The community of Santa Elena borders the Monteverde Conservation area in the Cordillera de Tilarán of Central Costa Rica. Within this region of pristine cloud forest, three hundred and ten hectares (seven hundred and sixty five acres) have been permanently leased by the administration of the Santa Elena community High School of Monteverde. The original vision was to use this land for agricultural research and education in Monteverde. For a variety of reasons, however, the farming proved to be unsuccessful. In 1989, it was decided to convert the land into a cloud forest reserve. Together with Youth Challenge International, a Canadian based non-profit organization, the community established an eco-tourism reserve, which officially opened on March 1, 1992.

It boasts virtually all the species claimed by its eastern neighbor: quetzals, deer, ocelots, sloths, howler,spider and capuchin monkeys and much more. The Santa Elena Reserve provides a welcome alternative to the more visited one in Monteverde, there are over 10 km of trails currently open and expansion of the reserve and trail system is planned.

5km of the town of Santa Elena. Monteverde, Puntarenas. Opening hours: Daily 7:00-16:00