The site examined in this study is the pri- vately owned Monteverde Cloud Forest Biological Reserve (MCFR), which strad- dles the continental divide in Costa Rica. The reserve consists of 10 000 ha2 of rugged terrain, the vast majority of which is virgin rain forest. Tourism to the reserve has increased markedly over the 18 years of its existence, both in terms of domestic and foreign visitation rates, despite the relatively remote locality and difficulty of accessing the site