The next part of our journey took us away from the coast for the first time. No longer accompanied by calling Macaws, we climbed up into the central mountains of a country with two impressive coastlines – the Caribbean and the Pacific. They are divided by mountains, and we were int the Talamanca Range, neighbouring CR’s highest mountain – Chorriro! We arrived at the end of the hairy road that took us to Cloudbridge Reserve. Our accommodation was a single cabin, an hours walk uphill. Here we would have no power, no hot water, but a balcony where many hours were spent captivated by hummingbirds.  By the time we arrived to the simple mountain lodge, we were exhausted. It was no exaggeration to describe our climb as near vertical, humid and with the tiring effects of altitude. 

At night we cooked a hearty meal in the simple hut. By 6pm it was dark and we were eating by candlelight, by 8pm we were asleep. That made for an early morning by which Rob and I clambered even further upwards, spotting a chirpy flame coloured Tanager and a noisy toucanet. We were evaded by the Quetzal and returned for breakfast. All day, we lazy bird watched.  Along the balcony we were poised with the Merlin call recognition app, cameras on tripods, binoculars and bird books, resupplied by coffee. There were 6 different species of hummingbird who visited frequently, on feeding laps of up to 20 minute in length. Fiercely territorial, they noisily fight each other off and religiously return to their waiting branch in between rounds.  We also admired woodpeckers and woodcreepers, redstarts and toucans. 

On our final morning in the clouds, Marly and I walked along the river, encountering the waterfall. Rob remained poised in his quest to photograph the hummingbird. It had been a relaxing, but exhausting stop! 

We wound out of the mountains and into San Jose. No one had been that complimentary of the capital, but it felt safe and organised, just not much to write home about. The bustle of the high street was the first time I realised I hadn’t seen crowds in months! We were staying in Barrio Escalante – a district which had a sense of hipster with some bars and breweries. Coffee shops and colourful artisan makers were hidden in alleyways. Oh and a motmot joined us for coffee!!

With just over two weeks to explore, we had seen so much biodiversity, but relatively speaking, only a small part of the country. It had been friendly, organised, easy and carefree, but with a huge respect for nature just like the Pura Vida promise!