Cloud Forest

Sep 11

Overview

Monteverde is a cloud forest in Costa Rica and perhaps the most famous cloud forest in the world. A cloud forest is a tropical, evergreen, wet forest characterized by a persistent, frequent or seasonal low-level cloud cover, usually at the canopy level.

Ive never seen one before so this was at the top of my list of things to see in Costa Rica.

The drive here took 3.5 hours, it was wild and rough. Their are no highways and the roads are a combination of paved, gravel, steep, low and winding. It was kind of fun and if you enjoy a good drive this is for you and you are heavily rewarded with the scenery and people.

Selvatura Adventure Park

The 2-Toed Sloth

As soon as we got here we went to the sanctuary and played with sloths all afternoon. FYI the 3-toed lives at a low elevation and the more elusive 2-toed lives in the mountains. Fun Fact-All sloths have 3-toes but where the difference comes in is in the hands........the more you know.

Costa Rica Sloth

2-Toed

Costa Rica Sloth

2-Toed

Costa Rica Sloth

Hummingbirds

Of the 338 known species, roughly 50 hummingbirds live or breed in Costa Rica’s tropical lowlands and cool cloud forests.

Hummingbirds of Costa Rica

Welcome to the Jungle

All was well with the morning hike thru the jungle. We crossed all the sky bridges as planned and even came across some hummingbirds I’ve never seen before at the preserves headquarters. We decided weeks before that the canopy zip line was necessary and I’m still not sure why? I don’t like heights....at all......I quickly realized this was a terrible mistake.

Cost Rica Cloud Forest

La Reserva Bosque Nuboso Santa Elena

Venemous Creatures

This frog is locally called Blue-jeans Frog or Strawberry Poison-dart Frog. The vivid colors mean that it is poisonous and this frogs venom is highly toxic.

Bothriechis schlegelii, known commonly as the eyelash viper, is a species of venomous pit viper in the family Viperidae. It can be easily recognized by its color and triangular head.