Hello thedamon22!

How are you loving your time over in Nosara? Nosara is one of our favorite destinations in the country. We hope you’ve had a blast!

Your question about whether or not to visit La Fortuna, Monteverde, or both places is one of the most popular questions we receive. That’s because both places offer a ton to see and do, and there is some overlap across experiences. To begin, if you haven’t already seen our related article, How To Decide Between La Fortuna / Arenal Or Monteverde (Or Why You Should Visit Both), you may be interested in checking it out. Here’s a link to the piece: https://costaricatravelblog.com/la-fortuna-arenal-or-monteverde/

The above article breaks down some of the differences between the two destinations according to the factors of atmosphere, tourism, accommodations, tourism, dining opportunities, tours/activities, elevation, weather, road conditions, and more. Specifically, though, if you’re interested in visiting the cloud forest, your best bet would be to visit Monteverde, which is set in a cloud forest ecosystem. The ecosystem you’ll find in La Fortuna/Arenal is the rainforest, which is different from the cloud forest. Since you mentioned you plan on participating in a canopy tour (i.e., ziplining) and touring some hanging bridges, to help you decide where you’d prefer to experience these activities (since they’re available in both the La Fortuna/Arenal and Monteverde regions), perhaps the below articles will help:

LA FORTUNA/ARENAL:
Arenal Sky Trek Canopy Ziplining Tour: https://costaricatravelblog.com/arenal-sky-trek-canopy-ziplining-tour/
Arenal Sky Walk Hanging Bridges: https://costaricatravelblog.com/arenal-sky-walk-hanging-bridges/
Mistico Park Hanging Bridges: https://costaricatravelblog.com/mistico-arenal-hanging-bridges-park/

MONTEVERDE:
Monteverde Sky Trek Canopy Ziplining Tour: https://costaricatravelblog.com/monteverde-sky-trek-canopy-ziplining-tour/
Monteverde Sky Walk Hanging Bridges: https://costaricatravelblog.com/monteverde-sky-walk-hanging-bridges/
Selvatura Park Hanging Bridges: https://costaricatravelblog.com/selvatura-monteverde-park/

Also, these two articles, which compare ziplining and hanging bridge experiences in La Fortuna/Arenal and Monteverde, may help too!

Best Ziplines In Costa Rica: Comparing 6 In Arenal And Monteverde: https://costaricatravelblog.com/best-zipline-costa-rica/
Best Hanging Bridges In Costa Rica: Comparing 4 In Arenal And Monteverde: https://costaricatravelblog.com/best-hanging-bridges-costa-rica/

Pura vida! 🙂