Lions and Tigers and Bears!

One of the guidebooks commented that the Reserva Biologica Bosque Nuboso Monteverde (the Monteverde Rainforest Preserve) looked as if it had just been hosed down - everything wet and green at all times. I would add that it continues to get hosed down about every fifteen minutes. After a while the 15-30 second dousings just seemed normal and not worth the time of zipping up my rain jacket. There was so much to see that I frequently failed to even notice the rain until I realized my camera was all wet... again. For those more concerned about their gear, a waterproof windbreaker is a good idea – however you will constantly be zipping and unzipping it as the heat and humidity climb significantly following each downpour.

The reception desk at the Preserve offers a variety of options, including a private guide, joining a group or exploring on your own. We were in an adventurous mood and chose the latter. One of the guides who was there suggested we take the outer trail (Sendero El Rio) around the eastern edge and connect to the western trail (Sendero Pontonoso) to where it connects with Sendero Bosque Nuboso and follow that to the sky bridge where the Sendero Wilford Guindon would bring us back to the starting point. This route is about 5 miles long, covers several micro-climates and took us about 3 hours with many stops for photos.

This path – perhaps because of its length – is much less traveled. In fact, we did not see a single person until the last 10 minutes of our hike. We did not see a great deal of animal life either. Of course, many of the animals native to the forest are either nocturnal or start their day much earlier than we did. It is recommended that for best animal and bird watching you arrive very early. We decided to be more leisurely and focus on the foliage – which is spectacular – and save the fauna for our planned twilight tour later in the evening.

The exceptions were the Coatimundi. These curious creatures look like a cross between a raccoon and an aardvark. They congregate near the entrance to the park and persistently beg from the tourists. One was so aggressive that he actually jumped up on a fellow hiker who was trying to eat a Cliff bar. I resolved to stick to Power Bars to avoid being mauled.

The rainforest itself is dark and eerie even on a sunny day. The vegetation seems to come in every variety imaginable and is so intermingled it’s nearly impossible to tell where one plant stops and another starts. Trees grow together. Vines grow into trees. Moss covers everything. And flowers randomly pop from everywhere – often making me wonder if they are part of other plants or separate organisms all together.

Regardless of which paths you choose or what direction you go, La Ventana (The Window) on the Sendero Pontonoso is a must see. It is a point the opens out above the continental divide. From this vantage you can see for miles in all directions on a clear day. Or have glimpses of beautiful views between rapidly moving cloud cover on a normal day. Either way the experience is not to be missed.

The hanging foot bridge on Sendero Bosque Nuboso is one of the best ways to get a feel for the immensity of the rainforest. Suspended a couple hundred feet above the valley floor, it provides a unique perspective of the rainforest growing up each slope from the valley. The bridge is long and a little wobbly so may not be the best choice for those with a fear of heights.

After a full day of hiking, we made the short drive to Café Monteverde. This little spot tucked behind the CASEM art collective has a nice selection of local coffee accompanied by homemade pastries and desserts. The woman who runs it speaks both English and Spanish and had a wealth of information about coffee – including the fact that claro, or lightly roasted, coffee is actually stronger than dark roast because it retains more of the natural coffee bean oils. That will surprise many of my manly dark coffee drinking friends.

The evening brought on a twilight tour of El Bosque Eterno de los Ninos. This rainforest is a couple miles from the Monteverde Preserve and is a cause worth supporting. It was started many years ago by school children in Sweden who learned of the plight of the rainforests from their teacher. They raised money and bought the land for this preserve. Since then this has grown into a worldwide organization that has purchased and preserved rainforest in several countries. This tour supports that cause and for that reason alone is worth it.

It is also the best time to see the nocturnal animals that live in the rainforest, including two-toed sloths, tree-dwelling porcupines, translucent frogs (yes, I forgot the scientific name) and tarantulas. There are also any number of sleeping birds – all rightfully disgruntled as we aimed a dozen flashlights on them.

All that said, this tour was disappointing. With the large group it was often difficult to hear the guide and many of the vantage points were small meaning the people in the back couldn’t see until the guide – and his much brighter flashlight – had moved on. There were several good photo opportunities, including many perturbed tarantulas. I was secretly very happy I didn’t know that the little holes in the hillsides I’d been climbing over all day were home to these hairy monsters. The light from the flashlights reflecting off all eight of their eyes will give me nightmares for weeks!

In the end, I would suggest springing for the couple extra bucks and getting a personal tour guide. You can ask at the reception of any of the three major parks – Monteverde, Eterno de los Ninos or Santa Elena for recommendations or check the tour operators or hotel and café bulletin boards. It would have been well worth the money to have more personal attention and better viewing angles.