What to do and see in Santa Elena, Province of Puntarenas: The Best Things to do

Our family wakes up early at the warmth of the wooden stove, we gather to plan the day around the flavor of handmade tortillas. We grew up at the shade of the great ficus and enjoys the songs of the free birds and the mischievous monkeys, cultivate life and food to help us survive in an economy in which money has value, but we have the certain that it is not all !!! We are a local family and our job is to share the life philosophy that we got as a heritage, communion with the great diversity in which we have the opportunity of walking up, working on the conservation of the forest and offering visitors the unforgettable experience of nature image, walking through our different trails you will encounter a transition forest a bridge between The Cloud Forest and the Dry Forest; with an abundance of endemic and fruit bearing trees in the area that make it suitable birds watching, wildlife observation and wide array flora that characterizes the area. You will be surprised by two beautiful waterfalls, panoramic views, coffee and banana plantations grown in harmony with the rich biodiversity of 48 hectares of protected area. In our quest to conserve the forest we are part of the Biological Corridor Bellbird, planting and giving maintenance to about 1,000 trees per year, this association's project to reforest the corridor where they nest and eat these beautiful birds. Bellbird Association

Half way between the town of Santa Elena and the Santa Elena Preserve the Sky Walk is located: This complex use trails, suspension bridges for a more tranquil introduction to the ecology and natives of the forest canopy, constructed within the cloud forest. It allows a vision of the forest from a different perspective which starts with a walk on the ground taking you up to explore the treetops, a hardly discovered habitat, called the “canopy” with a naturalist guide. Also discover the night wildlife at our Sky Walk Night Tour.

Café Monteverde is a group of 12 families that have farmed, harvested, milled, roasted & exported especialty arabica coffee since 1989 in Monteverde, Costa Rica.

The Bajo del Tigre sector is physically separated from the Children's Eternal Rain Forest and is managed by the MCL. Bajo del Tigre is situated in Monteverde and is approximately 29 hectares in size, although the property is surrounded by other forested properties in the zone. The type of forest found in Bajo del Tigre is rare and it is poorly represented in the country. This is because these forests were cut down to make way for coffee plantations and urban zones. Bajo del Tigre presents an altitudinal range from 1,020 to 1,380 meters above sea level and receives over 2,400 mm of rain annually. In this type of seasonal forest, the dry period extends from January through the beginning of May. Bajo del Tigre has a reception center for visitors and a gift shop with items related to our organization and conservation in general. In addition, next to the reception center is a "kids' house" oriented to environmental education for local kids. The main visitors of Bajo del Tigre are national and international students. However, it is being used more and more by ecotourists and occasionally by researchers. In Bajo del Tigre, there are about 4.4 Km of trails that allow you to enjoy the unique flora and fauna of the area, as well as an excellent view of the sunset over the Nicoya Gulf.

The Monteverde Orchid Garden is a place where you can enjoy beauty that is found in the marvelous world of orchids. Our garden has a large collection of orchids; we have more than 425 different species. You can find species that are endemic to Monteverde, and a collection of miniature orchids, including the smallest one in the world. We offer guided walks both in English and Spanish. We are in a great location in down town Santa Elena.

Aguti is focused on preservation and highly committed to the study of local and migratory species. Within this reserve, there are two types of forest and open areas that facilitate the sighting of birds. Aguti is interested in providing an authentic experience, avoiding mass tourism, allowing a pleasant stay to those who visit it. The spirit of the project includes the conservation of the ecosystem, reforestation, and study of Costa Rican species.

Is a 55 acre property of which 44 acres form a premountanous wet forest. Twenty seven acres are used for the guided walks and 17 acres are not tampered with at all to preserve the biodiversity. The remaining 11 acres are still pastures in the process of reforestation. The Refuges’ location on the top of the Tilaran mountain range and in between the pacific dry forest and the Monteverde cloud forest makes it a very important biological corridor used by many species daily in search of food or refuge. This makes it an ideal location for birwatching for species like the quetzal, bellbird, mot-mot, manakin, toucan, oil bird and many more; land animals of various species like monkeys, agoutis, coatimundi, olingo, sloth, wild cats, frogs, snakes and a large variety of insects. The Monteverde Wildlife Refuge is also one of the pioneers of the guided night walks in Monteverde.