Natural Wonder · Monteverde, Costa Rica
Monteverde Cloud Forest Reserve
The Monteverde Cloud Forest Reserve is a Costa Rican reserve located along the Cordillera de Tilarán within the Puntarenas and Alajuela provinces. Built 1972.
Photo: Cephas via Wikimedia Commons, CC BY-SA 4.0. Cropped and resized for display.
Landmark facts
| Location | Monteverde, Costa Rica |
|---|---|
| Type | Natural Wonder |
| Built | 1972 |
| Area | Area: 105 km² |
| Coordinates | 10.3025° N, 84.7956° W |
Every fact above is taken from the sources listed below; anything no source states is left blank rather than guessed.
What Monteverde Cloud Forest Reserve is known for
The Monteverde Cloud Forest Reserve is a Costa Rican reserve located along the Cordillera de Tilarán within the Puntarenas and Alajuela provinces.
About Monteverde Cloud Forest Reserve
The Monteverde Cloud Forest Reserve is a Costa Rican reserve located along the Cordillera de Tilarán within the Puntarenas and Alajuela provinces. Named after the nearby town of Monteverde and founded in 1972, the Reserve consists of over 10,500 hectares (26,000 acres) of cloud forest. The reserve consists of six life zones, 90% of which are virgin forest.
History
In 1951, several dozen Quakers from Alabama seeking to live as farmers moved to Costa Rica and settled in the area. It was the Quakers who named the place Monteverde, meaning Green Mountain, for round-the-year green plants. Biologists began to take note of Monteverde in the 1960s, and in 1968 Joseph Tosi and Leslie Holdridge recommended to the Quaker community that the native forests be preserved as much as possible in order to protect their water sources. In 1972, graduate student George Powell received a promise from the Guacimal Land Company that they would donate 328 hectares of land if he could form or find a civic association to sponsor a small biological preserve.
How to get there
| Nearest town | Monteverde |
|---|---|
| Nearest airport | Upala Airport (UPL) |
| Distance from the airport | 36.9 miles (straight line) |
Nearest major airport by straight-line distance from the landmark’s coordinates; road distance will be longer.
Airports near this landmark
The airports a visitor would actually fly into, nearest first — each link opens its profile on our sister site AirportProfiles.
- Juan Santamaría International Airport (SJO) · San José (Alajuela), Costa Rica · 45.2 miles away
- Daniel Oduber Quirós International Airport (LIR) · Liberia, Costa Rica · 54.7 miles away
Landmarks nearby
The closest landmarks in this library, by straight-line distance.
More landmarks in Costa Rica
More natural wonders
Frequently asked questions
What is Monteverde Cloud Forest Reserve?
The Monteverde Cloud Forest Reserve is a Costa Rican reserve located along the Cordillera de Tilarán within the Puntarenas and Alajuela provinces.
Where is Monteverde Cloud Forest Reserve located?
Monteverde Cloud Forest Reserve is in Monteverde, Costa Rica. Its coordinates are 10.3025° N, 84.7956° W.
How do I get to Monteverde Cloud Forest Reserve?
The nearest town is Monteverde, and the nearest airport is Upala Airport (UPL), about 36.9 miles away (straight line).
When was Monteverde Cloud Forest Reserve built?
Monteverde Cloud Forest Reserve was built 1972.
Sources
- https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Monteverde_Cloud_Forest_Reserve — Wikipedia article — overview, history and core facts (CC BY-SA).
- https://www.wikidata.org/wiki/Q864538 — Wikidata — built year, architect, height/size, visitors, official website (CC0).
- https://github.com/jbrooksuk/JSON-Airports — Nearest major airport computed from landmark and airport coordinates (haversine); airport list: jbrooksuk/JSON-Airports.
Page last updated 13 November 2026.