Monteverde is my favorite place in Costa Rica — from its cloudy, cool forests to high-speed canopy tours, I never get my fill. During my trip planning phase, I packed each day full with sunny activities and night tours, determined to take advantage of every minute in Monteverde. I was disappointed, but not surprised, to find that I couldn’t fit everything in; though the Monteverde and Santa Elena area only covers a few square miles, it is extremely diverse and a very exciting place to visit.

As our private van trundled up the bumpy mountain road, I could barely contain my excitement: I was already itching to spot quetzals, count butterfly species, fly through the treetop canopy and hike every mile of Monteverde and Santa Elena cloud forest trail. During the eight following days, I spotted two quetzals, held butterflies in the palm of my hand, enjoyed three ziplines and, though I didn’t hike every mile, I huffed and puffed up and down 15 miles of the most beautiful trails I had ever seen.

And, though these highlights thrilled me, I soon found that the trip’s surprises and tiny moments ended up as my favorites: holding a tarantula at the butterfly farm empowered me, free falling from two Tarzan swings was absolutely exhilarating, sitting in a garden with hundreds of hummingbirds lulled me and spotting a baby porcupine sleeping in a tree was an unforgettable experience. Each moment was ripe for enjoyment, and begged to be extended, optimized and relished in every way. (Mission accomplished!)

Continuing with the surprises, though I had been ready for Monteverde’s thrilling activities, I had not expected its cuisine. On a previous visit, I had kept my dinner choices reserved, but this time, I was ready to sample, taste and enjoy all that the area’s restaurants had to offer. With too few evenings and too many restaurants to choose from, Vincent and I made the best of an already delicious situation: after perusing our options, we decided to tempt our palates with mouthwatering Costa Rican traditional, Latin fusion, authentic Italian and delectable Middle Eastern. Yum!

Join us on our adventures:

Day 1: San Jose to Monteverde
Day 2: Quetzal Spotting in the Santa Elena Cloud Forest Reserve
Day 3: Sampling Coffee and a Night Walk
Day 4: Flying High on the Sky Trek Canopy Tour
Day 5: A Close-Up of Costa Rica’s Butterflies and Amphibians
Day 6: Hiking Through Monteverde’s Forests
Day 7: From Tarzan Swings to Porcupines
Day 8: Snakes, Frogs, Insects, Hanging Bridges and a Canopy Tour

Interested? For more travel information and trip planning resources, see our sections on Monteverde and Santa Elena.