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