On our way to Monteverde Cloud Forest
Our trip to Monteverde was a bus-boat-bus ride. We were expected to arrive towards the evening in our hotel, Monteverde Lodge & Gardens, located in the cloud forest.
The first part of the transfer was a short ride with a mini van to Arenal lake. Here we had to take a fairly rudimentary ferry. We had to carry our suitcases down a steep path and put them in the front of the boat. The boat was packed, life jackets were optional.
The boat trip was in the end ok. I was relatively soaked but that was due to the fact that the wind blew all the splashing water in. Of course, I caught most of it :-).
Upon arrival at the other side, we had to drag our suitcases 300m up a muddy path. We were directed to the only minibus that was waiting, so we thought that we would be faster in the hotel than with the larger bus. It was only a thought… There was a mandatory coffee stop but luckily the espresso was very tasty. We were however, surprised to see such sophisticated espresso machines in the middle of nowhere.
The viewpoint that was otherwise very beautiful, was now completely in the clouds. Even under the shelter, my hair was completely wet because of the fog. When we finally left the coffee shop, our mini van drove behind the big bus and unfortunately, the fumes generated by the bus entered into our air conditioning. A very unpleasant experience…
Monteverde Lodge & Gardens
We arrived at 6.30pm in our lodge which looked very cozy. After the welcome drink and a full explanation about everything that could be experienced in the area, we went for dinner. We discussed and decided to do the walks during the next days on our own.
Not too long after having been taken to our table we suddenly experienced a mini earthquake. I think we were the only ones that were a bit unsure about what to do, but there was no panic at all. The waiters and other staff members just continued their tasks like nothing had happened. We had a few aftershocks and then all went quiet.
Visit of the Monteverde Cloud Forest
The morning after we had arrived, we went for a walk in the cloud forest. The weather was foggy, so the area looked mystical.
The walk also passed by several hanging bridges from which we had a wonderful view at the level of the treetops.
It was very humid, but we were so fortunate to have seen the quetzal. THE bird of Costa Rica. I was able to take a picture but it was a bit too far and not so sharp however, we counted ourselves so lucky !
There were also many other birds as well as coatis and agoutis. In total our walk took 4.5h. It was all a bit sweaty but very pleasant.
The afternoon was a bit rainy so we stayed at the hotel and explored the garden. There was also a pool and hammocks, but the weather was not good enough to use either of them. I went to the hummingbird zone to spot those little creatures. They were so quick ! But when you have enough patience, pictures are possible.
The rest of the afternoon, we spent on the balcony of our room, which was the perfect place to spot birds in the treetops. In one hour or so we had seen 5 toucans, such beautiful birds!
Visit of the Santa Elena Reserve
The next day, we went to the Santa Elena Reserve. It was good that we had left very early that morning so we had been able to enjoy some dry moments. Our first walk was one with a lot of climbing. The park itself was, in our opinion, more beautiful than the Monteverde Cloud Forest. Part of it still needed to recover from Hurricane Nate that passed a month ago.
After some time we had to look for shelter because even with our ponchos we looked like drowned cats. Fortunately our clothes dried very quickly.
Visit of Santa Helena and last evening at the lodge
The weather did not get any better, so after a few hours, we left the cloud forest and we went back to the hotel. It was not such a long drive and when we arrived, the weather had changed completely. The sun was shining ! We did not understand how something like this was possible… it were only a few km!
I went back to photograph hummingbirds in the garden and then we went for an exploration of the Santa Elena town. We found a great bar/resto for aperitifs and lunch. It was called the “Tree House”, it was built around a large tree.
Then we visited the serpentarium where we found some of the snakes and frogs that could also be found in the cloud forest.
Back in the hotel, we prepared for our last apéro and dinner. An artisanal beer for Koen (brewed in the area) and sangria for me. There was a lot of fruit inside, so a healthy drink :-).
Then we packed our bags, because tomorrow we would have the last leg of our trip, i.e. “Manuel Antonio”. A long drive of at least 4 hours.
Monteverde was absolutely beautiful, but of course in the cloud forest the weather is often a bit rainy. It was already the second time that I had visited this part of Costa Rica. I felt that it would not be the last time.
