Santa Elena (Costa Rica) do · Santa Elena (Costa Rica) activities: What to do in Santa Elena (Costa Rica)
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Santa Elena (Costa Rica) activities: What to do in Santa Elena (Costa Rica)
Santa Elena (Costa Rica) activities: What to do in Santa Elena (Costa Rica)
A tour operator in Santa Elena described as a "giant amusement park" which is not far from the mark. There are many touristy things to do, like zip lines canopy tours, ATV or horseback riding, and many flora and fauna exhibits. As far as touristy towns go, however, Santa Elena feels different, as the activities are all centered around enjoying the natural beauty and diversity of the region, and there generally seems to be a good deal of respect for the environment, due in part to the presence of nearby eco-tourism and sustainability universities.
The main attraction in Santa Elena is of course the cloud forest. You have two basic options here: the Monteverde cloud forest (the classic) and the Santa Elena cloud forest. There are very similar in terms of what you will see and experience, but Santa Elena is cheaper. Monteverde is about $17 to enter per person (about $9 for students), and $17 per person for a guided tour. The guided tours are strongly promoted by the parks, to the extent that they seem to have removed signs describing trees and wildlife to make a guide all the more necessary. That said, the guides really do know what they are doing and talking about. They are adept at spotting wildlife and identifying plants and trees, and discussing the ecosystem, and they will get you close-up views with their telescopes (and even snap pictures for you through the telescope).
In the cloud forests, you will have a decent chance of seeing any of the following, in addition to a wide variety of trees (including the spectacular parasitic fig trees), plants, and fungi.
Quetzals, the national bird of costa rica
White-faced capuchin monkeys
Howler monkeys
Orange-kneed tarantulas
Any of 8-9 species of hummingbird
Sloth
Puma do inhabit the forest, but the most you will see are prints
You may also be treated to the far-off howling sound of Wolf Guindon, celebrated conservationist after whom several things in Monteverde are named.
Admission to the parks is good for a full day. Tours generally start early (around 7:30AM) and run for about 3 hours, so you'll be able to do some walking around by yourself after the tour. At Monteverde, you will also be able to enjoy a coffee or espresso (made with locally-produced beans) and sandwich next to the Hummingbird garden.
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Santa Elena (Costa Rica) Travel Guide from Wikitravel. Many thanks to all Wikitravel contributors. Text is available under Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 3.0, images are available under various licenses, see each image for details.