Costa Rica > A Quetzal in the treetops

I’m starting to get used to life in Costa Rica beginning at six in the morning. The sun is already up by then, and in the early hours the chances of dry weather are higher. Today, I wake up even earlier. I take a shower and get dressed. After breakfast at the hotel, I head to the Monteverde cloud forest. Roy welcomes me as my guide. He conducts the tours together with his brothers. As soon as I enter the park, I see spider monkeys in the trees. They are high up. Roy quickly sets up his binoculars on a tripod and zooms in on the monkeys.

Costa Rica - Birdwatching in the trees in Monteverde

Through the binoculars, I see a mother with two little ones. Roy helps me take a photo through the binoculars—a fun effect. Christian, Roy’s brother, calls out that he has spotted a quetzal. This colorful bird is perched in the treetops. Roy adjusts his binoculars again, and I just manage to see the bird on a branch. Others are less lucky as it flies away. Later, I have more luck, seeing several quetzals, although they remain safely high. Roy is very enthusiastic and makes a real effort to spot the animals. At the top of a tree sits a bellbird. Once everyone has taken a photo, I follow Roy as we try to track a toucan by its call. Unfortunately, the bird doesn’t show itself. Roy talks at length about the trees, shrubs, and fruits, letting us smell different fruits at various points. Suddenly, we spot a kinkajou in the treetops. The animal, carrying a baby in its mouth, crosses the path above me. On the ground, a coati searches for food. At the hummingbird garden, I try to capture the tiny birds in photos—they are so fast.

Costa Rica - A venomous palm pitviper snake in Monteverde

The butterflies are even harder to photograph. After three hours, I return to the starting point and say goodbye to Roy. Tonight, there will be an evening walk in this area, led by Christian. I walk a little back toward Monteverde and stop at a café to order a drink and a piece of cake. As if on cue, it starts raining outside. Sheets of rain pour down from the sky. How lucky that this downpour didn’t occur during the walk. I wait a while for it to stop, but in vain—it keeps raining. As an alternative, I take a taxi back to my hotel. My plan to walk around Santa Elena later in the afternoon is abandoned because of the rain. Living in this area, where it rains almost every day, seems less appealing. I retreat to my hotel room. Around 4:30 p.m., I notice that the rain has stopped hitting the roof. This seems like a chance for the evening walk. Unfortunately, it doesn’t stay dry for more than half an hour. With the rain, there’s no point in venturing into the forest. Instead, I decide to eat a little earlier. Outside, it’s still raining as I arrive at the restaurant.