Attractions

The Monteverde Biological Cloud Forest Reserve (tel. 2645-5122; www.cct.or.cr) is one of the most developed and well-maintained natural attractions in Costa Rica. The trails are clearly marked, regularly traveled, and generally gentle in terms of ascents and descents. The cloud forest here is lush and largely untouched. Still, keep in mind that most of the birds and mammals are rare, elusive, and nocturnal. Moreover, to all but the most trained of eyes, those thousands of exotic ferns, orchids, and bromeliads tend to blend into one large mass of indistinguishable green. However, with a guide hired through your hotel, or on one of the reserve's official guided 2- to 3-hour hikes, you can see and learn far more than you could on your own. At $15 (£7.50) per person, the reserve's tours might seem like a splurge, especially after you pay the entrance fee, but I strongly recommend that you go with a guide.

Perhaps the most famous resident of the cloud forests of Costa Rica is the quetzal, a robin-size bird with iridescent green wings and a ruby-red breast, which has become extremely rare due to habitat destruction. The male quetzal also has two long tail feathers that can reach nearly .6m (2 ft.) in length, making it one of the most spectacular birds on earth. The best time to see quetzals is early morning to midmorning, and the best months are February through April (mating season).

Other animals that have been seen in Monteverde, although sightings are extremely rare, include jaguars, ocelots, and tapirs. After the quetzal, Monteverde's most famous resident used to be the golden toad (sapo dorado), a rare native species. However, the golden toad has disappeared from the forest and is feared extinct. Competing theories of the toad's demise include adverse effects of a natural drought cycle, the disappearing ozone layer, pesticides, and acid rain.

Admission, Hours & Tours -- The reserve is open daily from 7am to 4pm, and the entrance fee is $15 (£7.50) for adults and $7.50 (£3.75) for students and children. Because only 160 people are allowed into the reserve at any one time, you might be forced to wait for a while. Most hotels can reserve a guided walk and entrance to the reserve for the following day for you, or you can get tickets in advance directly at the reserve entrance.

Some of the trails can be very muddy, depending on the season, so ask about current conditions. If the mud is heavy, you can rent rubber boots at the reserve entrance for $2 (£1) per day. They might make your hike much more pleasant. Before venturing into the forest, have a look around the information center. There are several guidebooks available, as well as posters and postcards of some of the reserve's more famous animal inhabitants.

Night tours of the reserve leave every evening at 7:15pm. The cost is $15 (£7.50), including admission to the reserve, a 2-hour hike, and, most important, a guide with a high-powered searchlight. For an extra $2 (£1), they'll throw in round-trip transportation to and from your area hotel.

Seeing the Forest for the Trees, Bromeliads, Monkeys, Hummingbirds . . . -- Because the entrance fee to Monteverde is valid for a full day, I recommend taking an early-morning walk with a guide and then heading off on your own either directly after that hike or after lunch. A guide will certainly point out and explain a lot, but there's also much to be said for walking quietly through the forest on your own or in very small groups. This will also allow you to stray from the well-traveled paths in the park.

Other Attractions -- It seems as if Monteverde has an exhibit or attraction dedicated to almost every type of tropical fauna. It's a pet peeve of mine, but I really wish these folks would band together and offer some sort of general pass. However, as it stands, you'll have to shell out for each individual attraction.

Butterflies abound here, and the Butterfly Garden (tel. 2645-5512), located near the Pensión Monteverde Inn, displays many of Costa Rica's most beautiful species. Besides the hundreds of preserved and mounted butterflies, there are a garden and a greenhouse where you can watch live butterflies. The garden is open daily from 9:30am to 4pm, and admission is $9 (£4.50) for adults and $7 (£3.50) for students and children, including a guided tour. The best time to visit is between 9:30am and 1pm, when the butterflies are most active.

If your taste runs toward the slithery, you can check out the informative displays at the Monteverde Serpentarium (tel. 2645-5238; www.snaketour.com), on the road to the reserve. It's open daily from 8am to 8:30pm and charges $8 (£4) for admission. The Frog Pond of Monteverde (tel. 2645-6320; www.ranario.com), a couple of hundred meters north of the Monteverde Lodge, is probably a better bet. The $10 (£5) entrance gets you a 45-minute guided tour, and your ticket is good for 2 days. A variety of amphibian species populates a series of glass terrariums. In addition, these folks have also added a butterfly garden. This place is open daily from 9am to 8:30pm. I especially recommend that you stop by at least once after dark, when the tree frogs are active.

Fans of invertebrates will want to head to World of Insects (tel. 2645-6859), which features more than 30 terrariums filled with some of the area's more interesting creepy-crawlies. My favorites are the giant horned beetles. This place is 300m (984 ft.) west of the supermarket in Santa Elena. It's open daily from 9am to 7pm; admission is $8 (£4).

Finally, the newest entry in the field is the Bat Jungle (tel. 2645-6566), an in-depth look into the world life and habits of these odd flying mammals. A visit here includes several different types of exhibits, from skeletal remains to a large enclosure where you get to see various live species in action -- the enclosure and room are kept dark, and the bats have had their biological clocks tricked into thinking that it's night. It's quite an interesting experience. The Bat Jungle is open daily from 9:30am to 8:30pm. Admission is $10 (£5). In addition to a good gift shop and separate coffee shop, where they make homemade chocolate, these folks also have a small interpretive museum focusing on the history of the Quaker community here. Admission to this museum is $5 (£2.50).

If you've had your fill of birds, snakes, bugs, butterflies, and bats, you might want to stop at the Orchid Garden (tel. 2645-5308; www.monteverdeorchidgarden.com), in Santa Elena across from the Pension El Tucano. This small botanical garden boasts more than 425 species of orchids. The tour is fascinating, especially the fact that you need (and are given) a magnifying glass to see some of the flowers in bloom. Admission is $7 (£3.50) for adults and $5 (£2.50) for students. It's open daily from 8am to 5pm.

There are several options for those looking for a glimpse into the practices and processes of daily life in this region. My favorite is El Trapiche Tour (tel. 2645-5834; www.eltrapichetour.com), which gives you a glimpse into the traditional means of harvesting and processing coffee and sugar cane. The 2-hour tour also includes a ride in an ox-drawn cart, and a visit to their coffee farms. Depending upon the season, you may even get to pick a bushel of raw coffee beans. Back at the farmhouse you get to see how the raw materials are then turned into a variety of final products, including cane liquor, raw sugar, and roasted coffee. The tour costs $25 (£13) for adults, and $10 (£5) for children 6 through 12.

Because the vegetation in the cloud forest is so dense, most of the forest's animal residents are rather difficult to spot. If you were dissatisfied with your sightings, even with a naturalist guide leading you, you might want to consider attending a slide show of photographs taken in the reserve. There is a host of daily slide shows around Monteverde. The longest running of these takes place at the Monteverde Lodge, Hotel El Sapo Dorado, and Hotel Belmar, and Hummingbird Gallery . Dates, showtimes, and admissions vary, so inquire at your hotel or one of the places mentioned above.

Almost all of the area hotels can arrange a wide variety of other tours and activities, including guided night tours of the cloud forest and night trips to the Arenal Volcano (a tedious 4-hr. ride, each way).

Learn the Language -- The Centro Panamericano de Idiomas (tel. 2645-5441; www.spanishlanguageschool.com) offers immersion language classes in a wonderful setting. A 1-week program with 4 hours of class per day and a home stay with a Costa Rican family costs $465 (£232).