Sights in Interamericana Norte
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Reserva Biológica Bosque Nuboso Monteverde
This beautiful reserve came into being in 1972, when the Quaker community, spurred on by the threat of encroaching squatters, joined forces with environmental and wildlife organizations to purchase and protect an extra 328 hectares (811 acres) of land. This fragile enviroment relies almost entirely on public donations to survive. Today, the reserve totals 10,500 hectares (25,946 acres).
Visitors should note that some of the walking trails are very muddy, and even during the dry season (late December to early May) the cloud forest is wet. Many trails have been stabilized with concrete blocks or wooden boards and are easy to walk on, though unpaved trails deeper in the rese…
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El Jardín de las Mariposas
One of the most interesting activities is visiting the butterfly garden. Admission entitles you to a naturalist-led tour (in Spanish or English) that begins with an enlightening discussion of butterfly life cycles and the butterfly’s importance in nature. A variety of eggs, caterpillars, pupae and adults are examined. Visitors are taken into the greenhouses, where the butterflies are raised, and on into the screened garden, where hundreds of butterflies of many species are seen. The tour lasts about an hour, after which you are free to stay as long as you wish. There’s also a theater that presents an informational video in English, Spanish, French, Dutch or German. It’s b…
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Reserva Santa Elena
Though Monteverde Reserve gets all the attention, this exquisitely misty entry, at a comparably small 310 hectares (766 acres), has plenty to recommend it. While the Monteverde Reserve attracts almost 200,000 visitors annually, Santa Elena sees fewer than 20,000. It's also a bit cheaper and much less developed, plus your entry fee is helping support another unique project.
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Parque Nacional Rincón de la Vieja
Active Volcán Rincón de la Vieja (1895m/6217ft) is the steamy main attraction here, but the region bubbles with fumaroles, tepid springs and steaming, flatulent mud pits. (If this doesn't sound like fun, you've never read Dr Seuss). All these can be visited on well-maintained but sometimes steep trails, and if you haven't visited Yellowstone National Park, this is a good substitute.
The park is home to 300 bird species as well as morpho butterflies, tapirs, monkeys and pumas. Watch out for ticks, especially in grassy areas, and wear closed shoes and trousers. About 700m (2296ft) west of Las Pailas ranger station, the Sendero Cangreja leads 5km (3mi) to Catarata La Cangr…
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Bat Jungle
Learn about echolocation, bat-wing aerodynamics and other amazing facts about the (incredibly cute) flying mammal, the bat. The stellar Bat Jungle, a labor of love realized by biologist Richard Laval, has terrific exhibits including a free-flying bat habitat, beautiful sculptures and a lot of bilingual educational displays. The Bat Jungle makes up part of the new Paseo de Stella visitors center, a modern hacienda-style building that also houses a cafe specializing in Argentine chocolate, a museum of Monteverde history and an art gallery. The wide terrace of the building is a wonderful spot to stop for coffee and a handmade truffle.
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Ecomuseo de las Minas de Abangares
OK, so the terms ‘eco’ and ‘mining’ don’t exactly go together like bees and honey to us either, but it’s still worth visiting the small Ecomuseo de las Minas de Abangares, which has a few photographs and models depicting the old mining practices of the area. In the grounds outside the museum are a picnic area and children’s play area, and there’s a good system of trails that pass by old mining artifacts, such as bits of railway. There’s also good bird-watching (and iguana-ing) along the trails, and monkeys are occasionally sighted.
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Iglesia Inmaculada Concepción de María
The pleasant Parque Central frames a modern church, Iglesia Inmaculada Concepción de María. The park is also the seasonal hangout of the Nicaraguan grackle, a tone-deaf bird that enjoys eating parrot eggs and annoying passers-by with its grating calls.
If this iglesia doesn't cut it for religious splendor, walk six blocks northeast of the park along Avenida Central where you'll find the oldest church in town, popularly called La Agonía (though maps show it as La Iglesia de la Ermita de la Resurección).
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Jardín de Orquídeas
This sweet-smelling garden has shady trails winding past more than 400 types of orchid organized into taxonomic groups. Guided tours in Spanish and English are included with admission, on which you’ll see such rarities as Plztystele jungermannioides, the world’s smallest orchid, and several others marked for conservation by the Monteverde Orchid Investigation Project. And if you have orchids at home, you might also learn some tips and tricks for organic care.
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Ranario
Monteverde’s cloud forest provides a heavenly habitat for amphibians, which, if you’re lucky, you’ll see in the park. But at the Ranario about 30 species of Costa Rica’s colorful array of frogs and toads reside in transparent enclosures lining the winding indoor-jungle paths. Sharp-eyed guides lead informative tours in English or Spanish, pointing out frogs, eggs and tadpoles with flashlights. You’ll get to see the brilliantly fake-looking red-eyed tree frog, the glass frog and a variety of poison-dart frogs. If you’re lucky, your guide may also imitate frog calls, or give you the lowdown on local folklore (tips are always appreciated). Many resident amphibians are more a…
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Serpentario
Biologist Fernando Valverde has collected about 40 species of snake, plus a fair number of frogs, lizards, turtles and other cold-blooded critters. Sometimes it’s tough to find the slithering stars of the show in their comfy, foliage-filled cages, but guides are available in Spanish or English for free tours. The venomous snake displays are awesome, and you’ll get to see your first (and hopefully last) fer-de-lance.
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Las Pumas
Directly behind the office of Safaris Corobicí is Las Pumas, a wild-animalshelter started in the 1960s by the late Lilly Hagnauer, a Swiss environmentalist. It’s the largest shelter of its kind in Latin America, housing big cats including pumas, jaguars, ocelots, jaguarundis and margays – plus a few deer, fox, monkeys, peccaries, toucans, parakeets and other birds that were either orphaned or injured.
This is a labor of love. The shelter does not receive any government funding and relies on visitor admission and donations to survive. Volunteers are always welcomed, but you must make arrangements beforehand. The shelter is still operated by the Swiss Family Hagnauer, …
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Valle Escondido
Valle Escondido (Hidden Valley Trail) begins behind the Pensión Monteverde Inn and slowly winds its way through a deep canyon into an 11- hectare (27-acre) reserve. In comparison with the more popular reserves, Valle Escondido is quiet during the day and relatively under-touristed, so it's a good trail for wildlife watching. The two-hour guided night tour is very popular, so make your reservations in advance.
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Playa del Coco
Playa del Coco is the most easily accessible of the peninsula's beaches. Its name is actually derived from the cocoa-colored sand that lies between its two rocky headlands, though it can appear a bit dirty at times, especially with the detritus of all the beachside bars. On weekends, the town is consumed with a small-time beach-party atmosphere; during the week, it's fairly quiet.
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Statue
In the meantime, a statue of a steely-eyed sabanero, complete with an evocative poem by Rodolfo Salazar Solórzano, stands watch over Av 25 de Julio, the main street into town. The blocks around the intersection of Av Central and Calle Central contain several of the town's oldest houses, many dating back about 150 years.
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Las Minas de Montes de Oro
In town you can visit Las Minas de Montes de Oro, an old, abandoned gold mine that dates back to 1815. The tour is coupled with horseback riding and a guided hike to a waterfall. The mine is administered by Finca Daniel Adventure Park, which has the usual assortment of pricey tours.
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Reserva Biológica Alberto Manuel Brenes
In the small town of Zapotal, 18km northeast of Miramar, is the Reserva Biológica Alberto Manuel Brenes, a cloud-forest reserve administrated by the University of Costa Rica. The park is famous among bird-watchers for its quetzal population, and travelers usually arrive here on a private tour.
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Municipal Museum
The tourist office has a tiny museum of local ranching artifacts - cattle-raising is a historically important occupation in Guanacaste. There has also been talk of reopening a museum of sabanero culture in La Gobernación, the old municipal building at the corner of Av Central and Calle Central.
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Mundo de los Insectos
The World of Insects goes beyond just butterflies with its collection of creepy cloud-forest crawlies, from hermaphroditic walking sticks to notoriously venomous banana spiders. During our recent visit, the museum was changing management and undergoing a much-needed remodeling.
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Africa Mía
About 9km south of Liberia is a private wildlife reserve with free-roaming elephants, zebras, giraffes, ostriches and other animals. Splurge for the deluxe African Safari Wildlife Tourin an open-top Hummer with a stop at a waterfall.
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La Agonía
Walking six blocks northeast of the park along Av Central brings you to the oldest church in town, popularly called La Agonía (although maps show it as La Iglesia de la Ermita de la Resurección). Strolling to La Agonía and around the surrounding blocks makes a fine walk.
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Don Juan Coffee Tour
Book this two-hour tour at their downtown shop near the SuperCompro.
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Old City Jail
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Museum of Archaeology
A new museum featuring the collection of ex-president Daniel Oduber is scheduled to open in late 2010. The museum will be located in the old city jail, a castle-like building worth a look.
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Friends Meeting House
The Quakers (or more correctly, the Society of Friends) who settled in Monteverde played a direct role in preserving the cloud forest, and they remain extremely active in the local community, though they’re not recognizable by any traditional costume. Quakerism began as a breakaway movement from the Anglican Church in the 1650s, founded by the young George Fox, who in his early 20s heard the voice of Christ, and claimed that direct experience with God was possible without having to go through the sacraments. Today, this belief is commonly described by Quakers as the ‘God in everyone,’ and the community continues to lead a peaceful lifestyle in the Monteverde area.
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