Monteverde

Yes, we did it!  We made it to Monteverde -- one of my favorite places in the world!  Monteverde is a cloud forest in the northwestern part of the country.  After a smooth highway drive, we had nearly 10 miles of rugged, rocky, dirt roads to climb.  Steep precipices marked the road as we climbed nearly 1500 meters up.  Monteverde is gorgeous -- with thousands of animal and plant species.  In this cloud forest, butterflies, birds, and hummingbirds abound.

We stayed in a rustic cabin and went hiking on a partially marked trail nearby.  Yes, partially....  it was well marked on the way down to the river -- just not as well on the way back!  But we made it just as it was getting dark.

The highlight of our trip was visiting Selvatura!  There, we hiked up hills and on suspension bridges high up in the canopies of the trees.  We learned about several plant and animal species endemic to the area.  And then, the four of us got harnessed up for an incredible zip lining experience!  Wow!  We all loved it!

Pictures can found here.  http://www.flickr.com/photos/loriburke/  

Oh, and we made it back -- although not without getting lost a bit..... :)