Explore the forest
Monteverde Cloud Forest Reserve
Hike the trails of Costa Rica’s best-known cloud forest reserve with a certified naturalist guide.
- Transport not included
- Ages 6+
- Easy to moderate
Wild FoREST
Monteverde · Costa Rica
Guaranteed rest,
above the clouds
Sleep in the cloud forest
wake up ready to explore
1.98 miles
from the Monteverde reserve
New beds
every year
Welcome to
Deep in the Monteverde cloud forest, where every night brings new sounds and every morning a new adventure.
Welcome
Monteverde is the kind of place you come to explore.
At Wild FoREST, you have a simple base for it — a comfortable bed, the forest around you, and everything you need between one adventure and the next.
Wake up, grab your backpack, and head into the cloud forest. Come back, cook something in the kitchen, meet other travelers, and sleep well before tomorrow’s adventure.
And we replace every mattress in the building once a year, which is a strange thing to advertise until you have slept in a hostel that doesn't. Five minutes from the reserve gate. That’s the whole idea.
Choose your room
Pick your package, then your dorm. Every bed comes with a mattress younger than a year.
Each dorm has its own beds.
Prices are per bed, per night. You will pick your dates on the next page.
A simple base in the cloud forest, and a day that runs on a clear schedule.
Coffee, orange juice, oatmeal, yogurt, fruit and cereals.
Check-in, tour questions and help with transport.
A fresh mattress, reading light and outlet at every bed. Free parking and Wi-Fi.
Cook your own meals, share recipes, save for the next adventure.
So everyone is rested and ready for the trail.
Who else lives here
Four hundred bird species and a forest that was theirs first. Keep scrolling — they come and go on their own schedule.
Pharomachrus mocinno
The bird everyone comes for. Tail streamers up to three feet, and a habit of sitting perfectly still until the moment you look away.
Cebus imitator
Clever and completely shameless. They travel the canopy edge in loose troops and will absolutely go through an unattended bag.
Bradypus variegatus
Moves so little that algae grows in its fur, which is also its camouflage. Comes down from the tree roughly once a week.
Trochilidae
Wings at fifty beats a second and a heart to match. Around the feeders at the reserve they will hover close enough to feel.
Nasua narica
Females travel in noisy bands of up to thirty; the males go alone. Ours cross the garden most mornings without asking.
Experiences
You came to the cloud forest. Now go explore it.
Explore the forest
Hike the trails of Costa Rica’s best-known cloud forest reserve with a certified naturalist guide.
See the forest after dark
Explore a Monteverde wildlife refuge after dark with a certified guide and flashlights — most of its wildlife is most active at night.
Feel the forest
Fly through the cloud forest canopy on Selvatura Park’s ziplines, with a certified bilingual guide and all safety equipment.
Add an experience to your stay, or arrange it with us after you arrive. Something else in mind? Chat with us on WhatsApp →
Reviews
What guests said after they got back down the mountain.
Four simple things, done well.
Every mattress and bed frame is replaced annually. No exceptions.
See the proof →From $20 a night, in a Mixed or a Women-Only dorm. Prices shown up front, no surprises at check-in.
Compare the packages →Cook your own meals, plan your next hike or work online with reliable Wi-Fi.
1.98 miles from the Monteverde Cloud Forest Reserve. Be on the trail before breakfast.
Our sister café
Specialty coffee, breakfast and a garden between the clouds — locally grown El Trapiche coffee, sandwiches and pastries, a short walk from the hostel.
Staying with us? Tell them you come from Wild FoREST and you get a better price.
50 m south and 50 m east of the church, Santa ElenaOpen every day, 6:00 AM – 7:00 PM
300 meters north of the Santa Elena cemetery, Monteverde.
Add it to your stay, or put it in your cart if it's all you want. Everything is delivered on arrival — you pick it up at the hostel, so there's nothing to lug around on your trip.
Product photos are illustrations; final packaging may vary. Everything is delivered on arrival, at the hostel.
Wildlife sightings, seasonal tips, and direct-booking offers. No spam — we're too busy watching birds.
We'll only email when the forest does something worth telling you about.
In short: 64 beds, dorms from $20 a night, 1.98 miles (5 minutes) from the Monteverde Cloud Forest Reserve.
Check-in is from 2:00 PM and check-out is at 11:00 AM.
Dorm beds start at $20 a night with the Wild package; the Essential package is $26 a night and adds a locker with lock, a towel on loan for your stay, a mini toiletry kit, a welcome drink (a water or a soda — your choice of one), and early check-in and late check-out (until 1:00 PM) when available. For stays of 5 to 14 nights, the Explorer package gives you everything in Essential at $20 a night. Booking direct on this site gives the best price.
Yes. Alongside our Mixed Dorm we have a Women-Only Dorm, a shared room reserved exclusively for women travelers, with its own beds.
We are a 64-bed hostel, dorms only. Every bed gets a brand-new mattress every year.
In Santa Elena, Monteverde, Puntarenas, Costa Rica, 300 meters north of the Santa Elena cemetery — 1.98 miles (about 5 minutes) from the Monteverde Cloud Forest Reserve.
Take a bus from San José to Santa Elena (4–5 hours) or book a shared shuttle from most major towns. Message us on WhatsApp and we can help.
Yes. Guests have a fully equipped kitchen, fast WiFi and comfortable common areas.
WhatsApp at +506 6430 3837. We are a small hostel and reply there first.
Wild FoREST is 1.98 miles (about 5 minutes) from the Monteverde Cloud Forest Reserve, so you can be on the trail before breakfast.
Yes. Every package includes our breakfast bar — coffee, orange juice, oatmeal, yogurt, fruit and cereals — served from 6 to 9 AM.
Yes. Free parking and Wi-Fi come with your bed.
Yes. We recommend guided experiences run by local operators — cloud forest hikes, night walks, canopy ziplines, hanging bridges, coffee and chocolate, horseback riding, birdwatching and more. Book your stay first, then message us on WhatsApp with your reservation number and we’ll check availability.
Yes. You can message us on WhatsApp in English or Spanish, and this website is available in both languages.
We're a small hostel in the cloud forest. WhatsApp is the fastest way to reach us.
Getting to Monteverde: take a bus from San José to Santa Elena (4–5 hours), or book a shared shuttle from most major tourist hubs. We can help arrange transport — just ask!
Message us on WhatsAppLooking for a hotel?
Wild FoREST is a hostel: dorm beds only. If you would rather have a private room, meet our sister hotel — Basecamp Monteverde, a family-run lodge in the center of Santa Elena with a café and tours run by the same family.
Wildlife sightings, quiet-season deals and news from the cloud forest. We email rarely — we're usually outside.
Opens WhatsApp with your message ready to send.
The proof, not just the promise. Photos go up here each time we refresh the beds.