(Private)Nature History Walk

This was the first time we got a guide on one of our trips, but we thought it would be worth it in such an amazing place as Monteverde. We were not disappointed! Our guide was incredible. We got started in the morning (worth getting there right when it opens), and got into the trails. Right away we got to see things we would have missed on our own (tarantula hiding, quetzal in a far off tree, cryptic lizard on a branch, etc.). He explained many things about the biology of the system, what animals eat what plants, how this is important in the cloud forest, etc. This was a highlight of our entire trip to Costa Rica. I give it my highest recommendation.

Our trip was fairly short ,but we also arrived late lol, and it said 2 to 3 hrs on the description so we got that, we just didn't have enough time to go the WHOLE park as it is HUGE lol, so that's on us really. He deff knew what he was talking about was very kind and a gentleman and also very informative .senior parents went with him meanwhile me and husband decided to keep exploring, ...idk if that was a good idea as we heard a growl of a cat ...whether that was a puma or another cat...we don't know 100 percent but pumas had been spotted and heard MANY times on the same trail and place we were in the recent days before we got there, sooo yeah I almost peed my self lmao. But man is montverde a treasure....it was my favorite place in cr. We didn't see a quetzal ,our guide tried his best to spot one but we were a few minutes too late. But we heard them so no a total loss. Also saw crabs, ground honeybees, pygmy squirrels ,different insects ,amazing flora, hummingbirds, wild turkeys, and the views, man what views, they were dream like. All in all 10/10. And just like every guide , ANIMALS ARENT GUARANTEED. So please if you dont see animals, don't blame it on the guide. they literally have no control over them.

+16

Kenneth was an amazing guide in an amazing place, the Monteverde Cloud Forest. His knowledge of the plants, animals, and history of the forest was truly impressive. His knowledge of the birds of costa rica in particular was so vast, and he clearly loved sharing it with us. He was excellent at spotting wildlife and helping us photograph it through his telescope. We even had the good fortune of seeing a quetzal! Book a tour with kenneth, you won’t regret it!

Overall, I gave the experience a 4/5 but I want to review the guide and the company separately, because we faced issues which I believer were the responsibility of the company and not the guide himself. Guide: 5/5. Our guide was great. He was a very knowledgeable, nice guy. We didn't see many animals, which I think in part was due to the weather, but despite this we had a nice nature walk in beautiful scenery. Company: 3/5. Despite the TripAdvisor page stating, "Traveler pickup is offered. You have to be on your Hotel's reception at the agreed time", we never received confirmation of pick up leading up to our trip. I messaged the company through TripAdvisor, I emailed the company directly, and I tried calling the listed phone number in the days leading up to our tour but I couldn't get ahold of anyone and never received a reply. We asked our local hotel for advice and they said they had never heard of the company but they would try calling for us, again with no luck. At this point we thought there was a chance that our reservation wasn't legitimate and we would be doing the tour without a guide. Then, one of the front desk staff of our hotel thought to try messaging the number on WhatsApp and successfully received a reply, however the message relayed to us was that transportation wasn't offered by them and a guide would meet us at the park (our hotel was 4 km from the park entrance so distance wasn't the issue). We were disappointed to hear this, as one of the reasons we chose this tour company was transportation. I hope the TripAdvisor listing gets sorted out, because it's currently a little misleading.

Ken was a great guide, his knowledge of nature and wildlife was increadible. We saw so many interesting animals and plants (even the rare Quetzal bird!). We couldn’t recommend him more.

Kenneth has a lot of knowledge about the Forrest, it’s history and plants. He also found the quetzal for us and showed us an agouti. I personally enjoyed that he was talking very calm and quite unlike some other guides. Thank you, Kenneth!

Toni was a fantastic guide. Knowledgeable and passionate about ecology. He identified many species that we would not have seen or known what they were. Highly recommended.

Tony was our guide who we met at the biological station ranger entrance. We ended up having a private tour with just my husband and I, who we had booked through a reputable CR tourist site that was more than double their price if you book directly with them!! Criminal. Anyways, my new husband and I were so thankful we had a guide with us because otherwise you just end up looking at plants the entire hike. Tony was very attentive to our needs and we adjusted our plan for the tour based on what we were seeing, were interested in, and how exhausted we were because we were coming from La Fortuna (Monteverde was a day trip of 6 hours driving in total). Tony was able to show us the Mot Mot, 2 or 3 different Quetzals in the AFTERNOON (normally a morning activity for spotting them), howler monkeys, green pit viper, Coati, and potentially something else that I don’t remember. Tony has grown up with a lot of the park private guides and rangers through the park, so he has a great relationship with them and it’s obvious. Why is this important? Because everyone we encountered that was a local gave him advice on where to spot things that people had seen previously that day! Then it was incredible to watch him be able to spot something and put the scope on it, when I couldn’t find it even once I had seen it with him scope with binoculars. His skill and knowledge was very impressive and I highly recommend him for your tour for Monteverde Biological Reserve. Don’t go in that park without a guide, I cannot stress that enough!

Kenneth is an incredibly knowledgeable And patient guide. He helped us find two different endangered species, including the elusive Margays. We also saw pit vipers, Toucans, Olingos, glass butterflys, frogs and many other species that I can’t pronounce! With his vast knowledge of the rainforest and remarkable photography skills, he helped us take many once-in-a-lifetime photos. Highly recommend booking a night hike with Kenneth! This should not be missed while visiting Monteverde. Thank you, Kenneth!

We did the excursion in the Monteverde cloud forest with Kenneth as a guide and it was really very interesting. Kenneth was always very attentive and friendly and his knowledge of botany and nature was incredible. I definitely recommend hiring him to make which visit in Monteverde.