Imagine waking up on a warm crispy morning on the north side of the beautiful country of Costa Rica. There’s an early breakfast before heading out on one of the greatest experiences of your life.

You get on the shuttle and feel the bumpy roads of Costa Rica named by the locals, “Costa Rica’s Massage”. While you are on your commute you feel the level of altitude start to climb the charts and you know you are not in Kansas anymore. 

Reaching the gates of the eye-gazing cloud forest, you can see the colorful macaws zip through the canopies faster than the zipliners going at tremendous speeds. Walking over the crunchy leaves and gravel, you can smell the aroma of the tropical flowers from miles away. Walking through the clouds is like a raindrop slipping through a leaf of the large canopy.

This is the unofficial 8^thwonder of the world that has been underestimated for a long time. With 2,500 species of plants and over 400 types of birds in its domain, Monteverde is a sight that should be on everyone’s bucket list. The nature guides onsite give you the opportunity to hike down the forest trails as your camera captures animals from sloths to red-eyed leaf frogs to even the howling monkeys. You can also peek over the canopy on a 500-ft-high suspension bridge or walk through the thick vegetated canyons down below. If you are still not satisfied, there is a sky tram that will definitely make you hold on to your boots and make you shutter happy. 

There are options, too, in case you just want to take a walk and relax throughout the day and enjoy the nature that surrounds you. Touring the Selvatura Butterfly Garden and Insect Museum and Monteverde Orchid Garden are just other examples of experiences not to miss. The staff at the Monteverde Forest are overly friendly and welcoming, and ensure their visitors leave filled with life-lasting memories and a ton of pictures to show their friends at home! Monteverde is a must-visit on your next vacation as is the beautiful country of Costa Rica. Remember to bring your friends, bug spray, a lot of empty space on your phone for pictures, a portable power bank and a hunger for adventure.

Pura Vida or Pure Life as the Costa Ricans say!