‘Avoiding danger is no safer in the long run than outright exposure. Life is either a daring adventure or nothing.’- Helen Keller
The second stop of my three city Costa Rican tour with G Adventures was to Monteverde, which, as the name suggests, is up in the mountains. There were some things I really enjoyed and one that I did not. But that is travel, sometimes the stars align and sometimes you know what to skip if you go back!
We did have some free time on arrival. Some of the people on tour who became friends and I decided to go to the hummingbird reserve. There is a big park that has a paid entrance or you can go to the cafe across the parking lot and see a lot. We enjoyed some coffee and a snack amongst the hummingbirds. It did not compare to my experience in Ecuador but cool none the less! A wide variety of hummingbirds flitting around and cannot beat free!
The first night we had a jungle night walk, which was part of the tour. This was much more commercial than the one I did in La Fortuna. Tons of groups and a lot more chaotic. While the prior was a giant loop around the property, this was back and forth depending on where people saw things. It did allow for great viewing but wasn’t as intimate as the one booked separately. The benefit of this one was there was a lot more wildlife to be seen. Birds, sleeping creatures, and a scorpion. I did get a peak of the famed orange tarantula but hard no on getting close.
The next day, I had booked horseback riding. This was okay. The scenery was really pretty but it was very long and a bits of galloping to catch up with the rest of the group (which was very uncomfortable). Sometimes the horses just did not want to move swiftly and I did not love feeling like I had done something wrong-and I was in the middle of the group! Most of it was in the farmland, which has its own charm but I was expecting to see more views as we were in the mountains. However, Once we got out of the family’s farm, you could see incredible views of the ocean from above that were truly stunning. Maybe I was just so spoiled from my experience at Cotopaxi and, while, I do not regret selecting this addition but would not do again.
The only things I absolutely did not like was going to the hanging bridges in Monteverde. This was recommended by the guide and at the previous hanging bridges, the guide had spoken about how the ones in Monteverde were a cannot miss as you are walking above the clouds. Now, we went in the afternoon with bluebird skies so the cloud forest was not. But we spent a lot of time on the ground. Now I love being in nature but there weren’t a lot of flowers or birds (nap time) and again, we spent nearly the entire time on the ground or in the treeline. The guide was very good though! I thought the experience in La Fortuna was much better. It was quite expensive and I just felt I could have spent my money in a better way. As I did not book it, I do not remember which hanging bridges we did. I would just look at the options and see what works best with the time that you have and what you want to spend. I mean, being outside is never a bad idea and it was a nice afternoon but I wonder if I could have done something better. This was the only thing I truly would have said no to.
On the flip side, one of the best things I did on the trip, next to canyoneering, was the zipline! This was also extra but well worth it! I had my first zipline in Ecuador and glad I did as this experience was significantly more OH MY GOD! The spot G Adventure is partnered with is 100% Adventure. This is the most popular and most reputable (this from another family in my zip line group who love a zipline). The ziplines get more and more epic until you go across the longest in Costa Rica and fly high across the valley. The only thing to truly note…the walk between the third to last and final two rides was a lot. It was a significant walk, straight up hill with all the gear on. Fortunately, it was not too hot but I was exhausted by the time I reached the landing I was exhausted. We did have a little quirk as the weather started to turn as the park was closing. My group was the last ride, which I was asked if I wanted to go with one of the guides. I just figured it was the end of the day and trying to get home, so I said sure. Turns out, one of the previous riders (petite female) did not make it to the end of the line due the wind and she had to pull herself the last little bit. So they wanted to make sure my ride was heavy enough to get to the end. I was none the wiser and had a great time! Truly highlights how much my small steps to being brave has paid of, I didn’t panic at any point and tried to enjoy being hundreds of feet in the air!
While some of the things I did in Monteverde were a bit hit or miss, I truly did have a great time! Continued to push myself out of my comfort zones and loads of memories to confirm that sometimes life is scary, do it anyway!