Cloud Forest

We were up at the crack of dawn once again for our tour of the cloud forest. Breakfast at 6:30 for a 7:15 pickup, and we made sure to eat well as we were in for a three hour walk. The organisation was slightly haphazard but we eventually found our guide, Alberto, who took us through the cloud forest. He explained how it was different to a rain forest – the cloud forest maintains a steady drizzle rather than the heavy downpours of rain forests. He then searched out various birds, animals and flora to talk to us about. All the guides carry a telescope on a tripod, to allow the viewing of the bird species, as they often keep well away from people. The guide then uses your phone to take a picture through the eyepiece. He told us about epiphytes, hemi-epiphytes, symbionts and parasites, and killer figs. We saw some hummingbirds, other small birds, almost a quetzal, and a tarantula in a hole.

After the tour itself was over, we went to the café where they have some hummingbird feeders and managed to get some pics of hummingbirds. A lot of it was “hand of man” as they came onto the feeders but I did manage to get some waiting their turn on a branch. We also saw a coati which was scavenging about for food.

We asked our driver to drop us off in Santa Elena, the main commercial centre of Monteverde, where we stopped for some lunch in the Tree House Restaurant, accompanied by locally-brewed craft beer. After lunch we hit the emporia for t-shirts and other souvenirs, then decided to take in the serpentaria – reptile house to you and me. They have a number of native species of snake, some lizards and also some amphibians, notably the poisonous varieties of frog used for poison darts. Many of the snakes were a bit sleepy, as they are more nocturnal in habit. Our ticket is valid for a night visit as well but I don’t think we’re going to quite make it.