Monteverde, northwest of San Jose, is both a major tourist attraction and an amazing place to learn about the country's nature and culture.
The best approach to one of my favorite areas of Costa Rica, Monteverde, is to come from San José — but even that road can be difficult, especially in the rainy season. If you plan to drive to Monteverde on your own, you absolutely must have a four wheel drive vehicle. Once you leave the highway, the roads to Monteverde are steep dirt roads, often with lots of potholes. Specialty vehicle rentals are expensive but in this case necessary.
Another choice is to buy a package and let someone else do the driving. It takes several hours to drive to Monteverde from San Jose so you should plan on staying at least one night. Two nights would be ideal.
Monteverde’s Quaker Community
The name Monteverde refers to two different things: the Quaker community of Monteverde as well as the adjacent cloud preserve. The history of the community is interesting and bears repeating. Back in the early 1950’s some Quakers from the state of Alabama were jailed for refusing to register for the draft in the U.S. and decided to move to a more peaceful country whose military policy coincided with their Pacifist beliefs. Costa Rica, having no army, fit the bill. There were 44 original settlers from 11 different families. Some flew to San José while others drove from Alabama, a three-month journey. Eventually they settled in the Monteverde area where land was cheap and plentiful. They supported themselves through dairy farming and cheese production. Today their modern factory supplies cheese to all of Costa Rica. The Quakers have been instrumental in keeping Monteverde and the surrounding area in its pristine state. They are respectful of the land and its fragility.
There are several art galleries and craft centers to visit in Monteverde as well as the cheese factory, called La LecherÃa. The Hummingbird Gallery (see Costa Rica’s Defining Moment) is a must-see. Being completely surrounded by buzzing hummingbirds is one of Monteverde’s fun experiences. You can also arrange for horseback riding and guided wildlife walks. Because of the Quaker heritage English is widely understood in this area. There are several lodges in the Monteverde area as well as in the nearby town of Santa Elena. Most will sell out during the busy winter and summer season. You can reserve these properties on a room only basis as well as on a package basis. We recommend you reserve ahead.
Monteverde’s Cloud Forest Preserve
This privately owned and operated cloud preserve is the major attraction of Monteverde. You can hike it on your own – there are several trails – or you can hire a guide for a half day or more. Guides run about $15 for a half day and we recommend going with a guide (Guides are not included with entrance fee). The cloud forest is a very misty place and it is hard to see wildlife. The guide can point out things you would ordinarily miss on your own. Other special tours may be offered or can be arranged upon request, such as night tours of the preserve or birding tours. Over 400 species of birds have been recorded at Monteverde, including the resplendent quetzal. There is a limit to the number of people who can enter the preserve at one time. During the busy season we recommend you arrive as soon as possible after the opening time of 7:00am. Admission is about $13.00 with discounts for students and children. Children ages 10 and under are admitted without a fee. For more information contact Monteverde Info (506/645-7070). [Editor’s Note: The cloud preserve can be muddy and wet so bring raingear and boots.]
Volcan Arenal National Park
Located a few miles west of the town of Fortuna, this national park contains one of the most active volcanoes in Central America, the Arenal Volcano. There are only a few visitors services at the park; the main attraction is viewing the smoldering or fiery volcano, especially at night.
If the volcano is active, you will be able to see the eruptions from outside the park. Day Tours are available to see the volcano and often include other activities available in the surrounding area. This is an all-day trip from Monteverde.
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Cute. Made me hungry. Have you gone back since?
WOW ITS REAL BEAUTIFUL..
Much better place in Palawan… like El Nido and Club Noah in taytay
Congratulations on your son's upcoming graduation!
For all the information you'll need to plan a houseswap, please search the familytravelforum.com site for "house swapping" or "home exchanges" and you'll find some recommended services that specialize in this.
Let us know how it goes! thanks
Angela, you can read more about the requirements of the Western Hemisphere Travel Initiative at this link:
http://www.familytravelforum.com/how/vacation_deals/227-News-Families-Have-Cheaper-WHTI-Options-for-Kids-Land-and-Sea-Borders.html
According to the WHTI website, you are required to obtain parents' permission, and we quote from them:
Groups of Children:
Beginning June 1, 2009, U.S. and Canadian citizen children under age 19 arriving by land or sea from contiguous territory and traveling with a school group, religious group, social or cultural organization, or sports team, may also present an original or copy of his or her birth certificate, a Consular Report of Birth Abroad, a Naturalization Certificate, or a Canadian Citizenship Card.
The group should be prepared to present a letter on organizational letterhead with the following information:
* The name of the group and supervising adult,
* A list of the children on the trip, and the primary address, phone number, date of birth, place of birth, and name of at least one parent or legal guardian for each child,
* A written and signed statement of the supervising adult certifying that he or she has obtained parental or legal guardian consent for each participating child.
Thank you for your post. We are looking for a family vacation in France for my son's senior graduation and this sounds just perfect! I've never thought about house swapping or how that is done. Could you please give me more information on how one would go about doing that. I am very interested. I'm glad your family had so much fun.
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This sounds great! I’ve always wanted to go to New Orleans.
Wow, I didn’t know that the disabled were shunned in Jamaica. This was informative and heartwarming!
“I was served a sublime slice of humble pie.” I liked that a lot. You have a bunch of great one-liners in here. Really well written!
Backpacking’ll do it. Great title!
I highly recommend another excelent option to do bike tours in buenos Aires, Buenos Aires City Tours on Bike | Urban Biking.
Thank you very much,
Regards,
Guille
Nepal is good destination for adventure lover. We can announce proudly we have more then 13 highest mountain among the world. Nepal is not famous just for mountain it is famous other adventure activities too. Like river, natural beauty and different culture, society, and many religion too. Nepal have very good destination for trekking, hiking, peak climbing, paragliding, bungee jumping, and other more we offer all above activities at suitable price for you .we would like to be your family member, and Thing positive be positive Nepal will be your's Home and I will be your family member if you choose me .hope see you at my place with your sweat smile.
Sandesh Sharma
http://www.nepalvillagetrek.com
nepalviewtrek@hotmail.com
+9779841397842
Really a fabulous article……………
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I like the bit about the B- movie vampire. Interesting!
Wow. I can’t imagine doing anything like this! Have you climbed more since?
Funny. Cool story!
good afternoon
wowww beautiful… nice place
thanks for sharing this camp, i think i should visit it with my family.
good read, thanks for this article
We have eaten at the restaurant and had drinks at the bar at this Ritz. Both times we left saying they need better customer service. Not up to Ritz standards in our opinion
Would visiting this resort cost me a lot?
Hi, we have been in Athens last summer with our 2 children. It was great!if you are traveling to Athens, there are many attractions for families e.g> Copa copana Park, Allou fun park,Hellenic Cosmos, the cultural center which is a child-oriented museum with exhibition halls, its really great! and many other things for family, try this> http://www.facebook.com/cityofathens?ref=ts,
our senior group from penn estates would like info on a day trip to your facility as we have in the past. please forward info price etc for us to plan and open dates
We love KBH. We have returned many times and are always treated great and have a wonderful time. Price is great too.
This is definitely the wave of the future and will be a demand for traveling business people. I think it has a great design and works well for its intended purpose.
This is devastating. Well-written and insightful, though. Nicely done.
Wow, amazing. It’s interesting that this stuck out in your mind so well even after travelling to so many different locations. Well done!
This IS really good. You have a very captivating writing style; it brought be in at the very beginning. The rose thing was amazing. Well done!
what a joyful clever piece
i can see myself there
i think i dream when i see this beach
but i live in egypt
i love it so much. it's my dream. but now i dont have any money:-(
Please confirm my reservation for Aug 23 in the name of Hansford and Bortels. My question is: is the dining casual as in shorts and sandals? Thank you, and again please confirm my reservation.
Thanks yahoo.
Sounds like fantastic, chaotic fun! Take us along next time!
Hilarious review. I'm not sure I would go but your honest review makes it almost tempting.
This place sounds just great. We had a similarly cultural and fun weekend at Kutscher's in the Catskills and perhaps some of their guests go to the Doral Arrowwood on alternate weekends!
Thanks for sharing what sounds like a great cheap family vacation.
i hope travel to uroup but i am poor i dont have more money ,
Nice article…I appreciate the effort for posting this…
In my experience, babies usually like the sound and smell of someone they miss, and may stop crying.
maybe your partner can make a tape/phone message of their voice, and leave behind some clothes, like pajamas, that they might feed the baby in. Having that to offer the baby might comfort her.
Another option is giving baby something warm and moving, like the feeling of being rocked in someone's arms. our son loved being wrapped in a blanket and held on top of the clothes dryer (turned on low), which moved a bit, made some sounds, and seemed to help him stop crying.
Otherwise, just wait. It is sure to pass.
wah it is v amazing and wonderful resort
Nepal is a very popular destination for trekking and expedition. The range of treks in Nepal varies from a short gentle hike through terraced foothills to lengthy expeditions to Mount Everest’s summit. Depending on your level of fitness, stamina or experience, you’ll find an adventure of your lifetime. The Himalayan regions of Nepal contain some of the best places in the world to go trekking. You can choose from treks like Everest base camp, Annapurna or Langtang to less popular trekking options including Mustang or Kanchenjunga Base Camp.Trekking is the gift of Nepal to the world in adventure tourism. To be one with Nature, to regenerate one's own confidence, to relive oneself, to appreciate Nepal's exquisiteness, to interact with its generous and responsive peoples are some of the places of interest of trekking in Nepal. Trekking is one long-lasting activities that draws reiterate visitors to the country. Consequently, Nepal is the definitive objective for the trekking supporter. for more information log on to nepal travel information website: http://www.nepalvisitors.com
no!!! the best beach in world is boracay!!!! ^_______________-
thanks n v informative
i'like porto saint georgo in italy why not in your list?
Funny. I enjoyed the bit about Notre Dame, the Eiffel Tower, etc.
This gave a wonderful picture of Dublin in my mind. I went to Ireland eight years ago; his brought me back.
I am also curious: what writing program were you on?