THE MISTY MOUNTAINS

Only 20 km away from the bustling shopping oasis of San Isidro, nestled in the Talamanca mountain range, lays the Cloudbridge Reserve. It extends up to 2600m along the foot of the Chirripo, the highest mountain in Costa Rica

Misty Mountains

Here, you can escape from everyday life and immerse yourself in a mystical world in this unique part of Costa Rica.

In 2002, Ian Giddy and his wife Genevieve founded the Cloudbridge Reserve. They bought about 60 hectares of a cattle farm where, to date, over 50 000 trees have been planted to preserve a special kind of rainforest - the cloud forest.

With air humidity of 100% and a temperature that is pleasantly cool due to the altitude, a cloud forest is a paradise for many trees, plants, but also about 400 animal species, including 15 species that are on the red list. With a little luck, you can spot all six cat species, including jaguar, panther, and ocelot.

Only a short walk from Welcome Center, we come across an impressive waterfall, which reminds us of the train of a wedding dress - the Pacific Catarata. A clear, turquoise blue natural pool invites us to a quick dip in the refreshing water.

Beneath us, there is nothing but forest, which climbs up the mountains on steep slopes.
We continue to walk through the mystical cloud forest, along the Chirripo River, over astonishingly big roots and past still tall mosscovered trees with lianas hanging down from them,inviting us to swing along with them. With a glance at the watch, we must make our way back. One thing is for sure, this was just the beginning of our Cloudbridge exploration tour.

Next time, we want to dare the five hour hike to the top of Don Victor ́s Valley.