Monteverde

Monteverde

Monteverde Canton is located in the Cordillera de Tilarán mountain range in Costa Rica. The area is home to the Monteverde Cloud Forest Reserve and a number of other natural attractions that attract a significant number of tourists and hikers. National Geographic referred to the Monteverde Cloud Forest Biological Reserve as "the jewel in the crown of cloud forest reserves". The Reserve is made up of 6 ecological zones, of which 90% is virgin forest. With more than 2,500 plant species, including the largest number of orchid species in one place, 100 mammal species, 400 bird species, 120 species of reptiles and amphibians, and thousands of insects, the high biodiversity attracts scientists and tourists alike. The herpetofauna of the area is remarkable, with 161 species of amphibians and reptiles. Monteverde is known around the world as the home of the Golden Toad, which disappeared in 1989. Monteverde has 91 species of long-distance migratory birds, which breed in North America and migrate through Monteverde or stay in the area during the winter. Of these, three species, the Swallow-Tailed Kite, the Piratic Flycatcher and the Yellow-Green Vireo, breed in Monteverde and migrate to South America during the non-breeding season. The mammal fauna of the region contains muskrats, bats, primates, mouses, rabbits, groundhogs, squirrels, spiny mouses, rats, mouses, porcupines, agoutis, pacas, canids, mustelids, procyonids, felines, wild pigs, deer, and tapirs.