The fastest way to get from La Fortuna to Monteverde is a so called Jeep-Boat-Jeep transfer, which should really be called a Minibus-Boat-Minibus transfer, as there were no Jeeps, or 4x4s of any make were used.
The first part took us down to Lake Arenal, where we boarded the boat for the hour long crossing. Luckily the lake wasn’t too choppy and the light was pretty good, so I was able to capture some photos of the stunning scenery. The last part of the journey was all on gravel roads, so whilst the distance wasn’t that far, it took about 90 minutes, with a stop for photos along the way. The landscape in this part of Costa Rica is up there with the most beautiful parts of Scotland, so it was a good journey, if a little bumpy.
We’re staying in Santa Elena, slightly down the hill from Monteverde, as all the tours we want to do are quite spread out and Santa Elena is a good base and feels more off the beaten track than La Fortuna. Our cabin has great views down to the Gulf of Nicoya, with the trade off that it is a steep walk back up the hill from town.
The area is known for its cloud forest and ecotourism, so for the first evening we went on a night walk, hoping to see a sloth, although we saw a lot of birds, insects and mammals, a sloth wasn’t one of them. Our guide poking a red kneed tarantula with a stick to get it to come out its hole was a particular highlight! I decided against taking my camera as it was going to be dark and some times it is great to enjoy things without a camera.
The evening ended with dinner in a treehouse overlooking Santa Elena high street, which seemed really busy until about 9pm, when everyone vanished.