Monteverde

Further down the mountain is the town of Santa Elena  and the adjacent Cerro Plano.

The ticket desk at the entrance is a well organised; maps are not only provided but explained. The trails or ‘senderos’ vary in length and difficulty; once you have your ticket it is valid for the day so that you could walk in the morning, come out to one of the two cafes and go back again in the afternoon. If you explain how much walking you would like to do you will be advised on the most suitable route to take. Sometimes, due to landslides or fallen trees certain trails will be closed.

The shortest and least hilly of the routes takes you to the Ventana (window). Its around 2 and a half hours and the last bit does present quite a few steps to climb. This ends in a viewing point which is the continental divide; all water falling on one side makes its way eventually to the Pacific Ocean, on the other side to the Caribbean Sea and the Atlantic. The view from up there over the jungle clad mountains is tremendous but this being a cloudforest  there may be a lot of clouds around – and you may be in them!

Choose your route carefully. The El Roble trail is a fantastic switchback of blocks hammered into the ground to provide traction but is easier going down from -

The big thing you will hear people talking about around the entrance and cafes is the Quetzal bird. It is a spectacular trogon ; the male has huge tail feathers. Most people who manage to see one tend to be with a guide (available at the entrance) They use scopes to locate the birds.

We did see some smaller birds and in the occasional break in the canopy where the sun shines and got some nice photographs. Probably the best plan is to enjoy the atmosphere of the place and expect to see little – what you do see will be a bonus.

It is a long walk (around 90 minutes to Santa Elena with no stops at walking pace)  but there are plenty of plus points:-

It’s a pleasant, scenic route, often sunnier than the cloudforest,

There are plenty of places to break the journey and stop off along the way.

If you get tired at any point, walk into the next cafe or lodge and call a taxi. There are lots of them in the nearby town of Santa Elena and they will only take a few minutes to get up to you.

A couple of turnings are interesting; the first signed to San Luis 7km winds around through some farmland and private land. We walked a short was through there; as the landscape opens up there is always the possibility of seeing birds etc but we didn’t have much luck.

The next turning is at the Colina Lodge. We had talked to a research student in the Park who told us that this area was ‘good’ for toucanets. As you walk along this lane look ahead to a huge Strangler Fig on the left that overhangs the road. We hung around this area for a while and as we walked back the toucanets one by one swooped across the lane into a nearby tree.

The Trapp Family Lodge

Keep going, it is worth the short but steep path and the steps that follow. Lovely, blue glazed tiles are on the first floor where a ‘Bat tour’ is housed. Up some further steps you come to the restaurant veranda, an art shop and chocolate counter. This is a wonderful place to sit with a snack or just a cool drink and look out across the trees and road. There is free WiFi  available if you have your laptop with you and work by local artists to browse in the shop. If that isn’t enough, the quite pricey but beautifully homemade chocolates are delicious and a treat you can take away with you.

We had a walk around the grounds and were about to leave when we spotted the welcome sign of a knife and fork and followed it in search of lunch. Across a bridge and up some rather rickety stairs we found ourselves in a smart, Italian restaurant with shining cutlery and wine glasses set out on the tables. This, actually, was the same “Tramonti’ restaurant we had seen from the road; it seems to have a less distinguished entrance via the hotel but is, nonetheless, very good. We ordered stonebaked pizzas that were cooked freshly for us and, although we are not experts, looked and tasted like the ‘real thing’ – delicious. They were great value too and too much to eat – doggie bags were provided!

Once we were inside we could see that there was a small outdoor area; a couple of people were out there using their laptops with the free WiFi. We went out to join them. There isn’t much space and, though there is a clean well managed toilet block out there and a bird table out in the sun, a lot more could be made of this limited area. Besides the two table in the shade of the building the rest of the garden furniture is rather ramshackle. However, high trees rise up that were, literally, buzzing with birds. Within minutes of sitting down a pair of splendid Mot Mots settled in a tree very close to us and stayed around enjoying the fruits. Birds darted in and out of the trees and onto the bird table so rapidly that it was difficult to keep up with what we were seeing.

Just before we were about to leave a family of four raccoons showed up and investigated a scrap bucket from the cafe.

Enough of the wildlife and a word on the food! We ordered sandwiches that were made up from a list of fillings; you just tick a box for the fillings you would like and pay per filling. The coffee is charged once on a ‘refill as much as you want’ basis.

It would not be fair to regard the Santa Elena Cloudforest as a ‘poor relation’ of it’s Monteverde counterpart but that is the general first impression. The entrance to the park is a very simple affair with one room that serves as a spartan shop and cafe. A small row of hummingbird feeders hang outside.

Santa Elena is a simply beautiful Cloudforest. The morning light filters through tall trees that drip with vines and mosses and almost groan under the weight of epiphytes and bromeliads. The first part of the trail, as with Monteverde, is paved. Sendero Encantado is a well marked and maintained trail that blends pleasantly with its natural surroundings. The log paths have mental strips stapled to them to guard against slipping. In places, tree trunks have been split lengthwise to form board walks. The gradients are not too demanding and, at a walking pace it took us 3 and a half hours. Everywhere the vegetation is astounding and breaks in the canopy provide sunny spots for birds to congregate.

The house:- a cute, homey place, hand painted in part by Richard’s mum who owns the house. there are two bedrooms, a central kitchen and separate toilet and shower room. Richard manages the place with flair; he lives in a separate house on the property. He is usually around to offer advice or call a taxi but will also willingly accompany his guests for a walk on his large ‘lot’ and the surrounding area. Richard knows a great deal about the area, is interested in the wildlife and birds and will advise some of the lesser know spots of interest.

The tiny garden of the cottage is bordered by a guava forest. Coyotes and agouti visited our little spot most days and parrots squawked and settled noisily in a nearby tree. Hummingbirds came to the feeders outside our window too so even staying in was interesting!

Richard is a genuine and very friendly host who will do his utmost for his guests and yet, in the cottage, you can enjoy complete privacy.

Inside the Swiss theme extends to the decor and the menu. There is a small bar and dining room open to non residents.

The night walks are very worthwhile; there are loads of them but this one was most convenient for us, within walking distance of our rental house so we chose to this one twice.

We had a different guide each time but the experience was equally rewarding each time. You do need good strong shoes/hiking boots and clothing suitable for the wether and the fact that you will be walking through close forest in the dark! Most people would feel better covered up I would think!

Before the group sets off torches are issued to anyone who doesn’t have their own. Walking on the narrow trails at night requires some concentration and the use of your torch to see where you are going. At Santa Maria, the guide also uses a ‘spotter’ who is in the woods up ahead and radios through if he sees anything. The guides and spotters work very hard to make sure the evening is interesting and the group sees as much as possible.

Over the two evenings we saw Sloths and babies, Coati, Giant Stick Insects, Leaf Mimicking Crickets, Side Striped Pit Viper, Wolf Spider and an Orange Kneed Tarantula!

Sabor Espanol is run by two Spanish expatriates. They are, as often seems to happen, a perfect combination of hostess and chef. Each region we have stayed in Costa Rica seems to produce one ‘special’ restaurant. For us, Sabor Espanol was ‘the one’ in this area. The food was imaginatively and expertly prepared, served with style and a smile!

The Sangria was delicious and we were served a free glass while we placed our order!

On the road. What is amazing about Costa Rica to us lovers of all things natural is that you don’t have to be in a designated park or sanctuary to see wildlife. During our days of walking or sitting at various vantage points we saw a whole range of amazing sights: Startling butterflies including the Blue Morpho, winding columns of leaf cutter ants, toucans, toucanets, hawks and parrots, sloths and snakes … and more. There were other things we would have liked to have seen, like a Quetzal or an armadillo or an anteater – ah well!

Taxi Well maintained taxis readily available; they can be called from any of the ‘stop offs’, cafes, lodges etc. Also available from the centre of Santa Elena.

Walk  - Many walks available both trails and just walking along the roads.

Local Bus- Several buses per day both to and from the Monteverde & Santa Elena Cloudforests.