Monteverde Things to Do Tips by frank_delargy

Animals in the trees

When you are up near the canopy, you may see animals. You WILL see lots of vegetation. I heard somewhere that about 50% of the biomass is supposedly in the air plants alone!
I think that because the zipline areas have more people (tourists) you are less likely to see larger animals. While in the country you will definitely see monkeys if you do any kind of walking outside of the cities.

Tarzan swing

About halfway through the zip lines we got a chance to swing on a wire that was suspended from the top of a very tall tree out over a small valley. Basically a giant tarzan swing.
The idea was to make sure you made it back!
It was very enjoyable, but for some was even more scary than the zip lines themselves.

Hummingbird garden at the end of the Zipline

Many of the zipline companies also offer other attractions like canopy bridges, butterfly gardens and hummingbird gardens. On the one that we choose (Selvatura) you walked through a hummingbird area at the end of the Ziplines.
This was a very nice way to 'come down' after zipping through the treetops and across the valleys.

Address: Santa Elena, MonteVerde, Costa Rica

Directions: Follow the interamerican highway from San José going to Liberia, turn right before Rio Lagartos and head through the rocky road for about 35 kilometers. You will get to Santa Elena Town. You may find main offices across from the Catholic Church.

Other Contact: Email: info@selvatura.com

Website: http://www.selvatura.com

Ziplines - 2.

In this tip I wanted to show a close-up of how your are suspended from the wires and the equipment that is used.
IN the picture you will see how you are suspended by a pulley wheel and an attached piece of nylon. There is an additional separate piece of nylon as a safety.
In this configuration, you use the glove to pull down on the wire to slow down. But beware, don't slow down too much or you will end up stuck in the middle. It is a balance between too fast and too slow.

Address: Santa Elena, MonteVerde, Costa Rica

Directions: Follow the interamerican highway from San José going to Liberia, turn right before Rio Lagartos and head through the rocky road for about 35 kilometers. You will get to Santa Elena Town. You may find main offices across from the Catholic Church

Other Contact: Email: info@selvatura.com

Website: http://www.selvatura.com

Ziplines - 1.

Imagine almost flying across wide and deep valleys along wire where you are suspended by a thin strip of nylon and a roller. Imagine doing this for about 2 miles.. Well that's what you get for your money and it is something that I would do again in a heartbeat.
It is truly a MUST DO activity.
You pays your money.. join a group of 20 or so other crazy people, attach a small nylon strap to your body, drive to a higher place, climb up a tall tree, attach you tiny strap to a steel wire and then coast down these wires (zip lines) for about 2 miles, from treetop to treetop, crossing over valleys hundreds of feet above the very tall trees in the process.
Awesome..
If it was just a walk through the treetops it would be great, but the added thrill of almost flying across valleys is incredible. There are many companies that provide this service. I only used one (Selvatura), which I do recommend. They also have a great hummingbird 'garden' at the end of the trip.

Address: Santa Elena, MonteVerde, Costa Rica

Directions: Follow the interamerican highway from San José going to Liberia, turn right before Rio Lagartos and head through the rocky road for about 35 kilometers. You will get to Santa Elena Town. You may find main offices across from the Catholic Church.

Website: http://www.selvatura.com