On a beautiful March morning, the Monteverde Cloud Forest would seem to be misnamed. Bright blue skies are visible through the thick rain forest canopy, sunlight illuminating the many layers of foliage, amplifying the vibrant greens. A brisk wind keeps the temperature on the chilly side, especially in the shade of the trees, vines, and ferns. But here and there, wispy clouds blow on the breeze, sweeping down over the summit of the mountains.

March is the dry season here in Costa Rica, but evidence of the amount of rainfall this area gets is easily visible in the sheer amount of greenery. Most tree trunks are covered by moss, another sign of the wet climate here. And as I reach the top of Monteverde Cloud Forest Reserve, the ridge that marks Costa Rica’s continental divide, and gaze down toward the Caribbean, the clouds become evident, hitting the mountain range beneath me.

So what is a cloud forest, besides a place that in its very name sounds magical? Cloud forests exist mainly in tropical areas, where trade winds carrying moist air hit mountain ranges. This causes condensation into thick clouds, full of moisture. Some of that drops as rain, and some condenses around the canopy of the forest, dripping down to the floor. Cloud forests tend to be characterized by denser foliage than other tropical rain forests, with heights of trees getting shorter at higher elevations. Unlike other mountainous forests, while there is a drier side to cloud forests, they don’t create deserts on the other side (like one sees with the Andes separating lush rain forest from some of the most arid land in the world).

The Monteverde Cloud Forest Reserve is about 26,000 acres, and is one of several such private reserves in Costa Rica’s Monteverde district. The area is a tourist hub, attracting more than 100,000 visitors annually, with the permanent population here being only around 6,000. And it is a testament to the power of ecotourism, which we will talk more about in an upcoming article. In the 1950s, a group of Quakers from the U.S. settled here. Those pioneer settlers cleared much of the old growth forest at the lower altitudes for farming and cattle ranches. But when in the 1960s and 1970s the area began to attract attention from biologists due to some endemic species (like the now extinct golden toad), the Quaker community decided to change course.

The remaining primary old growth forest at the higher altitudes was turned into a reserve, and the community made efforts to replant lower forests, seeing the possibilities for tourism. That vision came to life starting in the 1990s, with more than 40,000 visitors in 1991 compared to fewer than 5,000 in 1980. And today, tourism is the primary economic driver for the region, which brings the money for more staff, better accessibility, and increased conservation efforts.

There are really two ways to experience the Monteverde Cloud Forest: visiting the reserve itself or via an adventure park. Ideally, you’ll try both, as they offer different approaches to ecotourism.

On the one side, you have the pure conservation efforts of the Monteverde Cloud Forest Reserve. While there are some adventure aspects like zip-lining, the primary activity here is hiking on the mainly well-maintained system of trails. Some are flat; some are quite steep. Find those that are best for you.

The first and most obvious feature here is the greenery. Trees, thick vines (like the strangling fig which ultimately kills the tree it grows over), and ferns are the primary things you’ll notice, but they aren’t the most numerous, as far as number of species. That distinction belongs to the epiphytes, plants that grow on the surface of other plants, with a whopping 878 species! This group includes bromeliads, which function as little ponds in the sky during wet times, and the most famous flora in Monteverde: orchids.

I’ve seen estimates of the number of orchid species here ranging from 150 to 500, with dozens being endemic (found only here). Not all are those we would find commercially; some orchid blooms are so small that one needs a magnifying glass to see the blossoms. Sadly, few are in bloom in March, but Monteverde has an orchid garden in town that encourages blooming during the dry season as well as wet.

As far as animals go, there are more than 80 bat species, upwards of 150 reptiles and amphibians, hundreds of birds, and more creepy crawly things than can even be counted. There are also monkeys, sloths, coati, and more. There are way too many to talk about in this article, so let’s go over some highlights.

Birds. The top of the wish list is the resplendent quetzal, but it is rare to see. More likely you’ll spot thrushes, kites, flycatchers, and hummingbirds.

If you miss seeing hummingbirds, visit the hummingbird gallery at the reserve entrance, where feeders have been set up.

I am one of the lucky ones who saw the quetzal. Words don’t do the beauty of this bird justice. Check out those tail feathers marking it as a male!

Reptiles and amphibians are hard to spot during the day in the dry season, but if you see something that looks like a big glob of spit on the side of a tree, it might be frog eggs!

When walking past a hole in the earthen side of the mountain, it is worth shining a light inside. You might be lucky enough to see an orange kneed tarantula!

Bats. You almost certainly won’t see them in the wild, although they are here in large numbers. But in town you can stop by the Bat Jungle to visit our winged mammalian cousins.

If you are less into purely hiking and looking for wildlife, you might try one of the adventure parks in the Monteverde Cloud Forest. I visited Treetopia, which offers zip lining, a thing resembling a bicycle on a high wire, and my activity, a suspension bridge trail. There are six bridges along the roughly three mile trail that winds in a loop through the forest and canopy. They are wobbly but totally safe, and provide a different perspective on the cloud forest.

(If you are into zip lining, it was actually invented here as a way to study the forest canopy, so it seems a bit more authentic. I’ve done it before, so didn’t on this trip.)

Even the adventure parks can provide some incredible wildlife viewing, but with conservation not the top priority as it is in the reserve, it can be a bit harder to find. Although for honesty’s sake, this is where I saw the quetzal, between bridges four and five.

Cloud forest is one of the rarest biospheres on the planet, covering less than half of one percent of the surface. (And it is shrinking due to climate change, with more than 2% lost in the past decade despite some of the most ardent protections.) Here in Costa Rica, a visit to the Monteverde Cloud Forest is a unique way to experience this incredibly diverse area for yourself, as it is easily accessible. If you have the chance, see it.

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