Santamarias Night Walk

Night hiking is an awesome experience just being in the dark in the woods and not knowing what you’ll see next. At Santamaria’s many animals have been sighted including sloths, jungle cats, sleeping birds, pit vipers, tarantulas and many interesting insects.

In this two hour guided tour you will be walking through a privately owned preserve that consists of 25 acres of primary and secondary forest. In addition there are crops of bananas, sugar cane and coffee which provide an easy food source for the woodland wildlife.

Located at an elevation of over 4000 feet, this preserve started as a project to conserve the forest environment as well as provide education to foster a sense of connection to nature. Because most forest animals are more active at night, the night hike is an excellent way to observe nocturnal creatures going about business as usual.

Your experienced certified naturalist guide knows the terrain and where to look for various species. Using flashlights and binoculars you’re most likely to see insects, such as the praying mantis, amphibious frogs, a colorful tarantula, sleeping birds, snakes, and mammals, such as a sloth or kinkajou.

Every night hike is different so there are no guarantees you will see a particular thing but there are lots of things you will see. Other groups will be scouting as well, and with the use of walkie talkies if something of particular interest is found, your guide will be alerted so that you will be able to see it too. There have been occasional nocturnal sightings of elusive jungle cats.

Viewing animal life in their natural habitat is an amazing experience especially when they come out at night to forage for food. The forest feels so alive! With your knowledgeable guide you will enjoy finding the surprises that await your unique hiking experience.

Tour includes round trip transportation from the Monteverde area, certified guide with binoculars and flashlights.