The road from CA1 to Monteverde is rugged. The first 20 miles are paved followed by ten miles of rutted and potholed dirt. The last ten miles are really bad. Four-wheel-drive probably isn’t necessary but it does make one more confident. We seldom got out of second gear and often climbed hills in first. The Quakers who settled here in the 50s don’t want Monteverde overrun with tourists and figure the terrible roads will keep traffic down.
The Cordillera de Guanacaste forms the Continental Divide, the mile-high backbone of Costa Rica. Moisture laden trade winds from the Caribbean sweep up the slope, condense, and form the cloud forest, home to many unique birds, amphibians and mammals. The cloud forests of Reserva Santa Elena and Monteverde Reserve were made popular in 1983 by an article in National Geographic as the home of the resplendent quetzal. We haven’t seen this beautiful bird but have seen and photographed dozens of others, including several colorful hummingbirds and the emerald toucanet. We have also run into capuchin monkeys, coatis and kinkajous (cousins of raccoons), large rodent agoutis, peccaries, and the three-toed sloth.
From the Mariposa B&B in Monteverde you can see the Gulf of Nicoya and, on a clear day, the Pacific but in Santa Elena, only 10 km away it was all cloud. The trails were muddy and we climbed over, under and around downed trees. Twenty-five percent of the biomass of the cloud forest is epiphytes. Ferns, moss, bromeliads and orchids cling to the trees making them top heavy and they topple in the strong winds. There are more than 400 species of orchids in the area. Not all are in bloom but many of those that are add splashes of color to the forest.
Reserva Santa Elena is administered by the local high school and the largest preserve in the area, Bosque Eterno de los Ninos, was purchased with funds raised by school children around the world who decided to save the forests. Just goes to show that even kids can make a difference. They connect with the Monteverde Reserve to create a very large contiguous protected area.
