you might even come across a nine-banded armadillo. There's a couple of hiding spots for the orange kneed-tarantula on the Santamaria Reserve (they move every few months) and occasional sightings of different snakes hanging in the trees.
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