Monteverde

Monteverde, one of the world’s most celebrated wildlife refuges, also attracts humans in search of their own wild lives. Adrenaline bursts can be administered according to each visitor’s tastes. Airborne adventures include 2,460-foot zip-line rides with fantastic canyon and canopy views. The park also offers tree climbing, hikes along suspension bridges over old- and new-growth forests (in the company of expert guides), and the chance to get close to tarantulas, lizards, boas, and Costa Rica’s red-eyed frogs. Catch your breath—and breathtaking views of the jungle canopy—aboard cable-borne gondolas.

If you visit Monteverde, you are surely visiting for the cloud forest, an expanse of jungle home where quetzals and howler monkeys and thousands of other species roam. Most people visit with tour guides, as you really can’t see any of these creatures without a trained tracker with a telescope. The tours usually end in the hummingbird garden, where the hummingbirds drinking from sugar water-filled fountains are nectar for bird watchers and Instagrammers. But the part of the entire experience that no one really talks about is the cafe, Cafe Colibri (hummingbird!), which turned out the finest latte I had in all of Costa Rica, inexplicably topped with a foam ghost.

Monteverde and the cloud forest is a must for those wanting to experience the gorgeous ecological range in Costa Rica. The cloud forest is lush in a different way then the rain forests of Costa Rica. The preserve walks through the forest and has hanging bridges to get a peak at the canopies. There are potential for a variety of wildlife sightings but two of my favorite items are a guarantee. I loved all the wild orchids that cling to the trees, and the wide variety of humming birds that feed in the humming bird gardens that are a free visit near the entrance to the preserve and connected to a hummingbird information and photo gallery. There really were hummingbirds of every color and size.

The Hanging Bridges at Monteverde Cloud Forest was an AMAZING way to experience the Cloud Forest. You literally have a bird’s eye view of the entire forest. I went later in the day so I basically had the entire trail to myself which was nice because I could move around at my own pace. I felt like I was on top of the world; it was an incredible experience!

Monteverde sits high atop Costa Rica’s continental divide offering a lush rainforest for adventurers’ to explore. Take a stroll through the magical cloud rainforest at the Cloud Forest Reserve. The wildlife starts at the entrance, outside of the Hummingbird Gallery. The feeders attract vibrant hummingbirds with wing beats that offer a soothing soundtrack to the rich biodiversity. With that many wing beats per second, don’t be surprised if these special creatures need a place to rest…..

Monteverde Cloud Forest is a great way to experience and learn about Costa Rica’s natural environment. Watch out for the monkeys: if you mimic their calls, they will throw things at you.

My husband and I took a week long trip to Costa Rica in Dec 2011. One of the highlights of our trip was Monteverde, a small town in Puntarenas which is most popular for the Monteverde Cloud Forest Reserve. While there, we stayed at Hotel Montana - a mountain lodge set up on an expansive property , not very far from the cloud forest. There are plenty of hiking trails on the property and a very nice restaurant too. The view here was the view from our room. I think I found my favorite tree of the trip :) The best part of our stay was that in the evening, thousands and I mean thousands of birds came home to the trees on the property and when they all chirped together through the evening, it made a perfect background score to our al-fresco dinner. I don’t think I will ever forget that evening .

On a rainy night hike guided in the Monteverde Cloud Forest, we came across this rare golden beetle. It looked unreal- like an ornament made entirely of metal.

Hiking in the Monteverde Cloud Forest Preserve (both guided and alone) was one of our favorite experiences in Costa Rica. There was life to be found everywhere - in the trees, under plant leaves, on the ground. The majesty of the trees was amazing.

It rained most of the time we were in Monteverde, but that didn’t put a damper on our time. The storm had brought down a few branches, which brought tiny treetop life, like this tiny orchid, down to eye level. Hiking in the Monteverde Cloud Forest Preserve was one of our favorite experiences in Costa Rica.

Thanks to a guide with great eyesight we were able to spot this elusive quetzal in the Monteverde Cloud Forest Reserve near the Arenal Volcano National Part, in Costa RIca. The photo was taken through a telescope with a digital camera.

Amazing creatures once you set aside your “fear”. Yes tarantulas are venomous but none are known to have a bite that is deadly to humans. http://www.anywherecostarica.com/flora-fauna/invertebrates/tarantula