Costa Rica Adventure: Children's Eternal Rainforest in Monteverde, Costa Rica

There are many reasons for you to consider Monteverde, Costa Rica. Whether you visit for a day, a week, or 3 weeks+ like I did, the fairy tale cloud forest reserves and adventures in Monteverde, Costa Rica will amaze you!

I chose to visit Monteverde for about 3 weeks as my second city in Costa Rica because of all the nature and the cloud forest reserves and rainforests in the area. Every time you step in a cloud forest reserve or rainforest, you feel like you are walking in a fairy tale.

You may be curious about cloud forest reserve and rainforests. I first heard about cloud forest reserves before coming to Monteverde, Costa Rica. Cloud forest reserves like Santa Elena and Monteverde take the form of fog, low-hanging clouds hovering around the upper canopy of the forest before the leaves of trees and plants condensed down below!

In comparison, rainforests like Children's Eternal Rainforest are located at lower elevations and tend to be warmer. As a result, the plant and animal life differ as well.

There are several cloud forest reserves and rainforests in Monteverde including Monteverde, Santa Elena, and Children's Eternal Rainforest. I visited Santa Elena Cloud Forest Reserve my first week in Monteverde followed by the Children's Eternal Rainforest my second week.

Children's Eternal Rainforest, Bosque Eterno de Los Ninos, history starts with Swedish students who decided to raise money to save rainforests. Although, they initially raised money to purchase six hectares of rainforest bordering what had already been purchased by Monteverde Conservation League, over the years over 44 countries have joined together raising money in creative ways for the rainforest. By 2020. Children's Eternal Rainforest has grown to over 23,000 hectares including 200+ properties over 3 provinces (Puntarenas, Guanacaste, and Alajuela).

Visiting Children's Eternal Rainforest

After arriving in Monteverde, Costa Rica, I outlined adventures I would love to have. Over the years, I've learned to outline adventures wile remaining flexible. I knew I wanted to have adventures every 2-3 days during my 2-3 week stay in Monteverde. I loved my adventures in La Fortuna, Costa Rica. At the same time, I wanted a slower pace.

While I decided my first adventure would be Santa Elena Cloud Forest Reserve, I knew I wanted to visit the other cloud forest reserves and rainforests. I knew these were experiences of nature I wouldn't be able to experience everywhere in the world. I wanted to make the most of my time.

Years ago, when I worked in corporate I would understandably cram lots of adventures in a short period of time. With traveling now to 7 Continents for 2+ years, I knew I could take my time and savor each and every experience. I intend to do just that every step of the way.

I especially wanted to visit Children's Eternal Rainforest because of the history of the rainforest with children in Sweden deciding to raise money for the forest proving no one is too young to make a difference in this world.

Location

It's about 3 kilometers from the center of St Elena and about 500 meters from center of Monteverde. The trail that is close to Monteverde is Bajo del Tigre.

The Santa Elena and Monteverde Region is small and everything is close especially if you love to walk. At the same time, the hills, conditions of road, and misty/rainy weather may have you rethink walking in some areas. Due to the uphills, roads and weather, I decided to get transportation for Children's Eternal Rainforest. To give you an idea, I paid $12 round trip for a taxi.

Entrance Fee and Hours

The Children's Eternal Rainforest entrance is $15 (and well worth it), and the hours during the week are currently 8am to 1pm, and 8am to 4:30pm during the weekends. This is for a non-guided hike at Bajos del Tigre. For the other stations and trials including San Gerardo, Pocosol, and Finca Stellar, Make sure you check fees and hours on the website in case things change. I went on a Saturday afternoon, and was the only one in the rainforest in Bajos del Tigre for the first hour there. The rainforest includes a bathroom and small gift shop as well.

What to Wear to Children's Eternal Rainforest

This time I decided to visit the rainforest in the afternoon to allow for an increase in temperatures. Being that rainforests are at lower elevation, this increases their average temperature as well. The day I went to visit Children's Eternal Rainforest ended up being a perfect sunny day to visit.

I wore leggings and a long sleeved shirt and felt great. With any hike, I wear closed toed shoes like I did with Rio Celeste Waterfall and Hike.

Children's Eternal Rainforest Hiking Trails

There are various stations you may explore Children's Eternal Rainforest. The closest one to Monteverde is Bajos del Tigre. It is an easy hike to follow the numbers along the trials going from information and Sendrero Murcielago to Calendaria to Sendrero Mirador. The day I went the view I experienced was perfect.

Keep in mind it is weather dependant, and this trial is a red trial. On my way down, I walked slow and steady to make sure I didn't slip on the rocks and pebbles. On the way up, the entire path is at an incline. After coming back up Sendrero Mirador, I continued on Sendrero de Monos and Sendrero de Ninos. Including stopping and taking pictures, the hike took me right at an hour and a half. Depending on your time and health, you may adjust which paths you want to go on.

The cloud reserve forest is well marked at every turn with the numbers on each path. The paths are in relatively good condition depending on which part. It is easy to determine the paths.

I loved every step of my visit to Children's Eternal Rainforest along with the peace and quiet on my self guided hike. Although I didn't spot any wildlife on my hike, I enjoyed the flora, fauna and feeling of the forest immensely.

You may opt to take a guided and/or hight tour to help you spot wildlife for an added cost in Children's Eternal Rainforest. In Eco Park, I spotted five - ten monkeys in less than an hour, and numerous birds across Eco Park and Santa Elena Cloud Reserve. I did get a guide in La Fortuna, Costa Rica with a Sloth Tour. In addition, I will be doing this for a night tour in Monteverde as well.