When you grow up in Costa Rica, your family has one idea for the vacations – to head to the beach. I spent my childhood in idyllic vacations with days filled with sun, sea and sand, but it never occurred to me that my vacations would be spent anywhere but at the beach. Working with visitors from other countries is a great eye-opener as they sometimes see more of my own country in a two-week vacation than I’ve seen in a lifetime, but I’m working to put that right by exploring Costa Rica with my wife and family!

It was our first trip to Monteverde, which couldn’t be a more different trip than a beach vacation. The “Green Mountain” as it translates to in English is 1,800 meters above sea level and although the sun shines, the dense forest cover and frequent mists mean that it feels much cooler and damper than other parts of the country at lesser altitudes. The attraction of Monteverde is its wonderful biodiversity within the cloud forests which cover the mountainsides. The area was once an indigenous settlement, but the elusive tribes that inhabited the region left little trace of their existence or reasons for departure. Many of its current inhabitants are descended from the adventurous band of Quakers who set up their dairy farming community here in the 1950s to avoid the draft and to establish one of Costa Rica’s most successful cheese producers.

Like most tourists to the area, our interest was in seeing and hiking the protected reserves, and we made an early start from San Jose, loading our hiking gear into the trunk to cover the three-hour journey to Monteverde. The first couple of hours sped by with our favorite music providing the soundtrack to our adventure. Our last hour up the mountainside was different, and we tried valiantly to drive around the potholes rather than through them, watching as hardy locals overtook us on small scooters. But once we rounded a bend to gasp at the spectacular panorama over the misty forests below, it was all worthwhile. The small, but bustling town of Santa Elena is situated to provide a tourist base with restaurants, accommodation and tour companies jostling for attention among the amenities offered such as the bank and pharmacy. While some visitors are taken aback by the level of tourism in the mountains, the relatively inaccessibility of the cloud forest reserves makes a day trip out of the question, and Santa Elena has grown to serve those flocking to immerse themselves in the natural surroundings.

We were glad that we’d chosen a hotel off the main stretch where we were close enough to town to have a choice of restaurants but far enough out of the crowds to listen to bird songs from our room.

After tucking in to a typical breakfast of Gallo Pinto, scrambled eggs and tortillas, we were ready to hike the Monteverde Cloud Forest Reserve. Just a few short minutes’ drive from Santa Elena, the reserve is run by a non-profit organization, the Tropical Science Center, after being established in 1972 by a U.S. biologist and members of the Quaker community. The $20 entrance fee all goes towards maintaining this vital eco-system and its research facilities for future generations, so we were more than happy to contribute our fees.

With thirteen kilometers of trails to choose from covering much of the 10,500 hectares of reserve, we decided to push ourselves with a 2 ½ hour hike on the El Rio or River Trail, and the Pantanoso or Swampy Trail. I’ve always believed that you don’t need to be on the athletics team to hike, and we choose the trail that suits us best and rest along the way if we need to. There are guided tours available and this is probably the best way to learn more about the flora and fauna of the reserve, but we were happy going at our own pace and enjoying the views from the observation points along the way.

Despite the cool air, we drank through our bottles of water fast and it is best to bring plenty for the walk. My wife had a lightweight waterproof jacket in her backpack and I found myself wishing that I’d brought mine, as despite the sunlight peeping weakly through the thick canopy, the tree coverage was dripping constantly. The reserve is ninety percent virgin forest and it is easy to believe that the mossy, misty forest is timeless. Although the region is home to 2.5% of the world’s diversity with one hundred species of mammals and more than four hundred species of birds, the forest is strangely quiet. We saw and heard birds along the trails, but despite my hopes, the Quetzal wasn’t one on our list. My wife’s passion for orchids was satisfied though, which thrive in this climate among the 2,500 plant species. There’s a real satisfaction in breathing in a lungful of fresh mountain air and feeling the breeze on our faces as we entered the forest’s cool. The thousands of different tones of greens of the plants and trees and the incredible sight of immense trees stretching high up into the forest canopy took our breath away. The sound of the wind through the leaves, and the hum and buzz of insects combines with the rain dropping for a background symphony that fails to interrupt the overriding calm and peace. By the time we emerged from the end of the trail, muddy, sticky, and with our hearts beating form the exertion, the moisture in the air was welcome to cool our faces.

We tried an afternoon hike too, but the darkness falls early under the thick forest and we were forced to move at a fast pace to exit before nightfall. Other than recommending morning hikes, I’d suggest bringing plenty of repellent to ward off the mosquitoes. No one likes getting bitten!

We’ll be back to Monteverde without a doubt to hike further, and to take advantage of the area’s activities to zipline and I’d like to take a night tour to see the nocturnal creatures that make Monteverde their home – although my wife is determined to skip that one!

 

Getting there:

There are 3 main routes to exit the Metropolitan area, and all of them will merge at the Pan-American Highway in Barranca, Puntarenas. The fastest road is usually Highway 27 and it’s the one I’d recommend. The toll booths will accept local currency or small dollar bills in payment.

• From Poas San Jose Airport Office to Monteverde: Approximately 3 hours. Check out the routes here -> From Poas (SJO) to Monteverde.

• From Poas Liberia Airport Office to Monteverde: Approximately 3 hours. Check out the routes here -> From Poas (LIR) to Monteverde.

 

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Where to stay:

We stayed at Hotel Poco A Poco just outside of Santa Elena. The spacious room was well equipped with a coffeemaker, cable TV and A/C, although the cool temperatures made the latter unnecessary for our visit. It may be that tourists from colder climes would appreciate the A/C though.

We enjoyed sitting on the small balcony with the view over the mountains with our early morning coffee, just the perfect way to begin the day. We slept well, but that was as much due to the hiking as the comfortable beds. The hotel restaurant offered complimentary breakfast which included great coffee as well as traditional dishes.

Price: Mid-range.

 

Soundtrack:

For a tuneful taste of the cloud forest, our musical choice to accompany this blog post (and your drive there) is a Costa Rican band named Magpie Jay. Check them out!