Monte Verde Cloud Forest

[Gardening Girl]

We're going on a PC cruise next month and have a port in Puntarenas CR, and are wondering if anyone on these boards have done the Monte Verde Cloud Forest excursion and what your experience was?? In Frommers CR, they list it as a must see!! We would like to do a rainforest excursion and are just trying to figure out which one to do! Any feedback is welcomed! Or if you have done anothe one, please share that too!

 

Thanks so much

GG

[Ms. Alpha]

This is not the one you are talking about, but I thought I would share our expericence.

This tour was supposedly "new" and we chose it because I did not think I wanted the 90 minute hike. It was a good option if you are concerned about this. We bussed to the Cloud Forest, then boarded a small train that took us through the rainforest (20 minutes or so) then we got out a viewpoint overlooking the Arenal Volcano in the distance. We had a rare sighting of the Resplendant Quetzal! (national bird of Guatemala) We had a short hike (20-30 minutes with a guide pinting out various flora and fauna then we reboarded the train and went back to the lodge for a wonderful traditional Costa Rican lunch and some time in the gift shop. We had been warned to wear long pants and bring a sweater and rain poncho due to the different weather at high altitude. I did put my sweater on and DH put on his rain jacket as a wind-breaker as it was quite breezy.

 

We did not experience the mists or clouds as I expected. I enjoyed the train trip and the short hike at the train station and was surprose how similar the tropical rain forest was to the coastal rainforests of the Pacific Northwest. DH kept saying looks like home (but some of the trees were definitely different). This tour does not cross any suspension bridges up in the canopy like the tour that you are looking at does. We had a wonderful lunch included on the tour, but be prepared for the fact that the cloud forest is about 2 hours by bus from the port in Puntarenas.

 

We had an excellent guide who stopped along the way to point out Howler monkeys and several different kinds of fruit growing along the way (mangos, bananas, coconuts, cachews etc). We also had a stop both coming and going at a small market where we could purchase local goods or coffee etc.

[Gardening Girl]

Thank-you for your feedback, I appreciate it! Sounds like you had a good time! GG

[ilovhywd]

We enjoyed Monteverde Cloud Forest on a land tour of Costa Rica. In fact, it was one of the highlights of our trip. I did not know what to photograph first ... the howler monkeys, the hummingbirds, the sloth in the tree, or the quetzal (it was way up there!) I think it would be a good choice for your shore excursion.