Cant decide M.A or Monteverde
 

We have 6 or 7 days in Costa Rica and we are definitely going to be staying and enjoying some time near Arenal. After our time in Costa Rica we will be flying down to Bocas del Toro so we will have some time on the beach. I am just wondering what some suggestions would be. Should we stay a couple nights in Monteverde after our time in Arenal and then head to Bocas or should we skip Monteverde and go from Arenal to Manuel Antonio?

Both places sound enticing. We like mountains, hiking, forests, and beaches. I would really like to see M.A. but also feel like maybe we should visit Monteverde because the cloud forest sounds pretty neat too, and we will be going to the beach in Bocas.

Thanks for your help

Hi mosely,

The cloud forest does indeed sound pretty cool. I have not been to Monteverde yet, but I have been to MA.

One of the big draws there (aside from the beach) is the abundance of wildlife in and around the national park. You will probably see some wildlife around Arenal (and will see even more if you do the highly recommended Cano Negro tour), but there seems to be a higher concentration of animals in MA; lots of monkeys and sloths, and some other cool critters.

That said, since wildlife and people tend to be in close proximity in MA, many of the animals are pretty habituated to people and don't necessarily behave the same way their brethren do in a more isolated, untouched ecosystem. This has pros (mainly for the tourists) and cons (mainly for the animals). MA is a fun place to visit regardless and I enjoyed the time I spent there.

Monteverde is reputedly a great place for birds and amphibians, but you hear less about mammal sightings (although they do occur). One of the main lures, of course, is the actual cloud forest which you won't experience in MA or Arenal.

For myself, the wildlife stuff tends to be a deciding factor, but if that isn't as important to you, perhaps the cloud forest would be a really nice contrast to Volcan Arenal and Bocas?

Whichever you choose, you're going to have a wonderful trip! I don't think you can make a 'wrong' decision in this scenario. :-)

With only 6 or 7 days, are you sure you want to add a third location to your trip? It takes a long time to get from place to place, and I'd hate for your to waste your limited amount of time out on the roads. We only did MA and Arenal for our first trip, and we were there 9 days. Also you may lose time by having to stay near the airport on your first or last nights. Do you have an idea of how long you'd like to spend in each place?

mosely, if you have time, I think a lot of it depends upon what kind of climate you like. MA was very hot and humid when we were there; Monteverde is more misty with cooler temps. Also, do you like a more developed area? If so, I'd go with MA. If you like a very natural environment with birds and plant life, go for Monteverde. We liked MA, but having been there, I don't have a strong desire to return like I do with some other areas of CR; we'll be checking out Monteverde this July for the first time.

I enjoyed MA better. We saw a lot of wildlife, including sloths and monkeys and iguanas at MA. I found that the wildlife at Monteverde wasn't as good. I only saw a few humming birds. Maybe it was just the day I was there. MA has a very nice beach, and hiking trail as well. It is good fun.

We have just returned from Costa Rica and spent three days at Monteverde. We saw howler and white faced monkeys, sloths, olingos, agoutis, coatis, five quetzals, the rare three wattled bellbird and toucanets. We also saw 8 different species of hummingbirds in 30 minutes at the Hummingbird Gallery, so this may give you a good idea of what type of birds and wildlife are up there. We drove from Liberia to Monteverde in four hours and didn't find the road to be as horrible as expected, just slow going as it takes 2 hours to drive 20 miles from the Interamerican Hwy. We had guides for our hikes at both Monteverde and Santa Elena Cloud Forests, both were excellent. We also did a guided night hike at the Children's Eternal Cloud Forest. Right now is the dry season - there were no clouds, no mist, very dry, with temps in the 70's and 80's, so much cooler than Liberia. Hope this helps.

Thanks, for everyones suggestions. It really is a tough decision for me, but I always tend to over analyze things. I am sure like cmerrell said, we probably can't go wrong and would enjoy both.

My husband loves the beach and we will be staying in Bocas for 4 days after C.R. We do like seeing wildlife, but I have also lived in Hawaii (we will be visiting there for our next trip) it would probably be unrealistic to compare the beaches in M.A. to the whitesand Hawaiian beaches.

Maybe, we will skip M.A. this trip and experience the Cloud Forest, neither one of us has ever done that before.

I think we will follow cmerrells advice and do the Cano Negro tour to try to catch more wildlife that way.

Volcanogirl:you'll have to let us know how you like Monteverde for your first trip.

Colibri:Was the night hike at the Childrens Eternal forest pretty neat? I was thinking that since we would be getting to Monteverde in the afternoon, a night hike our first night would be fun.

Thanks,everyone.

I love Manuel Antonio and Monteverde. It really depends on what you are seeking.

The beaches at Manuel Antonio are very nice. I think cmerrill gives an extremely accurate assessment about the wildlife there. It is easy to see the monkeys. But mostly because their range is so small, they are kind of forced to deal with humans. But the National Park is worth a visit, and there are lots of restaurants in the area that offer fresh seafood at a very reasonable price.

Colibri gives a pretty good description of the cloudforest at Monteverde.

We travel here often, and have had many mammal sightings. Less monkeys than in MA. But we have seen some wildcats. We encountered two Jaguarunds at Selvatura. We also had a puma in the yard one night! We have seen howler monkeys, and all of the birds discussed here too.

This is just an interesting community too. The Quakers have had a major influence, and it shows in the several alternative schools and co-ops. When you aren't hiking in any of several reserves, you can visit the frog zoo, the insectarium, serpentarium, bat exhibit or one of several galleries.

Is sounds like you are deciding on Monteverde. Try to give yourself at least three nights if you can. There is a lot to do here, and this will give you two full days.

Hey volcanogirl, when are you going to be in Monteverde? We are escorting a group, and will be in Monteverde twice in July. Maybe we could meet for a cup of excellent Monteverde coffee?

I hope this helps! Let me know if I can offer more advice.

Warm Regards,
Pat Hewitt
(Travel Professional)

Wow Pat! You've seen jaguarundis and a puma? That's incredibly cool!! I would be so thrilled to see one of the cats in CR.

Mosely, I understand the tendency to over-analyze. I do it too! I about drove myself (and my family) insane planning our first CR trip. :-)

I bet you'll really enjoy Monteverde and hope you'll share your experiences with the forum when you return from your trip. Definitely do the Cano Negro tour in Arenal. It's a nice highlight for many visitors.

Although we enjoyed the night hike at Children's Eternal Cloud Forest, we didn't see a lot of wildlife on it, only an agouti, an armadillo, a two toed sloth, stick spider, tarantula and thousands of stars in the clear sky. It was still a great experience, walking in the dark, listening to the sounds of the nocturnal animals, even if you didn't see them. The Hidden Valley night hike also ranks high, but we didn't have time to do that one also.

I have found on this forum that people either love Monteverde or dislike it, feeling it isn't worth the effort to get there. Luckily as a plant and hummingbird enthusiast, I loved it and found plenty to do for three full days.

If you like plants, the small orchid garden in Santa Elena is worth a visit.

Don't miss CASEM - the women's co-op store on the main road to MV reserve across from Stella's Bakery (another must stop). CASEM has beautiful crafts made by local women and great prices.

Enjoy your trip.

Hey, Pat - we're going to be there in early July and staying at Fonda Vela. Where are you guys staying? I'm looking forward to seeing Monteverde after reading all your great posts about it.

Hi VG,

I <i>think</i> that Pat has his own place in Monteverde. You can get hold of him through his business website: www.lovecostarica.com

I would totally pester him with questions if I was headed to Monteverde! :-)

Colibri is right, Monteverde seems to get more mixed reviews although it looks pretty impressive based on any photos I've ever seen of the area. It's on my list of places to eventually see in CR.

I'll be excited to hear your impressions of that area. I hope Mosely reports back as well...

I think we will stick with Monteverde and hope that if it is one of those-either you love it or hate it type of places, that we will love it. We really just want to experience some new things and I hear that one of the best and original zip line tours is near Monteverde. That would rank high on my husbands list of things to do.

It probably wouldn't be such a hard decision if we thought we would have many more opportunities to come back. Those of you who have been several times and now a little more about the country probably gain a better appreciation and understanding of the area, culture, and locals. This always seemed more interesting to me to travel and get to know an area, rather than just vacation in an area. But while my husband is still in school we are limited to what we can do, and we both could really use a vacation so I hope this gives us a little relaxation and adventure.

The one thing that I am still concerned about it transportation. We were thinking of just renting a 4wd and driving ourselves, but then I think the horse/boat/car would be fun to do from Arenal to Monteverde. It seems to shave just a little off the trip plus you get to ride the horses. My question is-if we do the horse ride do they transfer our luggage? Also, we would want to rent a car to drive from SJO to Arenal and then have a car to get from Monteverde to SJO. Is this possible to drop off/pickup rentals in both Arenal area and Monteverde?

Thanks again.

Hi mosely,

I think your trip will definitely provide the nice mix of relaxation and adventure you're looking for. We'll look forward to hearing about your time in Monteverde. I think it will provide a nice contrast to Arenal and Bocas.

I'm sure others will chime in on the Arenal-Monteverde-SJO transportation question. They would surely transfer your luggage for the horse ride...

If you can track Pat Hewitt down, I bet he would know about the rental car situation as he lines lots of trips up for other folks.

Monteverde is more peaceful and relaxing IMO but MA is more vibrant and will leave long lasting memories especially if you go to the third beach in the national park. If this picture of Manuel Antonio doesn't convince you to go.. I don't know what will!

http://www.livecostarica.net/forum/showthread.php?t=31

Pura Vida!
Mike

Mosely,
I'd say if you're already heading to a beach later to go to Monteverde. It's beautiful and such a different experience than what you'll be seeing elsewhere.