Cloud Forest Lodge, Monteverde

Cloud Forest Lodge is a 25-suite Böëna lodge on its own 23-hectare private reserve between the Monteverde and Santa Elena reserves, about two kilometers from town. You can walk out of your cabin onto forest trails and wildlife platforms, the Original Canopy Tour runs right on the property, and the lodge publishes more detail about its sustainability work than most hotels in the area.

At a glance

Setting and history

The lodge sits among the peaks of the Tilarán range, between the Monteverde Cloud Forest Reserve and the Santa Elena Reserve. Its About Us page explains that the property’s own 23-hectare reserve lies within the Bellbird Biological Corridor, a conservation effort named for the three-wattled bellbird that links Monteverde’s highland forest with the lowlands toward the Gulf of Nicoya. The lodge’s directions page describes the reserve as a passage that lets wildlife move between the two larger reserves, and places the lodge about two kilometers from the shops and restaurants of town.

Cloud Forest Lodge belongs to Böëna, the Costa Rican group that also runs Pacuare Lodge, Lapa Rios, Monteverde Lodge and Tortuga Lodge. The lodge does not publish a founding year. Its site does say that Costa Rica’s Original Zipline and Canopy Tour operates on the private reserve.

Rooms

There are 25 suites set in cabins, each with a wide private terrace. The accommodations page lists three categories:

• Tityra Junior Suites: about 80 m², surrounded by forest.
• Euphonia Rooms: about 72 m², looking over forest and the landscaped gardens.
• Manakin Rooms: about 66 m².

All three are named after cloud forest birds. Pillow-top beds, nightly turndown, bathrobes, Costa Rican coffee and free Wi-Fi are standard. Hot water comes from solar panels. The main house holds the restaurant, and there is an outdoor bar and a fire pit for the cool Monteverde evenings.

Walking the reserve

The big advantage here is that you do not need to drive anywhere to be in the forest. The lodge’s experiences pages describe guided or independent walks on its own 23-hectare reserve, with extensive trails and elevated platforms for watching wildlife. Morning is the time for birds; after dark, the Creatures of the Night walk with a naturalist looks for frogs, snakes, armadillos, bats, two-toed sloths and sleeping birds.

The Original Canopy Tour, also on site, gives a treetop view of the same forest from its cables and platforms.

Further afield

The concierge books half-day trips to the three big reserves nearby:

• Monteverde Cloud Forest Reserve, which the lodge describes as home to more than 100 mammal species, 400 bird species and 1,500 plant species.
• Curi-Cancha, a mix of recovered and recovering secondary forest with open areas that are good for birding. The lodge notes that it limits numbers to 40 visitors.
• Santa Elena Reserve, higher, cooler and windier, where you often walk inside the cloud itself.

Other options include the Santa Elena orchid garden, the Don Juan coffee and chocolate tour, El Trapiche farm with coffee, chocolate and sugar cane, and Sky Adventures for ziplines and hanging bridges.

Food

Endémica Restaurant, in the main house, builds its menu around local produce, meat, dairy and fish, with Costa Rican and international dishes. The lodge says many of its ingredients come from local suppliers and that local musicians play in the restaurant regularly.

The basic Bed and Breakfast package includes an à la carte breakfast with homemade bread and jam, fruit and one main course, plus coffee, tea and soft drinks at breakfast. Lunch, dinner, alcohol, tours and transfers are extra, and the lodge also sells multi-night packages that bundle meals and activities.

Sustainability in detail

Most of what follows comes from the lodge’s own sustainability page, so treat it as the lodge’s account:

• Land: the 23-hectare property includes a private reserve that is part of the Bellbird Biological Corridor, and the lodge is a member of the Red de Reservas Naturales, Costa Rica’s network of private reserves. Böëna says its lodges together protect more than 800 hectares of forest.
• Energy and water: 25 solar thermal panels heat the water for rooms. Meters on water, gas and electricity track use. Toilets are high efficiency, cleaning products are biodegradable, and guests are encouraged to drink the potable tap water instead of bottled water.
• Waste: recyclables go to the Monteverde recycling center, a rotating composter turns kitchen scraps into garden compost, and the lodge’s goal is to eliminate single-use plastics. It makes monthly donations through the Monteverde Institute to the town’s environmental technology park, which handles wastewater, solid waste and food waste.
• People: the lodge says all of its staff come from the area. It donates monthly to Escape Monteverde, a local program for youth camps, mental health services and teen job training, and takes part in a community group that meets every two weeks on local environmental and social problems.
• Memberships: the Monteverde Chamber of Tourism and CANAECO, the national chamber of sustainable tourism.

A one-time conservation contribution per guest funds these programs, and the lodge says guests receive progress reports. The property does not currently appear in the official CST directory.

Wildlife

Birdsong is a constant here, and the lodge highlights the three-wattled bellbird, the bird the corridor is named after, along with the views and sunsets from its highland setting. Night walks regularly turn up frogs and two-toed sloths. As anywhere in the cloud forest, mist and wind can hide animals for days, and no sighting is promised.

Who it suits

Choose Cloud Forest Lodge if you want a private reserve, a canopy tour and a proper restaurant without leaving the property, and a concierge to book the rest. It is a good base for a first visit to Monteverde and for families who want ziplining on site.

It is not a walk-to-town hotel. If you want to stroll to Santa Elena’s restaurants each evening, a hotel in the village is easier. Travelers who want a very small, owner-run stay might prefer Arco Iris Lodge, and its sister property Monteverde Lodge and Gardens is closer to Santa Elena. Browse our Arenal and Monteverde eco-lodges and read our Monteverde cloud forest guide before choosing which reserves to visit.