Monteverde plays host to Costa Rica’s treasured rain forest, where a staggering number of species – including pumas, monkeys, quetzal, and the endangered three wattled bellbird – are readily on display, proving the perfect location for studies in sustainability and conservation. Monteverde is known as an international ecotourism destination and one of the top places to visit in Costa Rica. Monteverde is a rural, mountainous community located in the beautiful Tilarán Mountains of Costa Rica at an elevation of about 1500m. … Monteverde is the best place to experience a cloud forest. You do not need any converters to use electrical devices in Costa Rica if you are coming from the US. Smaller packages in envelopes are generally fine. The larger object is an abdomen s cale from the butterfly. Monteverde is a rural, mountainous community located in the beautiful Tilarán Mountains of Costa Rica at … But “in places like Monteverde, where tourism is the economy, three months of aid won’t be enough. Monteverde & Around travel | Costa Rica, Central America - Lonely Planet About 3 hours from San Jose, it is one of our top recommended destinations in Costa Rica. When the country locked everything down, the couple adapted quickly, reducing the café’s output by 80 percent and distributing bread to grocery stores. We are pretty casual here- wear clothes that are comfortable and functional- dress clothes are, for the most part, impractical for work. Costa Rica supports an enormous variety of wildlife, due in large part to its geographic position between the North and South American continents, its neotropical climate, and its wide variety of habitats. In 2019 the region, a three-hour drive from the capital, drew close to 250,000 visitors, mostly from the United States, Canada, and Europe. Over the past 20 years, they’ve restarted their lives a half dozen times. Buses leave San Jose for Monteverde twice a day, at 6:30 am and 2:30 pm. Do not leave your belongings unguarded in the bus station or on the bus. There is a public health clinic in Santa Elena, which is part of the national health care system. Emergencies or severe medical problems are better handled in San Jose or Puntarenas, where the quality of care is comparable to that in the United States. The native Costa Rican population, known as Ticos, primarily live in and around Santa Elena, the main “town” of the Monteverde Zone. The school is located on the way to the Monteverde Cloud Forest Reserve in Monteverde. On top of all that, Monteverde is arguably the best place in Costa Rica for extreme adventure (rivaled perhaps by Arenal). Santa Elena, the village serving the area around Monteverde, normally hums with visitors hopping from backpacker hostels to restaurants and attractions, such as the Serpentario snake zoo (right). This seemingly short distance from the highway actually takes about one and a half hours on the bus, which makes Monteverde feel pretty far away from anywhere else. In order to withdraw money inside the bank, you will need to present your passport. “When we can move around again, we’ll need to hyper focus on buying local and on sharing resources.”. The biggest population center – the village of Santa Elena – runs seamlessly uphill into next-door neighbor Cerro Plano and then tiny Monteverde, which borders its namesake reserve. Monteverde has an unusual settlement history. But even after these measures lift, businesses will likely feel economic pain for some time. In the 1960s, biologists started visiting Monteverde, drawn by the English-speaking population, the friendly and peaceful Costa Rican society, and the vast natural biodiversity. It was created in 1972 to protect the endangered cloud forest habitat from logging. Internet is not avilable in every home but many restaurants and cafes now have Wi-Fi. This community of roughly 6,000 residents is an ecotourism hot spot, and by most accounts, 2020 was set to be a banner year. Ticos are generally proud of their political freedoms and their relatively stable economy. Nothing will be full again for a while.”. We are happy to help you arrange a homestay with a local family here in Monteverde. Click on this link for the CDC’s (Center for Disease Control) health information for travelers to Costa Rica. The males, just barely two inches (5 cm) long, are an unbelievably bright orange. In general, Costa Rica has on-going and very successful public health campaigns against contagious diseases, and the standard of living in terms of health concerns is quite high. You will have to pay per day while your packages wait in customs, arrange to get to San Jose, and then pay again to receive the items. There are three banks with ATMs in Santa Elena, and there is one ATM in Cerro Plano. To help relieve some of the economic pressure, on April 10 the central government launched Bono Proteger, a program that provides up to $220 each month (for three months) to people who have lost income due to the pandemic; the funding equates to roughly a third to a half of average salaries in Monteverde. Download Monteverde Tours PDF The Monteverde Cloud Forest is the epicenter of cloud forest exploration. Your hosts will provide a private furnished room and three meals a day. Monteverde is a small town in the mountain ranges of Costa Rica and a major destination for ecotourism in the country. In addition, about 250,000 tourists come through Monteverde each year. All rights reserved. While Monteverde has no confirmed coronavirus cases, the hardship brought on by the pandemic has been swift and startling. Now police tape wraps the newly installed wooden benches, and every attraction, including the famed Cloud Forest Biological Preserve, is shuttered. During the rainy season, things do not dry easily, and you need to combat mildew and mold in your house. See our main page for more information about Monteverde Friends School, including Study Abroad, Gap Year, bilingual musical theater summer camp, school tours, and volunteering. © 1996-2015 National Geographic Society, © 2015- Translated from Spanish, Costa Rica means ‘rich coast’ – a name originating from rumors of vast gold treasures that never materialized. Locally made products and produce are flooding WhatsApp groups, as small-scale agriculture, once a way of life, becomes a survival tool. Costa Rica - Costa Rica - People: Nearly four-fifths of Costa Rica’s population is of European descent, and, as a result, Costa Rica has the largest percentage of people of Spanish descent in Central America. The transition period, from November to February, has strong winds, rains and mists. In places like Monteverde, it’s the only engine. We highly recommend using a surge protector, as there are frequent outages, surges, and lightning strikes during rainy season in Monteverde. I can put on my gloves and fight,” says Acuña. Dry season is from February to May, and has light wind, sunny days, and cool misty evenings. The water in Monteverde (and most of Costa Rica) is potable and of excellent quality. National Geographic described the Monteverde Cloud Forest as a ‘jewel in the crown of Cloud Forest Reserves’, and it is the most famous its type. Monteverde with a population of around 9000, is the community that still retains the quality of a rural town, where most shops are attended by its costarican owners and give a personal attention to each visitor, this makes a big difference between different natural attractions of our country.