2 Days in Monteverde, Costa Rica

Last year I joined a 17-day group tour through Central America. We had traveled through Guatemala, Honduras, El Salvador, and Nicaragua; now it was time to head to Costa Rica.

Day 1 – Making Our Way to Monteverde

We were picked up at 5:30 AM from our homestays in Ometepe Island, Nicaragua. Our host mom cooked us breakfast before we left which was very kind. After saying our goodbyes, we headed to the ferry port to catch the 6 AM boat. When we got back to the mainland we took a “public” shuttle to the border, although we were the only ones on board. Once again, there were people exchanging currencies at the border for a lower price than the banks. We arrived at the border crossing and had to answer lots of questions on the Costa Rican side, including where we were staying and for how long. They also required us to show proof of our onward travel. This was the strictest border crossing we had experienced so far in Central America.

Once we had crossed the border, we rode in a private van to a strip mall for lunch. We then drove around 3 hours up winding roads to get to the town of Monteverde, which is known for its cloud forests and cool climate. I spent the rest of the afternoon relaxing, and then I joined two other group members on a nighttime forest walk. We were picked up by a shuttle at 6 and joined by two women from San Francisco.

A nighttime forest walk

Our guide was really informative and we saw quite a few animals — two kinkajous (a cross between a monkey, raccoon, and lemur), tarantulas, a side-striped pit viper, a baby brown-striped viper, a hummingbird, and two walking stick bugs having “coochie coochie” as our guide eloquently put it. At one point we all turned off our flashlights and saw tons of fireflies which was a really cool experience. After the tour, we joined the rest of the group for dinner. I had a steak casado which is a traditional rice and beans meal. Most of us then headed back to the hotel for an early night – we were all exhausted!

Day 2 – Forests and Festivities

The whole group decided to join the next day’s ziplining excursion which was so much fun. We went to 100% Aventura Tours where we got to ride 9 regular ziplines, 2 Superman ziplines, a rappel, and a 40 meter/130 foot Tarzan swing. I had a great time flying through the cloud forests. The Superman lines were especially cool and had incredible views of the surrounding area. The Tarzan swing was also awesome; I wished I could have gone a second time!

Getting ready to go ziplining

One of nine “normal” ziplines

Flying through the forest like Superman

After all that adrenaline, some of us went to grab coffee and a snack at Santa Elena Coffee Shop. The shop let us sample the coffees before we ordered which I thought was a nice touch. We then headed back to our hotel, where I spent some time outside enjoying the cool weather and listening to the rain.

Later that afternoon, some of us went to the Orchid Coffee Shop for a late lunch. I had the huevos rancheros and another coffee and got my first real taste of how expensive Costa Rica is. We learned that most service workers in Costa Rica speak English because their government invests a lot of money in education. We also learned about their national saying “pura vida,” which is a way of life that focuses on wellbeing, positivity, and gratitude. They actually say this all the time; the barista greeted us with the phrase which made me smile.

Coffee brewed using a chorreador (a traditional Costa Rican brewing method)

I spent the rest of the afternoon relaxing, and then we went to a fancy restaurant as a group to celebrate a member’s 30th birthday. Some of us stayed up late celebrating with the birthday girl, and we got to see a rare moonbow which was beautiful! It was the perfect introduction to another Central American country.

A Costa Rican birthday celebration

Have you ever seen a moonbow?