Butterfly garden and a view above the clouds

                                 

My last full day in Monteverde was kind of relaxed, with minimal planning, but knowing what I know now, I think I would have planned a little more (more on that later). My morning started with a visit to the Monteverde Butterfly Gardens or as we say in Spanish, Jardin de Mariposas. I was there right at opening at 9:00 am; my entrance fee had been paid in advance by the tour company. I sat and waited for more people to join and for the introduction to Costa Rican bugs and insects to begin. Our guide was a student from Germany and he was very good and engaging, especially with the kids in the group. After about 20 minutes or so, we went into see the butterflies. 

Who doesn't like butterflies? The varieties that they have in the gardens are amazing. They have different species and they're separated into different rooms. You can get as close as the butterflies will let you, they might even land on you. 

I think the whole tour was maybe about 60-90 minutes. I would recommend it as a break between hiking adventures. It's a good stop for families or anyone who likes to look at pretty butterflies. 

After the Butterfly Garden, my day was pretty unstructured, and this is really the one regret I have, because I didn't know any better and I guess, I didn't really think about this until too late. Upon returning to the Lodge, I read a little, walked the trails a bit, and then walked into town. I wasn't sure what I was looking for exactly, there are a lot of little shops, cafes, tour guide locations. Then I saw a sign for the sky tram. Well, that sounded like a plan. 

I walked back to the Lodge, a little slower because it was up hill, but with intention. I asked the concierge if they could help me get to the sky tram. Indeed they could; they called and booked me in and the shuttle came for me about 15 minutes later; timing is everything, because had I dawdled, I would have missed the last outgoing shuttle. On the way, we picked up a family. Ugh, can't people just be silent? Blah blah blah the whole way, and in the line to get our tickets. 

At Sky Adventures they have ziplining, hanging bridges and the Sky Tram. Before you ask, no, I did not go ziplining. Not because I'm necessarily scared, heights don't bother me, but I have a thing about doing risky activities on my own (as in, nobody traveling with me). That may be the one downside to traveling solo. I do wish I had investigated the hanging bridges more, and if I had planned differently, I would have made that the majority of my daytime plans. But, I did take the Sky Tram and had a great guide (I am so pissed I cannot remember his name, and I cannot find it if I wrote down). The views were amazing and I'm glad I was able to do it. Next time - hanging bridges and ziplining. 

On the return shuttle I avoided the loud family and met a nice couple from Winnipeg, Canada, and we had a nice chat about traveling and what they had done in Costa Rica. All in all, a great day with some lessons learned for my next visit.

Buenas tardes Senor Frog