Monteverde – Day 3 of a 6-Day Trip in Costa Rica
Next stop Monteverde! I found Monteverde the coolest (in temperature) of the locations visited in Costa Rica. It is high in elevation and a popular spot to visit due to the Cloud Forests. The most popular cloud forests in this area are the Monteverde Cloud Forest Reserve and the Santa Elena Cloud Forest Reserve.
Day 3
Monteverde
I woke up early for breakfast, which was included in my stay. There were a couple of options on the menu. I picked the eggs with the mushroom and tomato mix, which also came with flat tortillas and cheese. The meal started with fresh fruit – watermelon, papaya, and pineapple. There is self-serve coffee and tea.
After checking out of my room, I waited in the lobby for Interbus to pick me up. I had reserved my ticket online through the Interbus website a couple weeks prior. Booking my ticket was super easy and the Interbus picks up and drops off at the hotel of your choice (information to be provided during booking). The van shuttle arrived around 8:30am. The van shuttle fits 10 people including the driver and has space for luggage as well. The van had to pick up a few others in La Fortuna, but as soon as that was complete, we were en route to Monteverde. The trip from La Fortuna to Monteverde took roughly 4 hours and there is a stop about half-way for washrooms, food, and gift shop browsing. In some cases, there may be a switch in Interbus bus. This is what happened to me. The switch is facilitated by the staff and was organized. Then, we were back on the road. This last leg was a lovely drive up into the mountains with great views of the valley. The route is also very windy so be prepared if you get car sick.
I was dropped off near my hotel, Pension Santa Elena, in Santa Elena. Santa Elena is the next city to Monteverde. It is less than a 15 minute drive between the two towns. However, Santa Elena has more options for restaurants and accommodation. There is also the less visited, but still well known, Santa Elena Cloud Forest nearby. The Pension Santa Elena is a hostel, but it also has individual rooms with private bathrooms. I booked the latter option. I was early for check-in, so I just dropped my bags off in the lobby.
I then walked to Raulito’s Pollo Asado for lunch. This is a restaurant serving up affordable and fast rotisserie chicken. I ordered the empanada de pollo (chicken) with chimichurri and it was served to me in less than 5 minutes. One empanada costed less than $3 USD.
There are public buses between Santa Elena and the Monteverde Cloud Forest Reserve, but they only come up 4 times a day and costs 800CRC (~$1.50 USD) for one-way. The next bus was at 1:20pm. I did not want to wait an extra 30 minutes for the bus, so I took a taxi to the cloud forest. The taxi costed 8000CRC (~$15 USD) and took about 10 minutes. The drive was interesting because it was sunny and humid in Santa Elena, but within minutes, I was up in the mountains, where it was rainy, but still humid. The Monteverde Cloud Forest Reserve was established in 1973 due to its biodiversity and sees over 70,000 visitors a year. In the Monteverde Cloud Forest Reserve, the trail that was recommended to me by the staff was the Sendero Bosque Nuboso. There are multiple side paths and I selected my route with an end point of the viewing platform. The walk was refreshing due to the rain, which helped keep the heat at bay. The scenery of vibrant greenery against the rain reminded me of home (Vancouver is known for its rain!). There was not anything to see at the viewpoint as we were high in the clouds and its just fog. I’m not sure if this view changes depending on the weather. It is called a Cloud Forest for a reason!
I spent about 2 hours wandering the forest before returning to its entrance. There was still time before the next bus came (~4pm), so I headed to the Monteverde Hummingbird Gallery. There is a cafe, gift shop, and hummingbird feeders. The hummingbirds were in full action flying from feeder to feeder. At the cafe, Cafe Colibri, I ordered a watermelon mint smoothie and waited for the bus.
The bus came around 4pm. This was also the time the Monteverde Cloud Forest Reserve closed, so many of the staff were taking the same bus home. The bus offers change, so it is not a problem if you do not have exact bus fare amount of 800CRC. The trip back to Santa Elena took about 20 minutes due to the stops on the way. Once back at the hotel, I checked in and dropped my bags off in my room. I took note of the sign at the entrance which said there was a yoga class at 8pm.
For dinner, I headed to the Treehouse Restaurante. The restaurant is a 3-floor building built around a tree. It’s a pricier restaurant in the area, but I wanted something close by. I ordered the mojito slushie and asado de tira con chimichurri. The mojito slushie was tasty, but it actually made me cold as the outdoor temperature had cooled down to the low twenties (°C). The asado de tira con chimichurri was delicious – perfectly cooked fatty beef short ribs on top of potatoes + vegetables with a side of chimichurri sauce.
After dinner, I went back to the hotel to wash up, then joined the 8pm yoga class. The instructor was a certified yoga instructor from the United States. She was travelling around Central America and staying and working at hostels. This is a norm for many travelling nomads. They work at a hostel in return for free stays and food. The class was very relaxing and perfect for winding down before bed.
Complete Day 3 Itinerary
*Travel times may vary. Check Google Maps for most accurate travel details.
7:00am: Breakfast (at the hotel).
8:30am: Travel to Monteverde (4 hours by Interbus from La Fortuna).
12:30pm: Lunch at Raulito’s Pollo Asado (3 minute walk from Santa Elena centre).
1:30pm: Visit the Monteverde Cloud Forest Reserve (10 minute taxi from Raulito’s Pollo Asado). See the hummingbirds near Cafe Colibri.
4:00pm: Travel back to Santa Elena (20 minute bus from Monteverde Cloud Forest Reserve).
6:00pm: Have dinner at the Treehouse Restaurante (3 minute walk from Santa Elena centre).
6-Day Costa Rica Itinerary
Click “Download” below for an excel version of my 6-Day Costa Rica Itinerary. Feel free to use the excel file as a planning template for your own trip!
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Travels with Carolyne 