Description
Monteverde is one of those names that sparks the imagination of every nature lover. High in the Tilaran Mountains, at roughly 4,600 feet (1,400 m), mist drifting in from the Caribbean tangles among the trees and feeds a cloud forest of astonishing richness, draped in orchids, bromeliads, mosses and vines. This private tour takes you there and back in a single day, with everything taken care of.
The drive itself is a journey through rural Costa Rica: roads climbing past cattle ranches, dry forest and viewpoints over the Gulf of Nicoya, with stops to stretch your legs and taste tropical fruit at roadside stands. On arrival we pass through the lively town of Santa Elena, gateway to the reserves.
The first experience is the hanging bridges, a network of trails and suspended bridges that place you at canopy height, where forest life truly happens. From up there you can spot flowering epiphytes, hummingbirds, tanagers and, with luck, the elusive resplendent quetzal or the three-wattled bellbird with its metallic call. Your bilingual guide interprets every detail of this unique ecosystem.
After lunch we visit a sloth sanctuary, where around twenty of these gentle forest dwellers move at their own unhurried pace, and finish at a butterfly garden where blue morphos, glasswings and owl butterflies flutter among native plants. On the way back, a sunset over the mountains closes a day of pure green magic.
