The drive from La Fortuna to Monteverde was eventful. The trip is roughly four hours give or take depending on how you drive. It is a scenic route around a large lake with some nice views of the volcano. I passed a lot of German establishments, a massive boa constrictor crossing the road, hundreds of wind turbines, and got to experience Route 145 and 606. These roads made me realize why the trip from La Fortuna to Monteverde is so long. As the crow flies, it isn’t far, but the condition of these roads is atrocious. No wonder their groceries are so expensive! To truck anything into the interior of the country takes forever. For about two hours I remained in 4WD and was driving about 15-20 kph. It felt like hiking. You set a goal of making it over the next hill, but that hill just doesn’t come for a long time. The drive made me feel thankful. My country has its own problems, but we have well built infrastructure, a love of efficiency, and in general things just work the way they should. I guess that is why sometimes it feels boring to me. When I travel the element of the unknown and things not working, make the who experience that much more of an adventure.
Monteverde is acclaimed for its cloud forest. The area sits at roughly 4,600 feet. Its misty weather and higher elevation means that the average temperature is significantly lower than the plains. Its average temperature is around 64 degree F. This was a pleasant discovery after surviving La Fortuna with no A/C. Most people come to monteverde for the hanging bridges high up in the forest’s canopy, ziplining, hiking, and to visit the plethora of reptile, butterfly, and hummingbird sanctuaries. I spent one day hiking in the reserve, ergo I spent a day walking in a cloud. Don’t expect great sweeping views of the surrounding area. It gets its name- CLOUD forest- for a reason. I spent the next day ziplining at the famous Selvatura Park. The longest zipline was 1,000 meters! It really was awesome. I wish you could gain a bit more speed, but I loved every minute of it. I also checked out the hanging bridges and the hummingbirds. I saw one hummingbird that was a brilliant purple. The last day in town I drove to check out a few art galleries. The natural surroundings have enticed many artists to make their home among the trees. The first gallery I visited was owned by Roberto Wesson. When I can afford to drop 4,000 USD on a painting, I will go back! The second belonged to a woman named Sarah and it was a trek to get to. She moved to Monteverde from the US in 1971 and bought a wooden plank house out in the forest. She actually bought it so long ago that it now resides IN the reserve. In the afternoon I went to a frog house and took an evening tour of the frog enclosures. It was amazing to see the diversity of frogs Costa Rica has. There were many poisonous and toxic frogs. One huge species sweats out its poison. If you touch it, the poison will seep through your skin. One species is clear and you can see its organs. The most beautiful frog is by far the Rainbow Frog.
Overall, it was a nice relaxed place. I definitely think you can do it in 2 days instead of 3.
Monteverde is acclaimed for its cloud forest. The area sits at roughly 4,600 feet. Its misty weather and higher elevation means that the average temperature is significantly lower than the plains. Its average temperature is around 64 degree F. This was a pleasant discovery after surviving La Fortuna with no A/C. Most people come to monteverde for the hanging bridges high up in the forest’s canopy, ziplining, hiking, and to visit the plethora of reptile, butterfly, and hummingbird sanctuaries. I spent one day hiking in the reserve, ergo I spent a day walking in a cloud. Don’t expect great sweeping views of the surrounding area. It gets its name- CLOUD forest- for a reason. I spent the next day ziplining at the famous Selvatura Park. The longest zipline was 1,000 meters! It really was awesome. I wish you could gain a bit more speed, but I loved every minute of it. I also checked out the hanging bridges and the hummingbirds. I saw one hummingbird that was a brilliant purple. The last day in town I drove to check out a few art galleries. The natural surroundings have enticed many artists to make their home among the trees. The first gallery I visited was owned by Roberto Wesson. When I can afford to drop 4,000 USD on a painting, I will go back! The second belonged to a woman named Sarah and it was a trek to get to. She moved to Monteverde from the US in 1971 and bought a wooden plank house out in the forest. She actually bought it so long ago that it now resides IN the reserve. In the afternoon I went to a frog house and took an evening tour of the frog enclosures. It was amazing to see the diversity of frogs Costa Rica has. There were many poisonous and toxic frogs. One huge species sweats out its poison. If you touch it, the poison will seep through your skin. One species is clear and you can see its organs. The most beautiful frog is by far the Rainbow Frog.
Overall, it was a nice relaxed place. I definitely think you can do it in 2 days instead of 3.
