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Traveling Through Costa Rica: Monteverde Cloud Forest


Five kilometers from the village of Santa Elena lays one of Costa Rica’s most spectacular offerings – Monteverde (Green Mountain) Cloud Forest. This mountaintop phenomenon provides a rare glimpse into one of the world’s most threatened ecosystems. I’d never even heard of a cloud forest until I landed in Costa Rica and researched what attractions were considered compulsory. Monteverde Cloud Forest was recommended by almost everyone I met, and I consider it to be the highlight of this entire Central American country. 

Monteverde Cloud Forest, Costa Rica

A cloud forest is created when warm, damp air coming off the nearby ocean is forced upward by the slopes of the mountain. As the moist air rises, it cools and forms clouds. The mountaintop is enveloped in dense clouds on a daily basis and the resulting moisture gives rise to a unique combination of life forms. Very little of the cloud forest is bare; there is some sort of plant growing in almost every square inch. Monteverde Cloud Forest covers 26,000 acres and is home to approximately 2,000 species of plants, 100 species of mammals and 400 species of birds.

The one drawback, ironically, of a cloud forest is the clouds. Often they blanket the entire forest, making any of its wildlife hard to spot. Unfortunately, the day I chose to visit the nature preserve was very wet. I saw very little of the cloud forest’s inhabitants, but I had fabulous experience searching for them. 
 
The majority of the plants, animals and birds characteristic of a cloud forest live in the treetops. This, of course, means going up to seek them out. There are two options available for those who don’t fear heights. I chose the most adventurous alternative – a Canopy Tour, which basically involves zipping through the cloud forest canopy on a cable pulley system.

Strapping myself into the rappelling gear was easier than I had anticipated; I simply stepped into a harness that functioned as a seat when I was hanging from the cable. I was also given a pair of gloves to protect my hands. Thankfully, the tour started off with a relatively short and low ride. Taking a small run from a wooden platform (screaming required) thrust me to the other side, where another wooden platform stood and guides waited to help steer me to safety. I realized then that the first cable was just a practice run, as the second platform was attached to trees that stood on the top of a hill. The third landing was much farther away, and at the top of a much taller set of trees. 

But being at the top of a cloud forest, immersed in, well, clouds, was rather exhilarating and I was anxious to see more. Despite the rain, I could still see a significant portion of the forest and was overwhelmed by how much green there was. I couldn’t find a break in the forest line anywhere. 

The cables kept getting higher and higher off the ground, and the view more magnificent. The clouds did a fine job of disappearing and reappearing, allowing me peeks at the stunning scenery. The green stretched on forever. But try as I might, I could not see any of the jaguars, ocelots, tapirs, orchids or quetzals (or anything that wasn’t green, for that matter) that the brochures promised. But I wasn’t disappointed. I was alone, 150 meters above one of the most beautiful environments I had ever seen, with the fresh air whizzing through my hair and stinging my eyes. And a good reason to come back one day.

Sky Trek, one of the many outfitters in the area, has eleven cables that provide about 3.4 kilometers of zipping line. If rappelling through the forest doesn’t appeal to you, a set of suspended bridges, allows you to walk your way around the canopy. 

If wildlife eludes you as it did me, the Butterfly Garden displays many of Costa Rica’s most attractive species of butterflies. Some are mounted and preserved, but there are also areas where the butterflies fly free in their natural habitat. It is also possible to see other insects here, including cockroaches, some of which were the size of my hand.