Santa Elena/Monteverde (2/8/11-2/10)

The Drive


around the Laguna Arenal
click to enlarge

coatamundi

It was about 2 hours and 45 miles to drive the paved road along the northern shore of the lake and around to Tilaran. The ride was filled with lots of winding and rolling through first encroaching jungle and then long stretches of hotels, resorts, restaurants and the occasional real estate office, in case I got the urge. Almost every turn afforded a view of the lake and I crossed the middle line more than once catching a peek. Around one corner was a tourist feeding bread out of his car (hit the breaks!) to this large group of coatamundi. I don't know what that would be...a cackle, a coven, a coterie?





along the ranch portion



along the northern shore



The road from Tilaran to Santa Elena also took almost 2 hours although only 24 miles long. This was a dirt road in some disrepair but also full of great views, this time through ranch country. This entire drive would be on my Top 10 Drives of Central America list. If I had such a list.

Santa Elena


hanging bridge at Selvatura

This was once a quiet little town, but is now the hub of activity since the creation of the Monteverde Cloud Forest, about 10 minutes to the north. Santa Elena is where you find the more budget-oriented hotels and restaurants. The expensive stuff is on the road to Monteverde. Guess where I stayed. The M.C.F. has spawned a whole slew of nearby attractions making this one of the top destinations in Costa Rica. The original canopy tour was founded here (still in operation) and there are now several others. I had to try one to see just how good they were, and I chose the Selvatura, a complex that includes hanging bridges (did that, too), and several exhibits of critters. This requires a reservation, which the hotel took care of. A few hundred of my closest friends also happened to make plans for the same day.

Selvatura is situated on the edge of another rainforest reserve so it's a beautiful spot, but the number of people takes away from the whole experience. Any wildlife you might have seen has probably been spooked clear to Honduras by now, but the forest is dense and green. About the canopy tour. There were way too many in each group (15?), making the wait a real drag. And I think canopy tours, in general - and I've only been on two - are made to be so safe that it becomes almost boring after awhile. There's no real adrenalin rush. The best part was the Tarzan swing at the end. As you step off this high platform there is a freefall for a few moments. Now that gets the heart pumping. Looking back, approaching the Mexican border was probably the bigger rush.


the Divide overlook...cloud forest



the Divide, at Monteverde

The jewel of the area is the Monteverde Cloud Forest, and I drove up there the following morning half expecting to see the same crowds. For some reason they hadn't materialized at 8:00am, and things were much more peaceful. Not expecting to see much (a few birds flutter by and a lone coati ambles across the trail), what I really love is the being there. In between the rustling of the trees and the bird calls are the beautiful silences of a primary cloud forest. Pura Vida.