We woke up early for our tour of the Monte Verde Reserve. Its famous for its cloud forest which are one of the rarest types of rainforest in the world. Cloud forests were given their name because when you look up you can see a thin veil of clouds just below the canopy. The clouds then dissipate and drip down the leaves onto the forest floor below watering the entire ecosystem. It's also known for its Quetzals which frequent these areas.
Once we arrived at the entrance to the reserve we met our guide at the front gate. Right off the bat we saw two Orange bellied Trogons high up in the tree tops. We started our hike and headed into the thicker parts of the jungle with the mist settling in the farther we walked. There were vines and strangler figs wrapped around all the trees and Spanish moss flowing down off the branches. Strangler figs grow off of trees winding up and around the trunk stealing its nutrients and sunlight which eventually kills the tree hence the name Strangler Fig. They also shoot down aerial roots off the branches of the host tree and down to the forest floor. Once these roots reach the ground they plant themselves in the soil by branching out and then grow into its own tree which creates a sort of a messy network of strangler figs.
As we walked we admiring the serenity and ancient grandeur of the jungle. We could hear the streams and rivers and the calls of a Three Wattled Bell Bird. Their calls can be heard for miles and they usually stay way up high in the trees so sadly we couldn't see any of them.
It isn't easy to find quetzals and the guides talked whenever they came across one another but no one had seen or heard one. We continued to search and get deeper into the forest. Then we turned the corner and our guide spotted three Resplendent Quetzals, one male and two females high up in the canopy. The male was beautiful. It had emerald crown feathers, a bright red belly and long tail feathers that billowed like the end of a cape.
The females had less flashy colours compared to the male but they were also spectacular. They fluttered about from branch to branch but the male stayed put in his spot. Soon though all three of them jumped off their perches and flew farther into the canopy and out of sight. We kept going along the trail grateful to have seen such a wonderful and elusive bird.
Before long we came across our first suspension bridge. As we crossed I looked down into the nothingness of trees and vines stretching down hundreds of feet. It was so far down I could barely see the bottom. I hadn't realized how far up we really were until that point. It was a little shocking but also breathtaking.
After crossing the suspension bridge we were almost at the end of the hike. The trail looped all the way back to the main entrance and we were right where we started that morning. We thanked our guide for such a great tour and headed back to the hotel.
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