The Moneteverde Cloudforest is a magical place to explore. We were fortunate to arrive when there were very few people in the parks, so it felt as if we had the whole place to ourselves. Mist floats through the trees as birds flit around giving you only seconds to see their spectacular colors. Howler monkeys make a ruckus in the distance claiming their territories to all who can here, while near silent squirrel monkeys skip through the canopy above you. Sunset over the Cloudforest (Kassandra Magruder) Laura in awe of the cloud forest (Kassandra Magruder)
The hike is a mix of well maintained trails and hanging bridges spanning over ravines, allowing you to view the canopy from below, within, and above. With no one around its lovely to just stop in the middle of the bridge and just soak in the immensity of the forest. Set on Costa Rica's continental divide and due to its high altitude (4,662 ft [1,440 m] above sea level) Monteverde receives a steady supply of clouds which release moisture vital to the ecosystem. The moisture in the clouds catch on the branches of the tallest trees in the canopy and drips down to the other organisms on the forest floor below. This constant moisture helps to support a complex and vast ecosystem, one that harbors over 100 species of mammals, 400 species of birds, tens of thousands of insect species, and over 2,500 varieties of plants, 420 of which are orchids alone. Kassi stops to take it all in. (Laura Cahill) Misty ridges in the cloud forest (Laura Cahill)
Excellent travel advice and service
This is my second experience working with Adventure Life. I’m sold. Jess Heuermann is an experienced traveler and provides a lot of useful information when planning a trip. These are the questions I like to ask at the outset - What’s it like to go here, there, what would you suggest, what do people report, can we add any additional side trips? Jess took the time to answer my questions and seek additional information to share with me. Petchie Colina is outstanding in helping with travel logistics and final preparations. Adventure Life has excellent guides and offers private guides and small group adventures. We enjoyed the opportunity to talk with the guides and drivers to learn more about their countries, cultures and histories. A highlight was having the guides pick local restaurants where we could share meals together. Highly recommend.
Claire Cordon
5 days ago
Our six-day tour in Iceland went smoothly with one exception. We had asked for two rooms each night. Somehow we were booked with one room with three beds. It could not be fixed at the first hotel in Reykjavik because the hotel was fully booked. Once informed of the problem, however, Adventure Life rebooked for two rooms for the remainder of the trip. As an 85-year-old traveler, I appreciated that one could participate at different physical levels at many of the stops. Iceland is a great place to visit but on the expensive side.
Mary Warren
6 days ago
Jess was very easy going and answered all our questions. It’s not easy dealing with 6 people at once but she did an outstanding job!
Diane Foster
1 week ago
Kassandra and the Adventure Life team have been incredible! Kassandra was very knowledgeable and attentive to our asks while making sure we kept within our budget. This was our first experience with a travel agent and we were blown away by the booking/initial exploration service. We will use Adventure Life again.