Jungle Jane Takes Monteverde

I just got back from Monteverde today. It was by far the best trip I have been on so far due to our superb planning and the natural beauty of the the area.

We arrived on Wednesday evening after about a four hour bus ride.  The bus ride was shorter than the five hourse we had expected and this was with a half hour delay at the beginning, various stops to pick people up and drop them off, and some trouble with our bus driver not being able to drive stick on hills (Monteverde is a mountain so this was a little problematic).  When we got off the bus, we went right to our hostel, which we had booked ahead of time.  It was called Sleeper's Sleep Cheaper.  It was basically a couple of hallway of rooms in a couple's house that they rent out to backpackers for $8 per night.  The rooms and the bathroom were clean.  There was only one bathroom but it didn't make much of a difference because it was a smaller hostel than the one's we had stayed in on previous trips. The price also included free Wi-Fi, tour booking, and a full breakfast (fruit, cereal, coffee, toast, and eggs).  I would say that this was one of the best hostels we have stayed in with Pagalu being the other contender.  Pagalu was nicer but did not include breakfast and was $2 more expensive.

The next morning we went zip-lining through the canopies and walked through a path with hanging bridges.  We decided to do the tour through Selvatura because it got the best reviews, it had a large student discount, and they provided free transportation to and from your hostel.  I had an absolutely wonderful time.  The tour guides were knowledgeable, nice, and funny.  The zip-line portion contained 13 platforms and a Tarzan swing at the end.  The Tarzan swing is a must do.  It only takes a couple minutes and you get a real rush from the free fall.  The only way they could improve the experience is to find a slightly more pleasant way to stop you from swinging.  A man basically grabs one of your legs and yanks you to a stop.  I thought might hip might be dislocated for a minute or two.  Besides the brief pain, I have nothing but good things to say about the zip-lining.  It was very professional, safe, and well-organized.  The  hanging bridges hike took approximately 45 minutes including time to stop, take pictures, and look around.  The views are beautiful and it's great to be able to walk right through the treetops.  All in all, I thought it was well worth the $50.

After our Selvatura tour, we had lunch (and dinner later, actually) at a restaurant called The Tree House.  It was reasonably prices with fresh and tasty food.  We tend to find one restaurant that we really like and stick with it for the weekend.

At night we went on a horseback riding excursion through the mountains through Las Brisas Finca Agroecoturistica for $35.  A bus picked us up from the hostel and we rode about 20 minutes to the farm.  We took a nighttime ride for about an hour and half.  It was definitely more adventurous than I thought it would be.  There are rough trails but they are still very rocky, steep, and through the trees. We didn't see much wildlife but it was a peaceful and enjoyable ride, despite the rain (I actually thought the rain added to the atmosphere).  The owner of the farm and his son lead the tour and pointed out sugar cane, organic coffee, bananas, beans, and other products that they grow right on the farm. After the horseback riding, they brought us organic coffee made from the beans that they grow, delicious homemade hot chocolate, and homemade breads made with sugar from their cane fields. Then the owner showed us where they grind the coffee, how to make juice out of sugar cane by grinding it, and tasted homemade moonshine.  It was a really interesting tour that is different than the zip-lining and mountain tours that most people do when they visit Monteverde. 

It was a great trip and our main success was making all the plans and reservations ahead of time.  Trips are a lot more enjoyable and safe if you have a game plan.  I loved every second of Monteverde and it is definitely going on my list of places to revisit. I had never been zip-lining or horseback riding before the trip. I'm a regular outdoorsy explorer these days.  Watch out world!  Ok, so they were both guided tours but I'm working on it.  Hence the title... traveler in training :)