Monteverde is undisputed adventure capital of Costa Rica Set high in the cloud forests North of San Jose, it`s the first place to really commercialise zip lining, and it shows. Every sign you drive past seems to advertise zip lining, Tarzan swings or bungee jumping. Obviously, we had to give it a go! Zip lining (for those who don`t know) involves attaching yourself to cables high in the jungle canopy, and sliding off down the line attached only by a harness, pulley and carabiner. Both thrilling, and a little terrifying, Aventura zip lining boasts the longest zip line in Latin America (at 1590m) which sends you fling through the air over the valley below, where farmers and cows the size of ants were casually going about their business.
The following day for some more wholesome fun, we took a hike in the Santa Elena reserve, one of the only remaining primary cloud forests in the world. While it might sound obvious (it is a cloud forest after all) this place is dripping with moss and was very wet, but definitely worth the soggy feet to see such a unique environment.
The following day for some more wholesome fun, we took a hike in the Santa Elena reserve, one of the only remaining primary cloud forests in the world. While it might sound obvious (it is a cloud forest after all) this place is dripping with moss and was very wet, but definitely worth the soggy feet to see such a unique environment.
Recommended by our hostel, was the Monteverde Strangler Fig. Strangler figs begin life as a seed in a bird poo. These seeds are deposited on top of fully grown trees, and as the fig begins to grow, it shoots its roots toward the ground, using the host tree as a type of scaffold. Once its roots have reached the ground, the fig then precedes to strangle its host to death. The dead tree then rots away and you are left with a large tangle of roots, and a hollow shaft up the centre, where the host tree used to reside. These gaps means you have the perfect ladder on your hands, allowing you to climb up inside the fig to the very top branches, safe in the centre of the fig. While we were climbing the inside of the fig, a local boy arrived with some lovely young ladies, and proceeded to climb the outside of the fig, one handed whilst talking on his phone while the girls squealed and giggled from the bottom of the tree. Seems teenage relationships are the same the world over.
The Monteverde cheese factory was an essential stop on the way out of town. After months and months of Central American cheese, I was desperate for some genuine Fromage. The factory dates back to the 1950 when a group of Quakers moved to the area from Alabama, to avoid conscription (the Quakers are a pacifist religion, and many of their young men were being jailed for refusing to join the armed services). The Quaker community also believes in environmental sustainability and as such has employed a waste management system to use almost all waste involved in the cheese factory. A farm full of lucky porkers receives all the whey from the cheese. And we were lucky enough to receive a tasting of all their varieties of cheese.
The Monteverde cheese factory was an essential stop on the way out of town. After months and months of Central American cheese, I was desperate for some genuine Fromage. The factory dates back to the 1950 when a group of Quakers moved to the area from Alabama, to avoid conscription (the Quakers are a pacifist religion, and many of their young men were being jailed for refusing to join the armed services). The Quaker community also believes in environmental sustainability and as such has employed a waste management system to use almost all waste involved in the cheese factory. A farm full of lucky porkers receives all the whey from the cheese. And we were lucky enough to receive a tasting of all their varieties of cheese.