Monteverde Cloud Forest – Photos of Costa Rica

After leaving the sweltering plains of the Nicoya Peninsula, we headed up into the mountains surrounding Lake Arenal and to the Monteverde/Santa Elena area to explore the fabled cloud forests of Costa Rica.  Sitting just on the Pacific side of the continental divide, the cloud forest is generally, well, cloudy.  All the moisture and the steady mild temperatures make the cloud forest home to a mind-boggling amount of flora and fauna.  The plants grow on top of each other, from forest floor to treetop canopy, with some trees holding hundreds of different species of epiphytes.  The animals each have their areas carved out, and while we didn’t see much sign of animal life, we were assured that they were there.  The hordes of birders (or should I call them flocks?) we encountered at every park and observatory seemed to be happy with what they were finding, occasionally overhearing their hushed excitement “Oooh, there’s the blue crested…” Birding definitely seems to be the big draw to the reserves.  Our guide got a little carried away trying to locate a Quetzal, the legendary bird of Central America, wandering off at times while searching in vain, all the while glossing over other subjects (like the thousands of plant species) in favor of the birds.

 

 

 

The Monteverde Frog Museum had some great exhibits of the local frogs that would be exceptionally hard to spot in the wild.  That, combined with the most upbeat, positive, and excited tour guide I’ve ever encountered made it a nice stop of our tour.