One of the best things to do in Costa Rica has to be a night walk. And, a night walk in Monteverde is surely one of the best of the bunch.
Despite both of our phobias towards spiders and scorpions, we knew that a night walk was a must. It was a chance to see some of the most elusive animals in the country, and I wasn’t going to miss it. Here is what we saw.
Night walk in Monteverde | The Wildlife of Costa Rica
Is Monteverde the Place for a Night Walk?
We had a few options for our night walk. Firstly, we had Tortguero, which seemed like the natural choice. Our only issue was that there was no time for it. Our evenings were already booked and, sadly, our hotel didn’t run them.
The locals who we spoke to also said that Monteverde was easily one of the best places to do a.night walk in Costa Rica. Whilst you don’t get the chance to see some of the most iconic animals, such as the red-eyed tree frog, the cloud forest biome is just so unique and special. You really won’t be able to find many of these animals anywhere else.
If I had my time again, I would definitely do a night walk in either Nosara or Tortuguero alongside Monteverde. This was you can see the tropical, rainforest ecosystem as well as the one in the cloud forest. Both are equally as special in their own right, but there is a bit of a difference in what you see and find.
What to Bring
This is a question I get asked a lot when it comes to Costa Rica. We found packing really challenging, especially when it came to these excursions in Monteverde.
The first thing you need is a pair of old shoes that you don’t mind getting ruined. I don’t think walking boots are needed, plus they take up a lot of space. We both used our gardening trainers, which did the job well.
In terms of clothing, we both covered up as much as we could. We both wore trousers, a jumper and a raincoat. Our hotel also lent out ponchos which really made a difference and kept us nice and dry.
Our Experience of a Night Walk
We stayed at Hotel Belmar, which ran night walks each night. We were really lucky and had our guide, Daniel, completely to ourselves. He drove us through the town of Monteverde at dusk and stopped at a local farm, now used as a hot spot for night walks.
To start with, whilst the sun was still setting, he showed us the birds settling in for the night. We saw a golden-olive woodpecker sleeping inside a tree trunk, and plenty of other birds starting to hide away. Daniel was amazing at finding these and had the most incredible knowledge of these animals. He also gave us a small torch each to help him find all the animals in the dark that was quickly approaching.
Once the sun set, the heavens opened and we were stuck in a tropical storm. This didn’t dampen our spirits though and we soon saw our first snake. A side-striped palm viper was out on the hunt. He was perfectly camouflaged, and we only saw him because of Daniel’s expert eyesight. For the next hour we saw plenty of frogs, insects, sleeping toucanets and even scorpions scurrying away in the UV light.
Just as the evening was going to end, we spotted an eyelash pit viper hanging onto some bananas. Once again, it was an incredible spot by Daniel and made me realise how well hidden they were. Whilst we didn’t see any jaguars, and we were soaked, we saw some of the most amazing wildlife on our short walk.
Tips I wish I had Known
A night walk in Monteverde is amazing, but make sure that you keep an eye out. If it weren’t for Daniel, I don’t think I would have seen a quarter of what we saw.
Snakes are really common in Monteverde, especially pit vipers. We even almost trod on one around our hotel! Make sure that you go with an experienced guide and that you stick to the paths laid out for you.
Also make sure that you go on a small tour. We went on, by complete luck, a private tour with an amazing guide, who also sought out animals that we wanted to see. However, we also saw larger groups which were far noisier and had many more torches than us. Check with your hotel first.
Lastly, if you can, try and go on a dry night. Daniel even said that the rain made it challenging to spot animals as the large drops would cause the leaves to move.
Final Thoughts | Night Walk in Monteverde
A night walk in Monteverde is easily a must in Costa Rica. I have a soft-spot for the cloud forest and whether you see the Santa Elena Reserve or the Monteverde forests in Treetopia, this environment never disappoints. I am slightly sad that we did not do it in the rainforest as well, but I now have another reason to go back to Costa Rica.
