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Because of its high altitude at 1440 m above sea level – Monteverde has a constant supply of clouds. The moisture, attaches on the branches of the tallest trees and drips down to the other vegetation below. This helps to support a complex cloud forest ecosystem that provides a home for numerous birds, animals, insects and plants.
Thedown side for us is, that as well as clouds, there is also a very high annual rainfall and unfortunately we have heavy rain for most of our visit and also strong winds.
During the rainy spells we visit the frog and snake centres where many of the country's species are bred for research purposes. The guided tour is very informative and gives an insight into to these creatures, most of which are almost impossible for the likes of us to see on their native jungle because they are so well camouflaged The visit also includes a tour around the butterfly garden where there are over 20 different species flying around including the stunning blue morpho.
On one of the rainy days, we take the local bus out to the entrance of the main forest hoping the torrential downpour will miraculously cease. It doesn't so we enjoy a few hours at the humming bird gallery coffee shop at the edge of the forest where we get close up to humming birds feeding from the sugar water feeders. A bold olingo, a furry racoon like creature climbs along the branches and grabs one of the feeders then proceeds to down the contents like an old man downing a pint.
On our last day in Santa Elena, the sun is out so we head out to one of the cloud forest private reserves Curi Cancha. We explore the forest trails but the highlight is in the forest clearing where sugar solution feeders have again been put out for the humming birds. The air is alive with 7 or more different species of humming birds, their wings whirring noisily and we are able to approach within a few feet. We also get a visit from a Coati, an animal which looks like an anteater.
After that we stop off for coffee and carrot cake at Stella's Bakery. ....
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