Monte Verde Cloud Reserve

 We walked up to the Monteverde Cloud Forest Biological Reserve and met our guide, Jairo, along with another couple from Canada. He turned out to be an excellent guide. We started at the Hummingbird Café, where we watched about six different species of hummingbirds darting around the feeders. They were incredibly fun to watch.

Once on the trail, Jairo used his telescope to point out birds high in the trees. At one point he even whistled like a bird to try to attract them. He also had a clever trick—placing our phone camera up to his telescope to capture fantastic close-up photos.

Along the trail we saw a family of coatis running down a tree. Apparently they aren’t afraid of people; the mother even came toward the road as if posing for photos.

One of the highlights was spotting a Resplendent Quetzal. Jairo became very excited because they are not often seen. The bird was stunning—bright teal, green, and red, with a long tail feather hanging far below the branch. They feed on wild avocados, so the guides know to search near the large avocado trees. These are not the type people eat, but the birds love them.

Walking through the cloud forest was fascinating. Because we were so high in elevation, mist constantly drifted through the trees and across the trail. These clouds actually bring nutrients to the forest. Many trees were covered with other plants growing right on their trunks—ferns, orchids, monstera vines, and many more. Our guide told us about a biologist who studied a single tree for three years and recorded nearly 100 different plant species living on it, along with various wildlife.

It was easy to enjoy this forest, especially with a guide who clearly had such enthusiasm and love for the area.

After the tour, we took the shuttle bus down to the visitor center and decided to walk the rest of the way to Santa Elena. The walk was at least 4 km and took over an hour, mostly downhill. Along the way we passed small art shops, cafés, and a viewpoint where we could see all the way to the Pacific Ocean.

Once in town we stopped for lunch at La Gallera (meaning “cockfight”). It’s a charming little café with eclectic decorations—roosters wearing boxing gloves, Star Wars posters, hockey sticks, and more. We ordered a sampler of gallos (small tortillas topped with chicken, beef, squash and corn, beans, carrots, potatoes, and plantains). Each of us had a craft beer, and it made for an excellent lunch.

I’m discovering that Costa Rican food isn’t spicy, but it’s definitely full of flavor. The owner told us all the recipes came from his grandmother.

After lunch we wandered around town for a bit, stopped at a grocery store to buy water, bananas, and pastries for breakfast, and then caught a taxi back up the mountain to our Airbnb.

On our walk to town, we passed this overlook where we could see out to the Pacific Ocean!