We visited Costa Rica to explore nature and ended up immersed in it, "glamping" in Monteverde.
If you haven't heard of glamping, it's camping in luxury or quite literally "glamorous camping".
Monteverde, Costa Rica has one of the world's best glamping experiences as it's located in a cloud forest.
This is our in-depth review of our stay at Chira Glamping Monteverde, Costa Rica.
*We did not receive any free accommodation or gifts in exchange for this review. We paid for the stay out of pocket.
Pros
Once in a lifetime experience
Incredible views
Luxury comfort
Absolute privacy
Fully furnished
Cons
High cost
Disappointing mini-bar
Chira Glamping: Prices & Availablity
What is glamping?
To put it simply, glamping is glamorous camping.
Glamping takes the hassle out of camping and adds a lot of luxury to the mix.
Thus, you can have the camping experience in ultimate comfort.
Why has glamping become popular?
There's no doubt the glamping trend has boomed in the last decade.
This was likely propelled by a combination of cheaper travel options and the growing influence of social media.
The aesthetics of the glamping experience has been able to thrive on social media with lots of content creators showing off unique and luxury accommodation options.
Who is glamping for?
Glamping is for anyone who wants to experience something a little different.
As a couple, it provided us with a romantic getaway, but families and friends can also enjoy the glamping experience. Chira has a number of different tents to cater to different needs.
At the end of the day, Glamping is a unique experience that is a must-try at least once in your life.
Chira Glamping Monteverde
When planning our trip to Monteverde, we didn't expect to book a glamping experience.
But after stumbling on Chira's booking listing, we were blown away by the photos and general aesthetics - especially the outdoor shower and hot tub.
As many of our readers know, we spend most of our time budget traveling, so Chira wasn't exactly within our normal budget-range.
But we couldn't resist.
The alluring Chira did not disappoint.
Chira's glamping options
When booking we thought Chira only had two or three tents, so we were surprised to see many options available when we arrived.
Chira's tent styles:
- The Honeymoon Tent
- The Adventure Tent
- The Family Deluxe Tent
As a couple and drawn to its incredible outdoor shower, we opted for the Honeymoon tent.
It was a little more expensive than the adventure tent, but for us the added features and absolute privacy was well worth it.
The Honeymoon Tent
Unlike the other tents, the Honeymoon tent is the furthest into the mountains, hence has absolute privacy.
It also has an outdoor shower, which might well be the most aesthetic shower in the world.
Key features:
- Luxury outdoor shower overlooking Monteverde
- Outdoor hot tub
- BBQ grill
- Furnished kitchen
- TV/Netflix
- Bluetooth speaker
- Guitar
As its name suggests, this tent is targeted towards couples as a romantic option. It certainly fit the bill.
Downsides
We always want to provide a fair and accurate review and provide readers with honest downsides. However, our glamping experience at Chira was almost perfect, but here is us knit-picking.
It's expensive
Unfortunately, staying at Chira Glamping will cost you.
Monteverde has lots of accommodation options, but Chira clearly stands out as the best accommodation option. So, it's unsurprising that it's also the most expensive.
But if you've got the extra money, it's well worth it.
Limited mini-bar
Now, this is really knit-picking, but the "included mini-bar" was limited to just a couple of beers.
We felt the listing was a little misleading in this sense, but it's easy enough to pick up supplies in nearby Santa Elena.
Getting to Chira
The COVID19 pandemic has impacted Costa Rica's travel requirements. The good news is Costa Rica's borders are open to tourism, however visitors need to complete a Health Pass and purchase health insurance while visiting. Everything you need to know about traveling to Costa Rica amid the COVID pandemic can be found here.
Most international flights will land in San Jose, Costa Rica. I recommended searching Trip.com & Cheap'O'Air for their flight latest deals.
Once in San Jose, there are a few ways to get to Monteverde.
Public bus
Public bus options are the cheapest ways to get around Costa Rica. You can get from San Jose to Monteverde for approximately $5 USD and the journey takes between 4-5 hours. This is the option we took.
Private Taxi
A private taxi will get you to Monteverde faster, but will cost you. We were quoted $140 USD for two people one-way. We didn't haggle this price as we had no intention of taking it, so it's very likely you could get the price down for this.
Shuttles
There are shuttle options available, which will stop by your San Jose accommodation and drop you off at Chira. These prices sit right in the middle of public buses and taxis, but could be a good option for those not wanting to catch a public bus.
Once you get to Monteverde, Chira Glamping is located a short walk (or taxi) not far away. In fact, you can see the tents nestled into the mountainside if you look hard enough.
If you do decide to walk to Chira from Santa Elena town, be mindful there are a couple of steep hills, which can be challenging with heavy packs. We did it and only recommend it if you're physically fit.
Is Chira Glamping worth it?
If you have the money, Chira was absolutely worth every penny.
Glamping nestled into Monteverde's cloud forest was truly a bucket list experience and we didn't want to leave.
Everything was of the highest quality and care, and we 100% recommend Chira Glamping for anyone visiting Monteverde.
Click here to view available options at Chira Glamping Monteverde.
Why visit Monteverde?
While Chira Glamping is enough to warrant a visit to Monteverde, it's far from the only allure to this incredible part of Costa Rica.
The quaint mountain town is home to one of the world's only cloud forests, iconic wildlife, and an overwhelming amount of natural beauty.
During our time at Monteverde, we did manage to pry ourselves away from Chira and explore the area - and here are some of our recommendations.
Climb inside a giant ficus tree
Just a short walk from Chira is a giant ficus tree that is completely hollow. In fact, you can climb right to the top from the inside to get spectacular views, or simply enjoy it from the ground.
Walk across a giant tree root
One of our favorite finds in Monteverde was this giant exposed tree root. You can even walk across this root if you're brave enough. The root is more of a local spot, and to find it you will need to ask a local (or us in the comments.)
Trek through the Cloud Forest
This is the most popular tourist attraction in Monteverde. There are a number of hikes you can take inside the Cloud Forest, including visits to hanging bridges, waterfalls, and the continental divide.
Entrance to the Cloud Forest is $25 USD per person.
Cross hanging bridges
Unfortunately for us, the hanging bridge we hiked to was closed off due to a fallen tree. However, we did find some smaller ones. These hanging bridges are one of the most iconic sights in Monteverde.
Zipline through the jungle
We didn't have the time to zipline in Monteverde, but for the adrenaline junkies out there, this is one of the best places in the world to zipline.
Take a night tour
You can take a night tour in Monteverde to catch sight of some to Costa Rica's noctural wildlife. This is a relatively affordable tour too, and increases your chances of spotting a sloth!
