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Monteverde

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Home arrow 5. The City

Travel to Monteverde, Costa Rica

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Costa Rica is bordered by Nicaragua to the north, Panama to the south-southeast, the Pacific Ocean to the west and south, and the Caribbean Sea to the east. The first country to constitutionally abolish its army, Costa Rica is blessed with pristine beaches, a rich variety of plants and animals and a welcoming culture. More than a fifth of Costa Rica is composed of protected forests and reserves containing 5% of the world’s biodiversity.
Monteverde, Costa Rica a small town in Puntarenas, Costa Rica. Monteverde, Spanish for Green Mountains, is located along the north central Costa Rican divide. Famous for its rich biodiversity and cloud forest, Monteverde is a popular location for both biologists and tourists. Monteverde is humid, misty and cloudy with temperatures ranging from 15 to 22 degrees Celsius. At approximately 1500 meters above sea level the climate is cooler compared to the low lands of Costa Rica. The rainy season from May to the end of October averages about 100 inches, whilst in the months between January to April there is practically no rain.

Things to do on a visit to Monteverde:


  • Explore the nine main trails of the Monteverde Cloud Forest Reserve, created in 1972, that boasts a highly diverse ecosystem with over 130 species of mammals, 500 species of birds, 120 species of amphibians and reptiles as well as 3,000 specifies of plants
  • Travel on cables, by overhead walkways and zip lines through pristine cloud forests.
  • Ride by horseback through natural trails in Monteverde with some of the best panoramic views in the area.
  • Take a Night Tour through the trails surrounded by thick jungle where you can observe sleeping birds, spiders, sloths, olingos, kinkajous, snakes and more.
  • Visit the World of Insects, a stunning attracting with more than 30 Terrariums, two Butterfly Gardens, and two look out points with views to the gulf and the high mountains of Monteverde.
  • Hike to the San Luis waterfall, a stunning 100 meter catarata nestled deep in the valley three hours from Santa Elena.
  • Marvel at the approx 50 different species of local butterflies found with the Monteverde Butterfly Garden.
  • Visit, work or volunteer at the Bosque Eterno de los Niños, a project funded by schools and children from all over the world renown for its bird watching, research, education, protection and habitat rehabilitation.


Daily Life in Monteverde


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Enjoying the same ideal subtropical climate as Cancun but without the crowds, Monteverde enjoys an average temperature of 25 Celsius and sunny days throughout most of the year. As the weather ranges from warm to hot for most of the year, and with usually very high humidity, time moves at a slower pace like many other coastal areas within the region. The sea is almost always warm enough for a swim, and it is common to break up a day’s worth of study or work with a dip or two in the ocean.

 


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History of Monteverde
Before the town was settled, the Monteverde area was inhabited by the Corobici Indians. The first outside settlers found evidence of these Native Americans, who used the land as hunting grounds. Later, the Monteverde area was settled in 1918 by Costa Rican Families who homesteaded on the tree-covered mountain top. Nine Quaker families who left the Unite States because of the obligatory peacetime draft founded the original Monteverde Community. They moved to Costa Rica searching for a place where they could live a peaceful life style. One reason they chose Costa Rica was that the army had been abolished in 1948. After searching the country for six months, the Quakers visited that “flat hill” called Cerro Plano in 1951. They purchased land and settled there. They named their new home Monteverde which translates to Green Mountain. The Quakers donated a vast amount of Monteverde's cloud forest to the Tropical Science Center, which now manages and preserves the land. This reserve, the Bosque Nuboso de Monteverde, has become a major tourist attraction, and rapidly increasing numbers of tourists caused a sizable influx of Costa Ricans into the area. In 2007, Costa Ricans voted Monteverde one of Costa Rica's 7 Wonders.

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