Monteverde Costa Rica

A little of history

The history of Monteverde began in the early 1950s, when a group of Quaker families from United States arrived to Costa Rica in search of peace and tranquility. Some members of these families were imprisoned by the American government due to the fact that they didn't want to take part in the Korean War. For that reason they decided to settle in Costa Rica, mainly because of its lack of an army and also because of the nature they found.

However, long time before the arrival of these Quakers, the Monteverde area was already settled by a group of Costa Rican farmers, coming from towns like San Ramon de Alajuela, Esparza and Miramar. Their purpose was to establish farms for subsistence living.
(Source: Canatur)

Monteverde was founded by these American citizens, to establish their own reserve for conservation and protection of water and nature. In the early 1970s, a vast amount of the reserve was donated to the Tropical Scientific Center (CCT), an organization in charge of the investigation and preservation of the land.

Climate

The climate in Monteverde is humid and cloudy, with temperatures ranging from 15 to 22 degrees Celsius.

Demographics

The population of Monteverde has around 1000 Quaker residents that still retain a North American feel in the area. There are also nearly 6500 Costa Rican residents, most of these individuals sold their land to the Quakers and then established the town of Santa Elena.

What to do in Monteverde?

There are several things to do in Monteverde. Some of the main tourist activities are:

• Monteverde Canopy Tour
• Monteverde Coffee Tour
• Guided Tour to Monteverde Reserve
• Visit to the Frog Pond, Butterfly vivarium or the Serpentarium
• Cheese Factory
• See all Monteverde tours

In downtown Santa Elena you can also find banks, pizza parlors, national and international cuisine, supermarkets, internet service, clinics, etc. In terms of attractions you can find serpentariums, insect museums, butterfly gardens, frog ponds, and much much more.
If you want to share a nice moment with your friends or local people at town, you can visit Bar Amigos, the Guarida del Sapo, the Unicornio or the Bormealias souvenir shop, converted sometimes into a bar with live music.

Lodging options in Monteverde

According to your budget or expectations, the surroundings of Monteverde and Santa Elena offer you excellent and varied lodging options. You can find large hotels with all the luxuries, or more economic mountain hotels, nice cabins, houses for rent and apartments.
Some of the hotels in Monteverde have views of the cloud forest, while others have views of the beautiful gulf of Nicoya.

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