Monteverde Cloud Forest Biological Reserve is world famous. Home to over 100 species of mammals, over 400 species of birds, 120 amphibians and reptiles, tens of thousands of insects and over 3000 plants, including the largest orchid diversity in the world. Armed with these facts we set off early in the morning ready to spot some wildlife.
Only 3% of the reserve is open to tourists. These areas are marked out on clear trails. As we were visiting during the less popular rainy season not all of these were open but those that were still allowed us to fill 4-5 hours of walking. Although there may be a chance of it being a bit damper than usual visiting the park in the off season has the advantage of being a lot less crowded and on most of the trails it felt like we had the place to ourselves.
Unfortunately this did not improve our animal spotting abilities. We did catch sight of a few birds, including some delicate hummingbirds and we spotted a few strange looking insects and some beautiful butterflies, including the grand Blue Morpho which is mesmerising to watch fly across the forest.
We may have failed to spot any of the 100 mammals (though Karl claims to have seen a squirrel) but we did enjoy the stunning forest scenery and diversity of the plants and trees.
Another highlight of the park is that it stands on the continental divide and at one of the lookout points it is possible to see both the Pacific and Atlantic Ocean. Unfortunately when we reached this point the clouds were too thick to see past a few feet.
Despite the lack of view and limited animal spotting the cloud forest did not disappoint. The trails through the trees are captivating. We may not be the next Attenborough but we certainly gained a new found appreciation for these rich and fragile ecosystems.
