The Mystic Ins and Outs about Monteverde

Monteverde now offers lots of different options for nature lovers, birdwatchers, hikers and even adrenaline rush seakers. Apart from 4 different reserves where you will be amazed by the luxuriant life forms that cover every possible inch of organic matter, amazing strangler figs, giant ferns, mosses, vines, orchids, bromeliads, birds and mamals, the town has expanded bit and you can now zip through wire lines from tree canopy to tree canopy, walk on hanging bridges, visit butterfly & orchid gardens, enjoy horsebackriding, mountain biking, hiking to waterfalls or sit and admire the sunset and be amazed once more by the beauty of this world.

Quick Tips:

Monteverde also offers a wide range of hotels and restarants which cater to every kind of traveler; from backpackers budget B& B's to 4 star hotels and restaurants. The many restaurants in the area offer local Costa Rican cuisine, American cuisine, Italian, Cuban and interesting uses of fruits, vegetables and Costa Rican spices in their cuisine.

Best Way To Get Around:

You really don't need a car in Monteverde, as there are many taxis that take you around the 3 Km town. To get here, there are several safe options. 1-Public bus: very cheap, leaves San Jose at 6 am and Noon every day. Takes about 6 hours, a bit tiring, but you get the real Costa Rican experience. For info on all public buses: http://avenidacentral.com/buses.html 2-If you are not into roughing it and like to have total freedom when traveling, then renting a car in many of the re-known agencies in San Jose or other parts of the country is perfectly safe and easy. Making your car reservations a few weeks before arrival is highly suggested, specially during the high season (December-August). I've rented from Economy Rent A Car, with great results (www.renteconomy.com) The drive takes 4 hours. 3-If not much into driving, there are several companies that offer a semi-private transport from and to San Jose or beaches, which allows you to peacefully enjoy the awesome views of the Pacific Ocean and the Gulf on the way up here. In Monteverde, I recommend INTERBUS, they also service the beaches and Volcan Arenal areas. http://www.adventure-costarica.com/travel/costa_rica_car_rental_transportation/bus_transfers/interbus.htm

Beautiful chalet style rooms overlooking the Gulf of Nicoya and rolling hills. The rooms were ample and nice with queen size beds. The desk clerk was very informative of the tours and areas to visit in the area. I would stay again. Their restaurant was typical Costa Rican food, but it wasn't so good

Very nice hotel with small houses as well as double and triple rooms for rent. Clean rooms, confy beds and nice staff. All the rooms are surrounded by gardens and trees and it is very central and close to the Monteverde Reserve.

The Jungle Groove Cafe is a progressive restaurant with a unique personality. The building itself is beautiful,located away from the street and surrounded by beautiful gardens and forest. Floor to ceiling glass allows nature in or you can sit out by their deck. At night they have a nice bonfire going to warm your bones.

It is difficult to describe the Jungle Groove. It is so full of personality. It's an intimate, classy, yet cassual place where you find one of the tastiest menus around. The staff is super friendly. They are very much into playing unique music that ranges from ambience to underground spanish rock. After dinner the restaurant changes into a popular lounge and they also have live music on Fridays. The place has gained popularity attracting attracting traveling artists and jam sessions (from Jazz to Afro-caribbean beats) are a regular attraction, although they come as a surprise.

They open Tuesday through Sunday, Noon to midnight.

The restaurant is small, having only 6 tables, so reservations don't come as a bad idea. Website.

Dining at Johnny's is great. The owner has decorated this restaurant with beautiful Costa Rican art and it shows all the love he has put into it.

The food is delicious! The service is great! It is great to travel all the distance to come up here and then sit down in a nice place where you can have a delicious Arugula Salad or smoke salmon as appetizers! The tenderloins were cooked to perfection and their fish entries always have some herb or new recepie that works. They also make Pizzas and pastas, but I'll go for the Lamb Ribs any time.

Morphos is a small nice place where you can have a fast bite while at the center of Santa Elena. From all the Santa Elena Restaurants this is the best choice. Santa Elena does not offer fine dining and unless you like cheap food and plastic chairs with plastic table cloths, then Morphos would be a good place to go. They serve Costa Rican food, and the owner does care about how it goes out. He has also taken a lot of trouble to make the place real nice and welcome-y.

Monteverde offers so many options today that there is something for everyone, still, it is a lazy town. People used to come here and stay an average of 2 full days, but now, with so many new interesting walks, hikes and radical sports activities, two days is not enough to get a real taste of the town. A three to four day trip would be nice to get the full spectrum of what Monteverde really is, including the lifestyle of its permanent residents. For those not having private transport once here, there is a public bus that runs twice per day and a taxi service that will take you even to San Jose if the need arrises. The Taxi services starts around 7 am and stops during the week days at 10PM. Friday and Saturday until 11PM. It costs about $3.00 to travel around town to the hotels, restaurants, guided tours and night life disco and pubs. THE RESERVES: MONTEVERDE, SANTA ELENA, CHILDREN'S FOREST In any of the reserves, you pay an entrance fee of $8.00 and walk by yourself or hire a guide for another $15.00. The guide will explain to you all the different ecosystems and species you encounter on your walk. Apart from the reserves there are several other nature adventure offers: Monteverde Canopy Tour: Zip lines through a private reserve from tree canopy to the next. Basically you get into a safety harness and then they hook you up into high tension wires that take you from point A to point B, some lines being faster and longer than others. It's really fun and beautiful.The tour costs $35 and it takes about 4 hours, you must reserve in advance. They will pick you up at your hotel also.

Sky Trek & Sky Walk Tour: Zip lines again, but they do have some that are really fast and long! Also, the Sky Walk is a separate tranquil hike through the forest, crossing over rivers through suspended bridges. Beautiful scenery, birds and maybe a small mammal and if you are lucky, a Quetzal bird or two. Costs about $35 also and they will also pick you up at your hotel. http://www.skywalk.co.cr Reservations are also needed

San Luis Waterfall Horsebackriding tour. This is a great tour that takes you through two different adjacent towns until you reach a private farm where you leave your horses and walk through secondary forest until you reach the San Luis waterfall. For people not fearing cold water, its a great dip in a nice waterhole... others just sit back and admire while mist moisten their faces. Tour prices vary, since there are a few places that offer it. You can also just drive to the farm and walk to the waterfall for $3.00.

Butterfly Garden: This place is particularly interesting for kids and curious minds. They show you the entire process of the butterfly metammorphosis, plus ant hills, strange instects found in the area and you can even try eating a couple of beatles or two, if you dare! Tour ranges about $15.00 http://mariposa.best.vwh.net/

Orchid Garden: This garden shows off Monteverde's wide range of miniature orchids. You will be delighted and amazed with the incredible facets of nature as they are offered by these tiny jewels of the forest. You may need a magnifying glass sometimes, but its well worth it.

First Annual Monteverde Bike Ride! 30 Kilometers of back roads, dirt, mud, rocks, moderate to hard uphills and great long downhills. Taking place in October 13 of this 2002. The route is designed for Intermediate to Expert level and it promises to be a memorable experience for downhill thrill seakers and people in general with a good thirst for adrenaline. It is a wonderful experience to enjoy the company of hundreds of bikers from Costa Rica and Travelers alike. You can also rent nice mountain bikes at: Jungle Groove MTB Outfitters. They will take you deep into their terrain for a half or full day. $40. You can contact them at www.junglegroovecafe.com

Nightlife in Monteverde is not as slow as it may appear.... Monteverde has several spots to mingle with locals and travelers. For the mellow-ambience seekers, there's the Jungle Groove Cafe who metamorphoses from a groovy restaurant to a mellow lounge with live music weekly. The Tavern is the local hang out, where you can chat with others and dance salsa and cumbia. The Disco La Cascada is the place to dance to salsa and cumbia until 3 am on weekends. A real Monteverde Cultural Experience! :-)

Most of the places mentioned here can be contacted through a very informative web page: www.monteverdeinfo.com where you can also make most of your reservations online.