You can’t visit Costa Rica without seeing the Monteverde cloud forest

Described as being like “Jurassic Park” or a fairytale land of elves, the cloud forest of Monteverde, Costa Rica is a special place on the planet.

The rare ecosystem of Monteverde in Costa Rica is part of only 1% of the planet’s global woodlands known as cloud forest. Cloud forest is rainforest up in the clouds at high elevations. In Costa Rica, tropical warm air condenses at high altitude (above 5,000 feet) into persistent fog and mist, and moisture is more consistent drizzle than rain showers.

 

Located in Costa Rica’s Central Highlands, Monteverde is about three hours from major destinations like San Jose, Arenal Volcano and Pacific Coast beaches of Guanacaste.

Monteverde is very different from the rest of Costa Rica. Its elevation – between 4,662 feet (1,440m) and 5,900 feet (1,800m) – creates an “eternal spring” climate that is fresh, misty and chilly, with pockets of warm sunshine and rainbows, and eternal green. Dew-soaked moss and vines hang all over giant trees, splashed with colorful delicate orchids and ferns in all shapes and sizes. Clouds and mist weave in and out of hilltops and forest in the early mornings and late afternoons.

Monteverde is considered one of the most extensive cloud forests in Central America. More than 2,500 different types of plants and animals, including 426 types of orchids and 400 species of birds, live in this cloud forest. Monteverde is a favorite destination for bird watching in Costa Rica, especially to see the elusive, jewel green and red Resplendent Quetzal.

Many people combine a visit to Monteverde with the Arenal Volcano, since it is very close geographically, or with Guanacaste beaches that are in easy proximity. The community of Monteverde consists of protected nature reserves like the Monteverde Cloud Forest Reserve, the Santa Elena Cloud Forest Reserve and the Children’s Eternal Rainforest. The little town of Santa Elena offers hotels, restaurants and tourist attractions amid dairy farms and coffee fields.

The relatively rural area, whose biggest income now is tourism, was originally founded in the 1930s by Costa Rican farming families. In 1950, a group of 44 Quakers (a pacifist religious group) from 11 families from Alabama, USA, fled persecution for not supporting the Korean War and sought refuge in Monteverde’s peaceful hills and valleys. They found the climate perfect to continue their lifestyle of dairy farms and cheese making, and were thrilled to enjoy religious freedom in a country that had just abolished its army in 1949. The Quakers in Monteverde were the driving force behind preserving the unique cloud forest, and established conservation foundations and private reserves to protect the area. They continue their dairy farming to this day, producing some of the best cheeses, yogurt and ice cream in Costa Rica.

There is a lot to do in Monteverde:

• Monteverde Cloud Forest Reserve
• Santa Elena Cloud Forest Reserve
• Monteverde Orchid Garden
• Canopy zip line tours
• Night walking tours
• Horseback riding
• Wildlife and nature exhibits
• Coffee tours
• Monteverde Cheese Factory

 

Where to stay in Monteverde Costa Rica

 

Make your trip to the world-famous Monteverde cloud forest unforgettable with a stay at El Establo Mountain Hotel, one of the most luxurious hotels in the region.

The hotel cascades in stair-steps down a verdant hillside, interspersed with native trees and lush flower gardens. Comfortable and well-appointed rooms feature either a private balcony or patio with magnificent views across the Monteverde forest, down the valley and out to the Nicoya Gulf with its islands and distant coastal mountains. Right on the property, there are hiking and mountain biking trails, the Tree Top canopy zip line tour and the Night Walk tour. There are two excellent restaurants, café-bars, a spa, two heated indoor pools, a tennis court, basketball court and mini soccer court. El Establo Hotel is part of the Enchanting Hotels collection in Costa Rica.

Article by Shannon Farley

7-night “Birds and Monkeys”

Just outside San Jose, Costa Rica is one of my favorite cloud forests. Drive an hour-and-a-half out of the Capital-metropolitan area and you’re in another world – a world of rolling green hills, black and white and brown dairy cows, rich rust red earth, plants with giant leaves, dripping ferns and shifting mist. It reminds me of England, with a decidedly tropical twist.

These are Costa Rica’s Central Highlands and the 2,000-acre Los Angeles Private Cloud Forest Biological Reserve, one of the country’s most accessible cloud forest reserves just above the city of San Ramon. Known for generations as the “City of the Poets,” San Ramon features a temperate spring-like climate and rich soil that has yielded generations of family-run coffee, sugar cane and dairy farms. The beautiful mountain community and its surrounding farm villages have mostly preserved their rural way of life, and it gives visitors a glimpse into “yesteryear” Costa Rica.
Tucked into this verdant greenness, halfway along the drive from San Jose to the Arenal Volcano, is Villa Blanca Cloud Forest Hotel and Spa. The 75-acre boutique hotel is surrounded by the Los Angeles Private Biological Reserve, and you can see Arenal Volcano on clear days from the hotel’s terraces.

At an elevation of about 3,600 feet (1,100 m), Villa Blanca and the private cloud forest reserve are home to widely diverse plants and trees, birds and other wildlife. Walk the trails and you may run across darting jeweled hummingbirds, bright turquoise-tailed Motmots, emerald and crimson Trogons, or even the fabulous jade, turquoise and ruby Resplendent Quetzals. The haunting call of black howler monkeys echoes through the forest and mist. Cute raccoon-like coatis, ringed tails held high, come right up on the hotel’s lawns.

Villa Blanca was named in the top 10 of Best Hotels in Central America by the 2013 Trip Advisor Traveler’s Choice Awards.  The hotel features private accommodations in 35 casitas, each with picturesque views of the tropical cloud forest.  On the main hilltop is the Hacienda House, with the Reception, fireplace lounge area and restaurants.
 The stunningly gorgeous Mariana Wedding Chapel sits pristine white among colorful gardens. The chapel was the 50th anniversary-wedding gift from former Costa Rica President Rodrigo Carazo to his wife, First Lady Estrella Zeledon de Carazo; the two were the original owners of Villa Blanca. Built in 1997 in traditional Spanish colonial style, the chapel’s unique ceiling is artistically decorated with 840 hand-painted ceramic tiles depicting the history of Spanish colonial settlers.

 You can visit Villa Blanca Cloud Forest Hotel on Costa Rica Special Deals’ exciting combination vacation deal in Costa Rica to visit the cloud forest and the coast. Costa Rica Special Deals offers a 7-night “Birds and Monkeys” package to two locations in Costa Rica’s cloud forest, staying 2 nights at Villa Blanca Hotel in San Ramon, and 2 nights at Savegre Mountain Hotel in San Gerardo de Dota in the Talamanca Mountains southeast of San Jose. Then, experience the unparalleled beauty of the famous Manuel Antonio National Park and beaches on the Central Pacific Coast, with 2 nights at Hotel San Bada. Manuel Antonio is home to 3 species of monkeys and a host of other wildlife. One night’s stay in San Jose at the beginning of your trip, and a week’s car rental is included in your Costa Rica hot deal.

Costa Rica Special Deals arranges great vacation deals in Costa Rica. The Costa Rica-based travel service professionally assist you to choose hotels, tours, transportation, local flights, car rentals and other services for your vacation to Costa Rica. Costa Rica Special Deals always offers the most competitive Costa Rica hot deals.