Cloud Retreat – Costa Rica

A Wandering Memory has given me the opportunity to meet some incredibly inspiring people. Some of which share my passion for travel, photography, my lust for adventure and some have even opened my eyes to whole new experiences. I am inspired by many of them, the dedication to their art is truly incredible.

One such blogger is the wonderful Thirdeyemom who is currently blogging about her experiences in Africa. As you all know I love Africa and as such, her incredible experiences have caught my imagination.

On our many exchanges she blogged the most incredible photo of her Kilimanjaro camp above the clouds (see blow). It’s so inspiring, and I love photographs like this one.

Image credit : Thirdeyemom – the-clouds-below-shira-camp

There is something magical about clouds, be it their formation, their colour or just their appearance, they can really capture the imagination.

There are a number of Wandering Memories I can think of where we have passed the clouds, the majority being in Ski resorts, but there was another place that sprung to mind – the appropriately named ‘Cloud Forest’ of Monteverde in Costa Rica.

This is a really special place, in the north-west of the country that many tourists miss, as they remain around the wonderful beaches when they visit the incredible beaches. Honestly though I would choose Monteverde over a beach anytime but that’s just me…

We stayed in the nearby town of Santa Elena which gave us access to the forest but also a number of restaurants and food stores. Anyhow the forest of Monteverde is usually covered in cloud being over 1,400 metres above sea level, and is no doubt a nature lovers paradise. The forest can be accessed by numerous routes, but just make sure you don’t stray too far off the beaten track. There are over 13 km of tracks and 6 main routes so you can witness the wilderness. Wildlife includes native animals such as porcupines, muskrats, bats, mice, deer, wild pigs, tapirs and a number of wild cats… unfortunately we saw very few, just a few rustles from the scrub-land. But this didn’t detract from the experience. Having a vivid imagination in a place like this is essential, as honestly you never knew what was around the next corner.

The forest was moist and misty, the ground was smooth to walk on but it felt very authentic, it was how this place should be. A few, man made bridges were necessary to move over large canyons but this didn’t detract from the natural environment. This forest is hundreds of years old, and it really felt like we were visitors to a wealth of natural wonders.

The true Wandering Memory experience was the hummingbird feeding stations, that gave me the opportunity to fulfill a life long dream and photograph a host of these majestic birds. The problem with hummingbirds is that they are insanely quick and even with a good camera in a fast shooting mode capturing an adequate shot of these birds in the wild is almost impossible.

I have to thank Thirdeyemom for the inspiration to blog about this amazing place, but also a whole host of avid bloggers who subscribe, comment and like A Wandering Memory. Its amazing to be part of such a community of like-minded people. I will continue to learn and blog my experiences for all to see.

Thank you all

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