Monteverde
Monteverde
Monteverde was founded in the 1950′s by a group of Quakers from the U.S., and has gained international renown as one of the most outstanding wildlife sanctuaries in the tropics. The reserve spreads out over 10,500 hectares of land that hold six different life zones. The climate and terrain of the preserve produce an incredible bio-diversity. There are at least 400 bird species in this high elevation rain forest, including the Resplendent Quetzal, ancient holy bird of the Mayans, over 100 species of mammals, 120 species of amphibians and reptiles and an estimated 2,500 species of plants making Monteverde a true “nature lover’s paradise”.
Monteverde, however, is the name of the actual reserve, and more or less the generic name for the entire area. The actual town which people commonly refer to as Monteverde is in fact called Santa Elena. Sharing its name with the Santa Elena Cloud Forest Reserve that is found nearby (around 5 km), the town of Santa Elena has a tiny downtown area. Here one can find plenty of luxury and budget hotels, lodges and accommodations, as well as a bus stop, bank, health clinic, general store, souvenir store and tour offices of various travel agencies. Quite often full of backpackers, this town also has a post office, police station, supermarket, bar and a number of inexpensive restaurants. Four natural museums capitalize on the area’s glorious wildlife: the Butterfly Garden, the Orchid Garden, the Serpentarium, and the Frog Pond. The Serpentarium showcases some of Costa Rica’s nastiest snakes, including the deadly fer-de-lance. The best part of the Frog Pond is when the guides turn off the lights—and you’re surrounded by tiny red eyes and a cacophony of croaking. Each museum costs about $7 USD for admission.
Monteverde is more famous among Costa Rican’s for it’s locally produced cheese, than it’s stunning biology. The nearby Monteverde Cheese Factory (La Lecheria) supplies cheese to much of Costa Rica. Varieties range from the celebrated monte rico, to the more familiar mozzarella and cheddar.
Budget accommodations in Santa Elena are plentiful, but we recommend staying at Pension Santa Elena. Ran & Shannon are committed to offering budget travelers top-notch, five stars service. They operate a tour desk and will take time to sit down with you and explain all the options Skytrek, sky walk, horseriding, jungle night tour and more.
Budget travelers mainly journey from San Jose by bus, either public or minibus. In the dry season, make sure to book your ticket several days ahead of time. Those with a little more expendable income prefer to rent cars and make the trek on their own. The roads aren’t the best, but the scenery is breathtaking. Travel time from the capital is about four hours.
