Located in the northwestern part of Costa Rica, the Monteverde Cloud Forest sits at an altitude of 1440 meters (4662 ft) above sea level. Upon entering the cloud forest a huge diversity of flora and fauna unfolds in front of you, much of which is almost unique to the area, making this a special place to visit. The name cloud forest comes from all of the cloud that is in constant creation and flowing movement throughout the forest's canopy.

Within the cloud forest there is a huge and highly diverse ecosystem in place, which plays host to more than 400 species of bird, including an incredible 30 species of hummingbird. On the ground and swinging through the trees over 100 species of Mammals can be seen, including 5 species of large cats along with tens of thousands of insect species zipping about. Then there is the stunning Flora, with over 2,500 types of plant there is plenty to admire, including around 420 types of Orchid. It comes as no surprise to learn that both the Monteverde Cloud Forest and the Santa Elena Reserve are known worldwide as exceptional wildlife refuges.

The best way to see this area is definitely on one of the various Canopy Zip Line Tours that operate in the area. These tours see you traverse the top of the rainforest canopy on a variety of zip lines, which range in speed and length and really do provide the best way to see the forest. Then there are also the hanging bridges which are a great way to get closer to the wildlife and really see what its all about. Take a look at these tours in more detail here.