After breakfast, you’ll join your guide for a guided nature walk into the cloud forests of the Aguti Wildlife Reserve. With moisture-laden trade winds blowing upward along the mountain slopes of the region, you’ll find clouds and fog hovering almost continuously in the upper canopy of the forest. Condensing onto the leaves and plants below, the moisture contributes to the extraordinary biodiversity of the Cloud Forest. With expert insight from your guide, you’ll learn about the myriad species that thrive here: More than 2,000 varieties of plants (420 of which are orchids!), 400 species of birds including the elusive Resplendent Quetzal, 5,000 different types of moths, 400 mammal species including cats, deer, tapir and sloths, and 1,200 species of reptiles and amphibians!
Following lunch, visit the Monteverde Orchid Garden to see and learn about these extraordinary blooming plants. In a natural tropical forest with well-maintained paths, you’ll discover an impressive collection of more than 460 species of orchids. Many of them are miniature varieties that are indigenous to the Monteverde region, including some with delicate flowers measuring less than one inch! After dinner at Morpho’s Restaurant, we’ve arranged for you to spend time with Marvin Rockwell, one of the original Quaker pioneers who settled in Monteverde in the 1950’s. Engaging conversation in his home offers insight into one of the Costa Rica’s most colorful chapters of history. Meals B+L+D