On New Year’s Day we drive to the private reservation Monteverde. Here, reservation is a must. Because the plants and animals have to be protected, a maximum of 120 visitors is let in the park simultaneous. This is absolutely necessary, because around 1000 quetzals are living in the reservation, which are probably the most colourful birds of the Central American tropics. Only because of them thousands of visitors are coming to Monteverde each year. To find them is although not easy, because they stay mostly in the treetops of wild avocado-trees (a kind of fig).
Actually is the rule deemed to be: the kind of animals that come out non-protected in the daytime have to be left alone. For example the centipede, which has been found by Annette on her search for poison arrow- frogs, is toxic all over his body. Just as well you’re no allowed biting into some holes without wanting to get to know some tarantulas. Because of that, before starting the circuit, our guide showed us one of these spiders that are living next to the hummingbird-garden.
The private reservation Monteverde itself resides on the high above circa 900 to 1.600 meters and takes the largeness of 3 600 hectare. Because of the continental water divide, that passes thought the reservation, sudden changes in the weather pattern are normal in daily life. For instance we arrived in the park during bright sunshine in order to walk some minutes later below a covered sky. So some good rainwear and shoes are the second must-have.
