Monteverde, Costa Rica

After leaving La Fortuna we headed to Monteverde. It was a very rough and bumpy 3 hour drive from La Fortuna. Not pleasant at all. 

Monteverde is most famous for its cloud forests. Cloud forests occur within tropical mountainous areas where there is consistent cover of clouds or fog. The constant moisture produces tremendous biodiversity. The Monteverde and Santa Elena Reserves boast 2.5% of the world’s biodiversity.        

Also of note is, current day Monteverde was founded by Quakers from the United States whose pacifist values led them to defy the American draft before the Korean War. These Quakers and pacifists chose the area for its cool climate, which would facilitate dairy farming, the country's non-violent, army-free constitution, and its friendly Costa Rican inhabitants. The Quakers stewarded and farmed a large tract of land, part of which they eventually set aside for conservation, today the Reserva Biológica Bosque Nuboso Monteverde (Monteverde Cloud Forest Biological Reserve). 

We arrived in Monteverde around lunch and chose to first get some food in our bellies. We ate at a cute cafe called Stella's Cafe, where I spotted my first monkey! 

We also crossed the road and visited CASEM, a local artisan co op. Afterwards we went to visit the Frog Pond.

There are currently 28 types of frogs at the Frog Pond. Some things we learned via a guide while there.

The difference between frogs and toads. Frogs have smooth skin while toads are rough and frogs absorb water through their skin while toads drink water. 

Frogs can lay up to 400 eggs.

Male frogs are generally smaller than female frogs.

Pesticides on fruit kill frogs, frogs that are essential in controlling the mosquito population. Just another reason to buy organic. 

Only 6% of frogs can change colors.

A milk frog's sweat has psychedelic properties. 

Green and Black Poison Dart Frog

Green Tree Frog

Spiny Headed Tree Frog (looks like he has a crown on his head)

There were also many bug displays that I (massive fear of all bugs and insects) choose to ignore.

The frog pond was interesting enough but was very overpriced. 

Next we stopped at the Cafe Monteverde Coffee Shop to not only grab a drink but also to buy some coffee to take home. I am drinking it right now as I type and it is marvelous. 

Next we visited the Ficus La Raiz. It is an incredible and picturesque natural bridge formed by a tree that fell over, but whose roots kept growing vertically down. The small creek that passes underneath washed over the roots, exposing the shape of the tree’s skeleton even more. There is a small fee to access it along with a small parking area and restroom. It's a very quick and easy walk to see the tree, afterwards you can be as adventurous as you like. 

I will say, there is almost nothing free in Costa Rica. Even this tree. The food prices match American prices as well. Costa Rica is in no way a cheap getaway. 

Our last activity of the day was a night tour at Curi Cancha Wildlife Refuge, a private wildlife refuge. Curi Cancha loosely translates to Golden Enclosure” in Inca. 205 acres large, Curi Cancha is home to 200 species of birds as well as a number of mammals. We had booked a tour in advance, paid on arrival and had to show ID or passports for each person before being issued tickets.

The night tour started at dusk and was two hours long.

It took us awhile before we saw anything.. our guide hard at work trying locating something to show us.

First and foremost we learnt about the ficus tree, particularly the Ficus Aurea aka the Strangler Fig. Their seeds are often deposited into crevices atop other trees thanks to birds and other animals. These seedlings grow their roots downward and envelop the host tree while also growing upward to reach into the sunlight zone above the canopy. The tree slowly wraps around completely engulfing the host tree trunk and killing it. There is a short David Attenborough video about it here for those interested. Above M and H are standing inside a 300 year old Ficus.

We founds scorpions.. did you know they glow under UV lighting? And a tarantula. Eek. Turns out female tarantula's outlive their male counterparts by over 25 years. Mainly because the women eat the men during mating. 

We found a little frog and two toucan's tucked in for the night. The first is a Keel-Billed Toucan and the green one is an Emerald Toucanet. Toucan's store heat in their beaks during the day and use it to warm their body at night. There are 6 species of toucans' found in Costa Rica. These two are found in Monteverde. Toucans' are omnivores and sleep with only 1/2 their brains asleep. The other 1/2 alert for predators. 

The night had turned cold.. so we ended it with a hot meal at Morpho's and then headed to our hotel. 

We stayed at Valle Escondido Nature Reserve. They are an eco friendly eat what you grow kind of hotel. The property was down a bumpy road and we didn't see much of it at night was a beautiful sight in the morning. 

So many things growing on the property.. I didn't even have time to visit the medicinal garden.

We checked out the next morning after breakfast (included in ourstay). Wish we had more time to spend exploring the beautiful property. 

There are three cloud forests in Monteverde; the Monteverde Cloud Forest Reserve, the Santa Elena Cloud Forest Reserve and the Children's Eternal Rainforest. The first being the most popular. I tried to book tickets for it a few weeks before leaving on our trip. There was no availability until weeks into January! I emailed them and they said they had none online but we were welcome to stop by and they could maybe squeeze us in. They could not. boo. 

So we had no choice but head to the second cloud forest.. But first we stopped at the Cafe Colibri, just outside the MCFR. Colibri in multiple languages means hummingbird. The cafe had multiple hummingbird feeders with a multitude of hummingbirds buzzing around. There are a total of 13 species of hummingbirds in Costa Rica. You can see the video of them here

Our second choice of cloud forest was the Santa Elena Cloud Forest Reserve. It was easy to get to, plenty of parking and tickets available, overall less busy then the other cloud forest. So we grabbed a map and go on our way. 

Our initial plan was to walk some of the green, yellow and blue but we ended up skipping the yellow entirely. 

The forest was a magical place but we saw no animals besides the little bug on the leaf. Also where were the clouds? It was just a long long walk through the forest similar to the one we made in La Fortuna minus the rain and bugs. We could only be in awe over the greenery for so long. And so we wrapped up the walk a bit quicker.. disappointed. 

We grabbed a delicious pizza at Bon Appetit and then started our 5 hour drive to Manuel Antonio. 

On the way there.. thankfully the roads were well paved and it was a smooth drive, we spotted a crocodile bridge. D was sleeping in the car so H and I walked over the bridge to spy some crocs sun bathing.

 

When we returned M was peering up into the lal badam tree (something we call it in Pakistan) our car was parked under and there he was.. a red macaw! I have a better video of him/her munching on the fruit here.

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