After seven days of beach living, we decided to change up our Costa Rican vacation and head inland to the mountains. The last leg of our trip was spent in the misty cloud forest of Monteverde.
None of us had ever been to a cloud forest, so we weren't sure exactly what to expect. Turns out, it is exactly what it sounds like - a huge forest that sits in a perpetual cloud.
There is a constant mist in the air, that feels like you walked by a sprinkler on a windy day. We ended up being there for a rainy day, but honestly, even on the non rainy days it was pretty wet!
All of this moisture makes for a fantastic forest. The trees and ferns and plants grow so close together and grow so big, it was amazing.
Plentiful plant life brings a plentiful bird population and we got to see some really cool species. Humming birds were everywhere and we even got to see the elusive quetzle, which apparently was a pretty big deal.
All the plants in the area also attract a huge butterfly population, of all different kinds. We saw them everywhere. Ethan even made a friend with one.
Aaron and I aren't big bird or plant watchers, but we absolutely loved hiking through the forest. It was beautiful, peaceful and so different from what we see at home.
Even though I think they missed the sand, the kids seemed to enjoy walking in the forest as well.
Ethan entertained us by singing or talking about what he saw or pulling on Aaron's ears when he got bored. We hadn't ever heard Ethan sing before we hit the trails, so it made the hikes a lot of fun.
Kelsey spent a lot of the hikes sleeping, but she always woke up in time for the after party.
We spent a day walking the trails on the floor of the forest, seeing plants and birds and monkeys,
and then we spent a morning walking the trails in the canopy of the forest, seeing the treetops and wildlife there.
The trail was a series of very high bridges connected by dirt trail. The longest bridge was almost 1,000 ft in length and the highest was over 300 ft high. It was cool.
The coolest thing about the constant mist of the cloud forest was the rainbows we saw everywhere, they were full and vibrant. (this picture looks across at Monteverde, you can see the cloud it sits in)
Luckily, the cloud really only sat over the forest and the town was just outside it. Once you left the forest it was dry and you could see for miles, all the way to the ocean.
In between the hikes in the forest, we left the entertaining to the kids. Ethan loved running around the hotel garden,
making up games and stories,
and burning energy.
Kels was into whatever E was doing,
although sometimes she tried to escape for some alone time...
We loved our trip to Costa Rica, especially the beach time,
the animal time,
and, of course, the family time!
It was also a lot of fun learning about this diverse country that is in the stages of a developing nation.
From the rural villages and farmland, where you still stop for cows and there is little electricity, to the developed cities that look similar to the US.
From the over developed tourist attractions like Manuel Antonio to ecotourism centers like Monteverde.
Costa Rica is awesome!
Our two kids are also pretty awesome and a ton of fun to travel with and gave us lots of laughs along the way:
Pura Vida!
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