Service Learning in the Cloud Forest

We have enjoyed two days packed with adventures. Let's start with Monday. We had a chance to sleep in a bit and eat a delicious buffet breakfast before boarding the bus for a 3.5 hour drive to Monteverde. We stopped at a restaurant that was decorated with beautiful paintings and murals and enjoyed pizza for lunch. We have been eating and eating and eating so far!

Then it was time to head to the reserve. The Monteverde Cloud Forest is a self-sustaining, non-profit that relies on visitors who pay to come visit and volunteers who help maintain the trails, which is just what we did. We helped clear 3/4ths of a mile of trail from leaf litter. It is important that they keep the sides of the paths clear because when it rains the water needs to run off the path to maintain the trails. The work we did in 1 hour was equivalent to what 2 workers could do in a week. Go Team!

Keira and Liz lead the way 

Our reward...a beautiful waterfall!

Within the reserve is a hummingbird sanctuary. We couldn't take our eyes of these amazing fliers who were coming to feast on the feeders hung around the building. We snapped so many pictures you will have to wait to see more when we get home.

 We arrived at our home for the evening, El Establo Hotel, which was built up the mountain. This provided incredible views and on clear days you can see the ocean! We had a chance to enjoy the surroundings for a bit before heading to the Snake Garden and Frog Pond. We learned many new facts about the indigenous snakes, frogs, and toads, including how to distinguish venomous snakes and poisonous frogs. These amazing creatures come in many sizes and colors! 

Ready to see Las Ranas...frogs!