Costa Rica

November 19, 2007 5:59 AM

Costa Rica: I'm headed to Monteverde tomorrow, on a trip that was planned by someone else and I've had no time to research. What's fun to do there that's off the beaten track?

I'm already doing canopy tours, butterfly-peeping, stuff like that. Any ideas for activities that aren't in the guidebooks?

posted by pipti to travel & transportation (6 comments total)

Monteverde is near Arenal isn't (volcano area?).
We were in that area a few years ago and lucked into a spelunking excursion. I really couldn't tell you exactly where the cave was, but it was maybe 15min drive from the hot springs. My wife set it up and i initially rolled my eyes thinking it would be like Carlsbad or something. Wrong. It was pretty hardcore, with only the two of us, a teenage guide and some $5 flashlights (and thousands of bats!). We waded through rushing water to get to some chambers of the cave system and treated to several Indiana Jones types views while in there of sunlight pouring through openings in the top of the cave. It was exhilarating. (Although had one of us slipped and hurt ourselves it would have been hard to get help).

If you make it down to the Manuel Antonia area in the south I highly recommend just sitting on the beach and eating fried octopus and drinking beer for a few days. That area has one of the coolest dropout cultures in the world.
posted by monkeybutt at 8:02 AM on November 19, 2007

Went to Costa Rica a few years ago. While I enjoyed Monteverde, it wasn't my favorite part of the trip. The cloud forest itself is fascinating. However, because it is so wet there, most of the hiking I found was on wooden boardwalks through the forest. While I don't think you could get through this area any other way, this isn't my favorite form of hiking. And the weather is a bit of a bummer. I don't know why this was a surprise, but Monteverde is a cloud forest on the top of a mountain. It is rainly, cloudy and a bit cold in the evenings. Bring a warm fleece and a nylon shell to cut the wind.

You don't mention how long you are staying, but if you have the time, I highly, highly recommend a trip to the Osa Penninsula. The Corcavado national forest is amazing... you'll feel like you walked into a wildlife documentary. I highly recommend the Cordavado Tent Camp if you can handle an amazing location with minimal, but terribly romantic facilities, or Lapa Rios if you have a considerable budget for accommodations.

Costa Rica has a few highly respected airlines will ferry you around the country cheap. Mostly twin engine prop planes that are operated very safely. A flight from Monteverde airport to the a landing strip on Osa will take around 2 hours, if I recall correctly.

Oh, and if you do end up going to warmer parts of Costa Rica, bring lots of DEET.
posted by centerweight at 8:16 AM on November 19, 2007 [1 favorite]

Santa Elena, the little village on the outskirts of Monteverde, is lovely, local, and all in all a much better place to stay than an in-park resort. Go have an Imperial and salsa at a locals bar. Watch out for wayward chickenbuses on the topsy-turvy streets. Buy a jewelry box carved from a log. The wilderness presses in on all sides, and it's easy to catch a ride in. Have fun!
posted by changeling at 10:53 AM on November 19, 2007

I'm not sure that anything is "off the beaten track" in Monteverde. I *loved* it. But there's only so much of it.

Go on a night hike at the Children's Forest. You see lots of animals, this is the best night hike.

Go in, all the way in, to the cloud forest. Most people don't go on all the trails. One of the people I was hiking with took a little-used trail and he wished he had brought a machete. But the front part of the forest can be like Disneyland. I hiked the continental divide. GO EARLY!

Don't think that going in one forest means you've seen it all. The forests are different in their composition and it is noticeable, the foliage and animals are different.

My pictures from the cloud forest are mostly crap because the low light and high humidity were a bad combo. So be sure to take mental pictures.

I'm told there is a cat rescue. It must be this. I did not go, but it sounds cool.
posted by Mozzie at 11:58 AM on November 19, 2007

Nothing is off the beaten path there. It is a great area, but it is heavily touristed and your best bet is to just do the standard stuff, like ziplining.
posted by Falconetti at 12:22 PM on November 19, 2007

This is probably nothing you don't know, but there is a large expat community of U.S. Quakers in Monteverde, now in the 3rd or 4th generation, but still recognizably American. Fascinating and welcoming people. We stayed at an inn owned by one of the families (maybe the Monteverde Inn?) and they introduced us to many other of the community. Lots of stuff online about this, I googled "Monteverde Quakers" and got gobs, or contact a local Quaker meeting house in your home town. In addition to founding the cloud forest preserve, they also run schools, artist and craft co-ops and other local businesses.

There was also a cheese factory that offers tours and makes the best dolce de leche (soft caramel) you will ever eat.


These people do a concert series that goes all around the country, including Monteverde (but it's in August). My husband and I took our a cappella ensemble on this festival the year it started.
posted by nax at 6:28 PM on November 19, 2007