Monteverde, Costa Rica and the neighboring town of Santa Elena are two spots that everyone visiting Costa Rica should definitely add to their list of must-sees.  Monteverde, or green mountain, was founded by the Quakers from the United States during the Korean War build up in the late 40’s and early 50’s.  They found sanctuary in Costa Rica primarily because of its lack of army and open and peaceful nature. woman doing canopy in monteverde

The Quakers established dairy farming in the region and still maintain a significant presence.  The Quakers donated a large parcel of land consisting of Monteverde’s cloud forest to the Tropical Science Center which now completely manages and is responsible for preserving the land.  The Tropical Science Center of Costa Rica manages all of the trails and limits the numbers of visitors that are allowed in the park at any given time. Monteverde was voted as one of Costa Rica’s Seven Wonders in 2007.  The amazing biodiversity of Monteverde has made it world famous as an exceptional reserve.

The Quaker settlement of Monteverde proper has nearly 1000 residents where as the nearby town of Santa Elena has a population of nearly 7000 residents.  The Quaker influence is still quite apparent in this area and the dairy industry that they began over fifty years ago still produces world class cheese, ice cream and a multitude of other dairy products.

The amazing rain and cloud forests of Monteverde are home to a multitude of plant and animal life in its 25,000 plus acres. There are over 3000 species of plants represented in this reserve, of which over 400 are orchids.  More than 1200 different species of insects and reptiles reside in the park, including many varieties of venomous and non-venomous snakes.  There are also over 400 species of birds to be seen at the reserve, including the Resplendent Quetzal, which migrates to the lower portion of the park in mating season and the endangered Three-wattled Bellbird.  There are close to 30 species of hummingbirds that can be viewed in the reserve at any given time.

The bulk of  Monteverde’s cloud forest can be found in the Reserva Biologica Bosque Nuboso Monteverde which is an enormous private nature reserve established in 1972.  The Reserva is an outstanding example of what can be done by a local community to preserve the environment.  The area around the park entrance is the most visited, but there are trails, which total about 12 miles, that are well kept and relatively easy to access.  As with any thing in Costa Rica, the trails can often be quite muddy and wet, but are worth the time if you can take it.