We had started the day by taking a boat ride across the reservoir from La Fortuna, and then drove through the hills into the cloud forest by Monte Verde. A cloud forest is similar to a rainforest, but at a higher elevation so it exists within the clouds. It’s a fairly unique ecosystem accounting for a very small percentage of rainforests.
After arriving at Monte Verde, a few of us chose to go to a local plantation where they grow cocoa beans and sugar cane. We got to try incredibly raw chocolate, so bitter, and help make sugar, very delicious, and also were given a shot of rough guard liquor. Which the guide told us after his girlfriend uses as nail polish remover.
We stayed at an incredible little hotel, my roommate and I were lucky enough get a really large room with a gorgeous deck with a hammock. It really was just a lovely spot, with a fun bar that made a fun frozen drink using a local liquor made from sugar cane.
The next day, we went on a tour of the national forest, and learned about the ecosystem of the cloud forest. There we saw so many birds, some type of small cat that darted across the path, and a sloth. Sloths are interesting, because they move so slowly, they can be hard to find in the trees. There is no flash of movement to catch ones eye. However, once one is found, the guides can usually keep an eye on him for several days before he changes position and the hunt starts again.
In the afternoon we went zip lining. I had never done it, and had a bit of an irrational fear from a ridiculous scene of a medial drama. And a little fear of heights. It was an absolute blast though, we started small by crossing between trees, before finishing by zipping across a massive canyon and back. The grand finale was a Tarzan swing. You can feel the bungee pulling at you as the guides say they will count to three and then shove you off on two. I still remember the primal scream of the initial drop, then switched to delighted screams for the swings.
It was a free evening, and the one group of friends wanted to have dinner at the Tree House restaurant, and welcomed me to join them as it looked amazing. This entire restaurant was built up around a massive tree. The centre was open so we could hear the rain pattering down the leaves as we ate. The tree itself was really well lit too. The food was great, but the atmosphere was incredible.
It was really a special spot, I would definitely recommend Monte Verde to anyone. But tours gonna tour and the next day we moved on to the next town. It was a drive down from the mountains to the Pacific coast for the last few days.
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