“Sustainability in Monteverde is a state of mind, a way of relating with the environment embedded in the code of the people who have lived here since they were babies. It perfectly matches Costa Rica's aim to be a carbon-free country and the generalized national idea that all industries must be sustainable.”

The wind is blowing; in the afternoons, the forest looks more beautiful than ever, shining in its splendor while the drizzle makes everything shine. In its windy season,  Monteverde announces a time for gratitude and the start of a season dedicated to family and community. 

If you’re on this page, chances are you’ve done a google search of Costa Rica. Were you surprised to see all the information about eco-tourism and sustainability pop up? You shouldn’t be. 

Conservation, Tourism, and The Future of Monteverde. Last week on our blog A History of Monteverde Part 1 we discussed the founding of Monteverde, drawing from Costa Rica’s incredible natural origins, to the origins of the nation, and finally to the founding of this small settlement grounded in the values of peace, education, and conservation.

The Founding of Monteverde. I live in paradise. It is truly heavenly in more ways than I can count. Monteverde is not only breathtakingly beautiful and strategically adapted for people to see it in all its splendor, but it is also a sustainable and supportive society. Here I feel incredibly safe. The community sense is powerful, and although I thoroughly enjoy my solitude, I am never truly alone.  

Monteverde Chocolate Tours. About two years ago, some dear friends from the U.S. came to visit us in our new home. We really enjoyed playing tourist with them and taking them to see some of the beauty that surrounds us here in Monteverde.

Every single morning a tap on the window wakes me up. Tap, tap, tap... Tap, tap, tap.  A Social Flycatcher (Myiozetetes similis) discovered that there are (probably) dozens of tiny mosquitoes around the windows of my bedroom. 

When my husband and I decided to visit Costa Rica, I was a little worried. Not about safety (Costa Rica is the safest of the Central American Countries), or about the strangeness of a new home...but about the food.

As a naturalist tour guide in Costa Rica and as the nomad I am, I've lived in several different places in and out of my country. There is nothing like Monteverde. It is as simple as that. At least not for me.