Costa Rica's Monteverde is a forest with its head in the clouds — a dripping green world of mosses and bromeliads where the resplendent quetzal, the most coveted bird in the Americas, still nests.
Walk the reserve trails at dawn with a guide who knows the quetzal's favourite wild avocado trees, and you stand a real chance of seeing that impossible green-and-crimson tail in flight.
Beyond the headline bird, the forest hums with hummingbirds, bellbirds and the occasional troop of capuchins. The famous hanging bridges put you up in the canopy where much of the action happens.
Bring a rain shell whatever the forecast — 'cloud forest' is a literal description — and binoculars you trust. The light is dim and the birds are quick.
Good to know
- Walk the reserve at dawn with a guide who knows the quetzal's avocado trees.
- Bring a proper rain shell; the cloud forest lives up to its name.
- Pack binoculars you trust, as the light is dim and the birds are quick.
