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Tres Amigos
After our visit to the reserve we head to " La Junta "
To travel the 32 km it takes us more than 2.5 hours on a steep unpaved and heavily damaged road. Terrible experience.
We settle in a finca with breathtaking views. We are warmly welcomed by "Alberto" and his wife " Vera ".
We will stay 4 days to clean our camper filled with dust from chests to cupboards !!!
Every day in the early morning, the birds come to wake us to the sound of their songs.
We see toucans, geais and " motmots ".
Santa Elena/ Monteverde
We get on a real ferry to leave the peninsula.
After a pleasant crossing, we disembark at " Puntarenas " port city without interest but where we change our internet provider.
We head to " Monteverde ".
All the guides warn us about the bad roads to reach this mountain landscape by specifying that a 4x4 is indispensable. We expect the worst.
Well it’s wrong ... the road is tarred all the way up !!! Great ! our road companion will not suffer today.
Known around the world for its cloud forest, the Monteverde Reserve offers alpine pasture landscapes in the heart of the " Cordillera de Tilaran ".
Before discovering this beauty, we visit " Santa Elena " small mountain village starting point of the various attractions. We take information to build our program for the next two days.
We arrive under a superb sun with mountain temperatures : the duvet will be used tonight .
* Sky walk: A private park that offers to explore the canopy (treetops) by hiking for 2 hours.
The weather is nice and we leave early to enjoy it. We cross the forest and go through 6 suspended bridges. The highest is perched at 50 m ... a real thrill ... but what a beauty.
* Reserva Biologica Bosque Nuboso Monteverde: The cloud forest, the vast jewel of this protected area.
This reserve crosses the dividing line of the waters and encompasses 6 distinct habitats of the Pacific in the Caribbean The forest disappears almost permanently under the fog fed by the trade winds. Wildlife is elusive and difficult to see.
We hike more than 2 hours under fog and sun in this very humid environment passing through the viewpoint at the top of the sharing line.
Playa Orongo
It was a short night ... waking up at 6:00.
We decide to leave " Montezuma " immediately before the morning rush.
Our anxiety of the day: we hope not to have any slow vehicle in front of us to climb the hill. (truck or automatic car without power).
Our camper normally climbs this kind of road. However a start up on the steep road is not always easy ... it weighs 3.5 tons.
We made it ... We were the only ones on the road ... at 6 am
.
Before reaching the " Playa Oronga " we stop at the " Refugio National Curu "
This reserve was created on a large hacienda surrounded by hills mainly covered with deciduous rainforest.
We walk the well-marked paths that allow us to see spider monkeys, howler monkeys, agoutis and a deer.
Then we spend the rest of the day on a not very clean beach.
As everywhere in Central America the garbage collection does not exist on towns and the inhabitants leave the garbage on site.
Montezuma
We must leave our friends from Quebec, but we’re sad.
We cross the Nicoya Peninsula on an uneven road network. We drive 24 km on a very damaged track but under repair. Road work everywhere and many obstacles. A drag !
We arrive at " Montezuma ", a seaside resort much appreciated by backpackers for its atmosphere " herbs of provence ".
Small trendy village at the foot of a steep hill where the road leading to it is winding and very steep ... Will the camper be able to climb it back ? The question is chasing us all night !!!
We did not like the atmosphere there, the small crowded beaches and the dirt around.
What are we doing here? It’s on Christian’s advice ... thank you.
ROAD BOOK 090
MAVROS ODYSSEE