Monteverde y Costa Atlántica – Days 7, 8, and 9
July 12, 2021
DAY 7 – Butterfly Garden
¡Hola from Tessa! After a quarantine, we were finally able to leave our hotel and go on excursions around Monteverde. Our first of many excursions was a butterfly garden that was a quick 15-minute walk from our hotel. Once we got there, we all sat on benches as the guides went around and showed us cool insects from around the area. We saw rhinoceros beetles, stick bugs, scorpions, tarantulas, and cockroaches! Then we got split into two different groups and began to walk through the garden with our guides. We all looked at the many vibrant butterflies with absolute awe and our guide told us their many adaptations and ways of defending themselves from their predators. There were big blue butterflies, smaller pink ones, multicolored ones, and even transparent ones! We not only saw butterflies, but also an incredible variety of different trees and flowers that blew us all away. This trip was just the beginning of our adventures around Costa Rica, but it was one to remember.
DAY 8 – Ziplining
¡Hola from Stella! On Day 8, everyone got rushed into two vans and we headed off to Selvatura Park. We put on harnesses and helmets and took photos (that nobody bought). We got bussed up to the entrance and excitedly ran off into the jungle. There was a demonstration on how to brake and get ready to stop. For many of us, including myself, it was our first time ziplining, and the first one was a little nerve-racking. We had to walk up a set of stairs and then got sent off to the next platform. After the first few, ziplining got much easier, and I began to enjoy it and started to take in what was really happening. I was flying through a jungle in Costa Rica. That is a thought I will never get over. It was so cool to fly over the top of trees and see the clouds and mountains around me. It was definitely an experience I will never forget.
DAY 9 – Finca Life Monteverde
¡Hola from Trey! We learned so much from going to the Finca Life coffee farm. From the different ways they compost, to learning how they use biodiversity to protect the coffee trees, it was a packed day. To protect the coffee from fungi, they use a natural pesticide from sulfate and calcium. They plant other tree species, like bananas to shield the coffee trees from the wind. To end the day off, we tasted and bought some coffee.
