With Coman’s ear thankfully not having turned septic, but Jonathan still somewhat challenged of stomach, we all set off after an early breakfast to drive to the banks of Lake Arenal. It’s still quite drizzly as we load all our luggage onto yet another small boat and the choppy waves don’t inspire us with confidence but once we’ve all clambered aboard and set off the waters of the lake seem to settle. 

This misty crossing to the far side of the lake will save us well over three hours of driving time, and as our 45 minute voyage continues the clouds roll over the hill tops, creating a mystical scene of greys and greens. 

Behind us the volcano is silhouetted against the clouds but as we motor along the sun breaks through and what had been a dank and overcast scene is transformed with blue skies and sunshine to become a gorgeous undulating set of verdant wooded hills and vales surrounding the blue lake which we are crossing. It could be Switzerland, the Italian Alps or even a bright summer’s day in the Lake District.

When we’ve disembarked we set off through astoundingly beautiful countryside in another minibus, climbing up winding, pothole-strewn roads and bumpy dirt tracks to ascend the mountain range that runs down the spine of Costa Rica, as part of the tectonic Continental Divide. Crossing the peaks we move from the eastern Caribbean side of the country, to the western Pacific side. 

After a couple of hours driving we reach the mountain town of Santa Elena with views of the Pacific and across blue waters to the Nicoya Peninsula. It’s a cute place, obviously catering to the thriving tourist industry of Monteverde, and like La Fortuna it’s full of hotels and hostels, adventure tours and restaurants. We check into the basic Hotel Los Jardines on the edges of the town where Coman and I get assigned a little cabin room, before walking down the hill back into the centre of Santa Elena for a delicious Mexican lunch at Taco Taco. 

Once we’re all fed we drive high into the Monteverde mountains, up into the Cloud Forest that covers the area. It’s a different kind of vegetation here and distinct once more from the tropical rainforest of the Caribbean coast and the more temperate forests of the northern highlands. 

Jonathan leads us on a walk in the National Park where coatis run down pathways besides us, while howler monkeys swing from tree to tree. We’re supposed to gaze in awe at the waterfall but it’s somewhat lacklustre compared to the others we’ve seen. However there’s an abundance of beautiful hummingbirds fluttering around in the cafe just outside the park, lured by the sweet fruit treats left in plastic hangers to entice them to hover for the tourist lenses. 

Back at our hotel we wander with Nicole, Jennifer and Tracy up to the mirador for its spectacular sunset views, supping on over-priced cava in plastic cups from the local supermarket. As we toast the dying embers of the sun we realise that it’s Valentine’s Day so raise yet another toast to love, and thank our lucky stars that we are able to grab a table at the nearby pizza restaurant Don Luis, when most other places are fully booked. 

Pizza Don Luis turns out to be a real gem, serving great food and excellent red wine, ensuring we have a magnificent evening full of uproarious laughter and scandalous gossip. But back at Hotel Los Jardines we find our room to be full of bugs and winged critters that we have to capture and evict, whilst the blue cheese in the vegetarian pizza gives us crazy dreams that ensure we awaken both disorientated and rather exhausted. 

Fortunately everyone else in our group is heading out for zip-lining adventures this morning, which due to Coman’s vertigo we’ve decided to skip, so we have another much needed morning to ourselves. There’s a little bakery called Taty’s nearby so we have a relaxed breakfast there and walk further along the road to Catarata Los Murciélagos, which we had spotted a sign for yesterday whilst driving back from Monteverde National Park. 

At the entrance to the waterfall there’s a small ticket booth and the lady managing it is called Dulcie Wilson. We had bumped into her last night in a supermarket and chatted to her about the local coffees that we were buying, so she’s delighted to see us again. She tells us that unlike many of the settlers in this area who were traditionally Quakers, her parents were Seventh Day Adventists who moved down to Costa Rica from Virginia, and several generations before that she is descended from pirates.

She used to be a science teacher but left mainstream education because she started questioning “the narrative” of evolution and man-made climate change and has had her mind expanded during Covid from videos she’s found on YouTube. Yep, she’s gone down the conspiracy rabbit-hole. 

However, she loves to volunteer here and works closely with the owner of the land, an eminent expert in bats called Richard Lavelle. He has been protecting and observing bat species for decades and the ones who live behind the tree roots around this waterfall display unique behaviours not found elsewhere. This is why has has also founded the Bat Jungle Experience which is signposted over the road.

We elect not to visit that particular attraction but instead venture down into the beautiful valley below us and walk to the dramatic Catarata Los Murciélagos, or ‘Bat Waterfall’. There’s hardly anyone else here and our walk is abundant with tranquility and nature, a real balm for the soul, and we spend a wonderfully peaceful hour exploring the canyon. 

Further along the road from the waterfall entrance is the Coffee Monteverde Experience, where we taste the different coffees from the region, fortifying ourselves for the long walk back to the centre of Santa Elena. Nicole tells us that she is at a restaurant called Open Kitchen, having brunch as there was no time for breakfast before the zip-lining so we meet her there, making good use of their vegan menu for lunch. Not long after we’ve returned to the hotel it’s time for an afternoon adventure. 

A local bus arrives to transport us to Selvatura Park, which lies even further into the cloud forest than yesterday. We’re here to walk the Hanging Bridges, which are fourteen vast constructions that take us through the forest canopy, spanning deep river canyons as we go. Fortunately they’re sturdy affairs and reassuringly solid so any fear of heights or vertigo is overcome and the views of the treetops are wonderful.

The cloud forest is very accurately named though, as we are completely in a cloud with perpetual mist and constant dripping sounds as we walk through the forest. Moss and ferns cover the ground and branches and everywhere we look is a multitude of green, different shades that stretch into the distance. 

It’s a pretty extensive hike to make it to the end so by the time we get back to the hotel hardly anyone has the energy left to walk into the town for dinner, meaning most of us eat in the dining room of the hotel. They’re obviously not used to having a large group all dine together and the food takes forever to arrive. When it comes, the rudimentary vegetable pasta is lukewarm and perfunctory. Feeling exhausted we can’t be bothered to complain, retiring to our room for a restless night’s sleep due to howling winds outside.