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what is it about monteverde?

What is it about Monteverde?

Monteverde is one of the most popular places of Costa Rica and a utterly unique destination.
It is not only breathtakingly beautiful, but it's clean, sustainable and has a very well organized community.
It is a sort of utopian place that you should experience for as long as you may.

what is it about Monteverde?

Among Costa Rica Destinations, Monteverde is unique. For decades, the road to Monteverde was terrible. Sometimes you needed to have a four-wheel drive to get there. And yet, people came. And kept coming. Why? Well, let’s see if we can answer that in this post.

Among Costa Rica destinations, Monteverde is quite a unique one. It is very remote. You will find it after going uphill for more than an hour. It is spread. It’s almost hard to find where the center of Monteverde is.

The answer hits you in the face when you get on a trail in one of its many reserves: The wilderness of Monteverde is breathtaking.

But if you paid enough attention to the way in, the answer came much before, Monteverde is simply beautiful. And beyond, in the past decades, its inhabitants have created numerous places to sit and experience its beauty. It is a place to be seen.

You will find benches strategically distributed, but you will see many people stopping to see the sunset over the Pacific Ocean in the distance in the afternoons. It is a daily activity in Monteverde. That is the soul of Monteverde. This is a place where the beauty of nature is appreciated and respected, and it shows.

Monteverde is among the three or four favorites among the Costa Rica destinations and a must if you are a nature lover, a bird watcher, or if you are into hiking. There is a fantastic collection of trails to choose from, and it is a hard choice!

WHERE IS MONTEVERDE?

Monteverde is located in the Central North Pacific area of Costa Rica.
It is almost at the same distance from either airport:

2 hr 24 min (126.3 km) from the San José
2 hr 25 min (124.2 km) from the Liberia International Airport (LIR).

And the way in, now wholly paved (And filled with potholes as of January 2023), goes on a winding hard to drive uphill that will give you some glimpses of the fantastic nature of this place.

As you arrive, you will see a small town called Santa Elena, where you may find supermarkets, pharmacies, ATMs, banks, and several stores and galleries.

This town is in the middle of the region. To one side you will go towards where most hotels are, some residential areas, and the main preserves.

To the other side is where you will find the tours, attractions and many of the best restaurants.

WHAT IS A CLOUD FOREST?

A cloud forest is has a continuous cloud coverage in high elevation, indicating it is higher in rainfall and humidity. That is the reason for flora and fauna to thrive in this singular ecosystem. There are very few places in the world that have tropical cloud forests, including Costa Rica.

History of Monteverde

The history of Monteverde pays homage to true ethics and peace as in the 1950s, a group of Quakers found their way out of going to war by coming to Costa Rica and establishing Monteverde.

Their story is as amazing as the region they found. It is based on values as harmony with nature, respect for diversity and belief in civil resistance if necessary.

And even if Monteverde had families living in the area already the true founders of the region are the Quakers.

Find the history in this video:

To wrap it up:

Monteverde is quite an impressive destination, considered among the most beautiful places in the world, according to publications such as Forbes and Travel And Leisure.

In our next post, we will talk about the amazing trails network that you easily find in Monteverde. In the meantime, start planning your vacation including this amazing nature haven with your Terranova Travel Designer!

Ask your Terranova Travel Design Expert to book now!