We drove from La Fortuna around Lake Arenal to Monteverde. The scenery was stunning, although the roads, particularly the last 30km, were less impressive.
We visited The Santa Elena Cloud Forest Reserve, one of the most unique habitats in the world due to its location high on the Caribbean side of the continental divide in the Tilaran Mountains. Clouds, born in the Caribbean, traverse across the land in an attempt to pass over the mountains before giving up and falling upon the Reserve. Here three-hundred-year-old trees twist toward the skies, weighed down with layers of bromeliads. Green moss envelops every tree trunk, and the forest floor is littered with wet, fallen leaves. A single tree can have as many as 200 different species of plants growing on it; an ecosystem unto itself. More than 400 bird species dwell inside the forest. Our guide enticed a tarantula from its lair. He knew that Anni was scared of spiders, and when he told her it could jump 5 metres he completely freaked her out! (It can't, and they have very poor eyesight! But, nevertheless, she justifiably felt very brave)?
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