A minibus picked us up from our hostel, and drove us through the persistent drizzle to the edge of Lake Arenal. From there we boarded a boat with worn tarpaulins to protect us against the rain. We sat right at the back, next to the roaring engine which emitted a nauseating smell of petrol, and watched the mountains rising and falling through a fine mist as we chuntered past. Eventually, we reached the other side of the lake, and got in another minibus which drove us past small farms. Calves nestled together in shady corners, horses flapped their tails, and hens scratched the ground, accompanied by herds of fluffy chicks. The sun began to emerge.
As we stepped off the minibus, the winds of Monteverde tore through our bodies and whipped through our hair. We hastily added a layer, before checking in to our hostel, which boasted an expansive vista of the valley, right down to the Pacific ocean.
Shortly after, we were picked up by another minibus, which drove us up a gravelly ‘short-cut’ with an alarming gradient, to Cafe Monteverde, a coffee growing cooperative of 20 families who have a mission of growing and producing delicious coffee, and educating students from the world about sustainable agriculture. Guillermo was an older gentleman but very lithe, and had a vibrant light that danced behind his blue eyes. He was born in Monteverde, moved to the central valley for education where he studied forestry, then returned to his hometown and picked coffee with his family for twenty years before becoming a guide. He led us through the plantation showing us the fruits of the coffee plants, and taught us about how the plantation is configured, with corridors of forest to protect the coffee plants from the wind. At one point, Danny was volunteered to collect some of the fruits. Guillermo told us about the economy of coffee, from how much the pickers are paid, to how it reaches a heady mark-up in coffee shops. He also showed us how biological fertiliser is made, and how the coffee is washed and roasted. The tour culminated in a taste test between three different roasts, and two different processes (washed or natural). We left the tour imbued with knowledge and caffeine.
As a fiery sunset descended we made our way to the Ragnario – Frog Ponds. Costa Rica is home to over 200 species of frog, many of which are housed here. After initially trying to spot them on our own (without much luck), we joined forces with Pedro who provided us with froggy facts and a well-trained eye. The little creatures were surprisingly delightful, and it was difficult to tear ourselves away from their sticky toe pads.
The next morning we watched the milky pink sunrise unfolding beneath a hesitant half-moon. We had a generous breakfast at the hostel, then were picked up by a minibus for our next adventure. We bumped over potholes for twenty minutes or so, before arriving at Santa Elena Cloud Forest. This is one of three cloud forest reserves around Monteverde – we chose it because it’s not the most popular. We met our guide, and followed him down a path. As soon as we entered the forest, a hush seemed to fall. Everything seemed muffled, apart from the patter of rain falling through the canopy. A thin vapour made everything hazy. The vast trees were swathed in cloaks of moss, scattered with diamond droplets. Countless plants were growing on top of each other, laced with roots and iridescent spiderwebs. The sun shone in muted beams, causing the water to evaporate in steaming clouds from the ground. Our guide uncovered the secrets of the forest, from the scent of lemon berries to the hiding places of tarantulas. He pointed out jewel-clad birds, and took us to a rickety observation point from which we could watch the clouds circling below us. After a few hours we bid farewell, and thanked him for sharing his knowledge of the forest (which amazingly is only 40-50 years old, recreated as part of Costa Rica’s extensive reforestation programme). After a quick coffee, we decided to head out on our own. We chose the longest trail, making the bold assumption that we could knock an hour off the expected time and be back for the last shuttle.
Whereas the morning had been spent navigating various other tour groups, we miraculously found that we had the trail to ourselves. We plunged along the muddy path (I felt very smug in my footwear choice – Danny less so), and tried to avoid stumbling over tree roots. Every so often we would stop and allow the sounds of the forest to permeate us. Suddenly, we heard something crashing through the canopy. And again. Something was dropping through the trees. Breathless, we caught a glimpse of fur. A family of spider monkeys were eating their lunch, letting the detritus (peel or husks or seeds or something) fall to the earth. We were mesmerised – the more we looked the more monkeys we saw, using their powerful prehensile tails to hang upside down and reach the juiciest fruit. Unable to believe our luck, and feeling vindicated in deciding to go it alone, we eventually carried on along the path, and comfortably made it back in time for the bus.
We spent our last day in Monteverde at Selvatura Park. Located next to primary cloud forest, it has all the atmosphere of the wilderness with some extra gimmicks. We started with the hanging bridges – a bold choice for someone who does not enjoy heights. The bridges swung slightly as we walked across, and at times we were more than 30 metres above ground, but there was something so magical about being above the canopy and seeing the swirling mandalas of ferns and the patchwork quilt of vegetation stretching beneath us, that I forgot to be afraid. What was even more magical was seeing more spider monkeys – this time a family including babies clinging to their mother’s backs. They didn’t seem to mind the gawping crowd, and continued to munch their leaves quite happily.
We then visited the sloth sanctuary – something I’d been looking forward to (and perhaps a key reason why we came here in the first place). The sloths housed there are all either orphans, or injured, such that they wouldn’t be able to survive in the wild. It was amazing to be so close to them, and to see their personalities shining through in their behaviour. I particularly related to one individual who made a bit of a misstep, and ended up crashing to the floor (from a fairly low height). She seemed fine, and sheepishly crawled through the undergrowth and up a bamboo structure at a pace that I would not have expected from such a typically sedate creature. Maybe she was trying to style it out.
Our final stop was the butterfly house. We learnt about the lifecycle of the butterflies, examined their cocoons, and wondered at the iridescent colour of the Blue Morpheus, and the yellow eyes of the Owl butterfly. We would happily have stayed longer, watching the flitting dance of colours, but if we missed the bus there wouldn’t be another one for two hours.
Monteverde has been an immersion in nature. The forests feel ancient and mysterious – it’s hard to believe that they’re largely a product of fairly recent conservation work. The beauty of this place means that we’ve had to share it with other tourists, but we have been lucky enough to have some magical moments where human chatter has melted away, and the forest has whispered her secrets.
nativeoyster 