At Monte Azul we offer guests world class birdwatching with over 240 different species catalogued to date on our preserve. The flora and fauna are within our guests’ easy access on our well maintained system of trails, which is constantly being expanded. To date, approximately 4 kilometers (about 2 miles) have been established so far.

Over 90% of our 48 hectare (125 acre) property is chartered for permanent protection. Although a majority is primary growth, Monte Azul is active in re-establishing forest on ex-pasture lands with native species. To date, we have planted over 5,000 native trees at Monte Azul.

Our region is a uniquely biodiverse land-bridge where the faunas and floras of North and South America have been able to intermingle and interbreed.

The Chirripó River that runs through Monte Azul originates at Lake Chirripó, a glacial lake located in the Valle de los Lagos, remnant from the last glaciation 25,000 years ago.

Monte Azul Nature Reserve is located at the interface between primary forest and human habitation. In fact, private reserves like Monte Azul and Cloudbridge, for example, are important buffer areas that help extend and protect the range of many species of plants and animals.

Monte Azul forms the furthest point of an uninterrupted expanse of primary rainforest that stretches north to Tapantí/Los Quetzales and south to La Amistad International Park, which continues well into Panama. The region contains several hundred endemic plant species and one of the last major refuges for threatened fauna.