Feb. 11th Day 5 Costa Rica Blog From Wetlands to Mountains
Today we left the low altitude wetlands and the Cano Negro Wildlife Refuge area (close to the Nicargua border) and headed south. Our long journey today would take us upwards into the mountains of Costa Rica.
This was basically a travel day but it still provided us with a window on the diversity of Costa Rica’s environment. Our elevation would increase from about 100 feet above sea level to just under 6,000 feet at the Monteverde Lodge.
Our lunch was at a traditional road-side restaurant, with plenty of locals and travelers in for quick meal on their journeys.
The journey was scenic and a relaxing trip until the final stretch of gravel road into the town. Our driver Javier did a masterful job of the steep winding road along the edge of the mountains.
The Pacific Ocean became visible in the distance and we made a “photo stop” high up the mountain road and were met with a hat-snatching gale of wind!
Our reward from the journey was soon realized as we checked-into our hotel with a sunset just warming up in front of us. Some great evening shots, followed by a delicious dinner at the family run Mar & Tia Restaurant set the tone for our stay in the Cloud Forest region around Monteverde