Monteverde Hummingbird Gallery
Monteverde Hummingbird Gallery
Monteverde Hummingbird Gallery
4.5
8:30 AM - 5:00 PM
Monday
8:30 AM - 5:00 PM
Tuesday
8:30 AM - 5:00 PM
Wednesday
8:30 AM - 5:00 PM
Thursday
8:30 AM - 5:00 PM
Friday
8:30 AM - 5:00 PM
Saturday
8:30 AM - 5:00 PM
Sunday
8:30 AM - 5:00 PM
About
A Wildlife Photograph Gallery & Souvenir Shop located near the top of the Monteverde Cloud Forest and surrounded by many different species of hummingbirds and wildlife. The photographs were taken by the famous British Photographers, Michael and Patricia Fogden and used by National Geographics. The Hummingbird Gallery is a property owned by Michael and Patricia Fogden and it is located right next to the entrance of the privately owned Monteverde Cloud Forest Biological Preserve. The shop supports many indigenous tribes from Costa Rica and other countries in Central America. Their original master pieces are sold and exhibit at the gallery.
Duration: 1-2 hours
Meets animal welfare guidelines
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Most Recent: Reviews ordered by most recent publish date in descending order.
Detailed Reviews: Reviews ordered by recency and descriptiveness of user-identified themes such as waiting time, length of visit, general tips, and location information.
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4.5
274 reviews
Excellent
197
Very good
52
Average
20
Poor
2
Terrible
3
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855elenav
Madrid, Spain55 contributions
Mar 2024 • Couples
If you leave the Monteverde Cloud Forest Biological Reserve with a long list of observed birds, you may be tempted to expand it with some species of hummingbird that you are missing and visit this site that is right in front.
Don't do it, it really isn't worth it just to add 1 or 2 more birds to the ebird.
It is terrible for anyone with a minimum of interest and respect for birds, but for a person who is an amateur or professional in ornithology it is a resounding no.
Herds of tourists who leave the reserve go to stop there because it is free and they literally stand 10 cm from the feeders to take photos or record or they hit them with their heads because they are looking at their cell phones and the feeders are inexplicably in the middle of the reserve. step at a height of approximately 170 cm.
It is a horror to see those hordes of extremely rude people bothering the birds.
It would be perfectly solved if the feeders were outside the passage area, on the edge of the forest that surrounds the establishment. They would be perfectly within sight, you could see them very close, but no one would bother them.
And a great solution would be to make it mandatory to consume even a coffee, for example, because those $2 would be a deterrent for the 90% of humans who show up there just to make a fool of themselves.
Don't do it, it really isn't worth it just to add 1 or 2 more birds to the ebird.
It is terrible for anyone with a minimum of interest and respect for birds, but for a person who is an amateur or professional in ornithology it is a resounding no.
Herds of tourists who leave the reserve go to stop there because it is free and they literally stand 10 cm from the feeders to take photos or record or they hit them with their heads because they are looking at their cell phones and the feeders are inexplicably in the middle of the reserve. step at a height of approximately 170 cm.
It is a horror to see those hordes of extremely rude people bothering the birds.
It would be perfectly solved if the feeders were outside the passage area, on the edge of the forest that surrounds the establishment. They would be perfectly within sight, you could see them very close, but no one would bother them.
And a great solution would be to make it mandatory to consume even a coffee, for example, because those $2 would be a deterrent for the 90% of humans who show up there just to make a fool of themselves.
Written March 8, 2024
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
mvanroy
Merelbeke, Belgium754 contributions
Jul 2023
This is a good place to see some hummingbirds from really close after your visit to the national park. Feeders with sugar water are hanging around to attract the different colibries. These are sometimes fighting for the best feeding spots and are flying sharply next or over you while making their typical buzzing sound. If you make a slow motion movie, you can see the fast movements of their wings very nicely. Although this is quite spectacular and the birds are beautiful, it feels also a bit artificial and it is maybe a bit more rewarding to spot them in the wild.
The coffee shop serves good coffee and some pastries. The souvenir shop has good choice (maybe a bit pricy) and also a small photo exhibition.
The coffee shop serves good coffee and some pastries. The souvenir shop has good choice (maybe a bit pricy) and also a small photo exhibition.
Written August 6, 2023
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Treacletart
Fairfield,CT101 contributions
Mar 2023
We visited the cafe after a walk around the reserve. The hummingbirds are beautiful and there must be hundreds! A lovely way to spend half an hour, but a word of warning if you buy food or drinks from the cafe and sit outside...a coati jumped on the table right in from of me and stole my cake! It was hilarious and I didn't feel in danger at all, but whilst there are signs saying do not feed the wild life - no sign warns that the wildlife help themselves lol
Written March 6, 2023
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
David C
Nottingham, UK430 contributions
Nov 2022 • Couples
This place is free and an ideal way to see various types of humming birds up close. They have hanging tubs with food to attract the birds and they certainly attract them as there are loads around and easy to photograph. Went as a group so was restricted with time but an hour is plenty to see all the birds.
Written November 18, 2022
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Craig D
56 contributions
Jun 2022 • Couples
This was a great stop after visiting Monteverde Cloud Forest Reserve. It is free entry and we saw several different species of hummingbirds. It is very touristy as far as having a ton of feeders vs an attractive garden, but it was cool to see how different all of the hummingbirds were next to each other. There as no where to sit outside, but there was a cafe on the property.
Written June 2, 2022
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Annemarie Puit
Wilmington, DE15 contributions
Mar 2024 • Family
What a true hidden gem in Monteverde! Right before the Monteverde Cloud Forest is the hummingbird gallery and it is FREE! Amazing place to relax and enjoy the delightful hummingbirds. Don’t skip on the cafe - some of the best treats we had in Costa Rica!
*the parking here is a bit rough
*the parking here is a bit rough
Written March 30, 2024
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
CarissaGinAL
Eclectic, AL79 contributions
Jan 2023 • Couples
I wouldn’t consider this a “gallery”. Just a few pictures (maybe 10) on the wall of the birds. The most amazing point was the hummingbirds actually flying around at the entrance to the store. At least 5 varieties! Parking is a nightmare! Take a taxi or take your chances! Entire visit took us 20min.
Written January 26, 2023
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Chris-Chesterfield14
Chesterfield, UK24 contributions
Sept 2014 • Couples
Just sit and watch the hummingbirds feeding less than one metre away? A really Magical experience which we recommend to anyone of any age.
Written October 4, 2014
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
CSohlenkamp
Cuernavaca, Mexico106 contributions
Dec 2018
The day before we had visited Selvatura Park where at the very beginning there is a feeding place for hummingbirds. Our kids very much liked this, so we decided to give the colibríes another go. Upon arrival, there were colibríes, yes, but after having seen the birds the day before, we were all disappointed and decided not to stay for a coffee. If it is your only option to watch the birds then definitely you should go.
Written January 6, 2019
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Dear CSohlenkamp:
We really thank you for coming and it is nice that the kids had some fun and got to see the birds, however we do not understand why there's a problem with what you encountered when you arrived.
1. The Monteverde Hummingbird Gallery does not have a coffee shop.
2. The Monteverde Hummingbird Gallery is located in the middle of Michael and Patricia Fogden's private Cloud forest in Monteverde right next to a private park called the Monteverde Cloud Forest Biological Preserve and owned by the Tropical Science Center in San Jose. They have NOTHING to do with the Gallery.
3. It is called a Gallery because, Michael and Patricia Fogden are famous Biologists and Photographers from the UK who bought this forest to protect it decades ago. Their pictures, used by National Geographics are inside the building so people may be able to watch amazing Cloud Forest Photographs.
4. The Souvenir Shop and the Gallery are one and the same and they also sell items they purchased directly from several indigenous tribes in Central America and some other products from locals as a business and a way to help those artists. The money obtained helps keep this forest protected on an every day basis.
5. There are some feeders outside that were placed so many years ago and are now in a special process so they will be removed without hurting the wildlife that inhabits this highly endangered cloud forest.
6. Selvatura Park is not even located in the Monteverde Community, not even in our province, Puntarenas. They are located in Guanacaste province and they placed feeders and charge for that as a business. We do not charge for you to come and watch hummingbirds at all.
7. This Cloud Forest located in the Monteverde community has always been used for research, photography and conservation, no charge at all not ever.
We are just wondering what your expectations were since we do not offer what we do not have. There's a lot of wildlife protected right in our forest and like the forest itself, it is highly endangered.
We are deeply sorry you wrote a review that is not excellent because you were obviously misinformed.
We hope the above information will help you and your family understand what we are and what we offer.
If you have heard otherwise it is really bad since it is affecting our work and conservation efforts when we get reviews that are like not excellent.
Thank you for sharing your experience and hope you will give the real Monteverde a chance for your next visit.
Sincerely yours,
The Monteverde Hummingbird Gallery.
Written May 13, 2019
This response is the subjective opinion of the management representative and not of Tripadvisor LLC.
Steve S
New York City, NY11 contributions
Jun 2018 • Couples
This was a very nice balcony to visit with feeders for the hummingbirds. While it was fantastic to stop by and see the hummingbirds, I would have appreciated some more information about the different species (I counted no less than 6 different hummingbirds drinking form the feeders) and nature facts in general about the hummingbirds. The Cafe served delicious empanadas with tasty coffee, we also had a delicious bread pudding.
Written June 11, 2018
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Do you recommend this hummingbird garden or the one at Selvatura if we only have time for one?
Written May 24, 2019
Selvatura offers a Hummingbird Garden located in Guanacaste and they charge $5 entrance fee for you to see it.
The Monteverde Hummingbird Gallery is totally free and it is located in Monteverde, Puntarenas.
Are you going to stay in the Monteverde Community or in a community in Guanacaste near Selvatura? They are on the Caribbean slope and Monteverde is on the Pacific Slope of the Mountain Range.
Written May 26, 2019
Hi, could someone please tell me whether the birds are enclosed or free? I can't seem to find details on the website?
Written July 29, 2015
When you get to the only town there is, Santa Elena, follow the paved road all the way up hill towards the Monteverde Cloud Forest Preserve. The first half of the road is paved and the rest isn't. The Hummingbird Gallery is just before the park entrance.
Written May 30, 2015
Dear Jillian D:
We are sorry that we could not officially get back to you in 2015. Some other company found a way to take over our page and they managed it for a long time. Our new administration was not even aware of the fact that we had a page 'till a friend who wrote a review in 2015 found out this year and helped us get it back.
We apologize and hope this will get back to you.
Sincerely yours,
The Monteverde Hummingbird Gallery
Written June 10, 2018
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