Here in Monteverde (at last) we stayed in Casa Tranquilo. It's great value for money, especially in expensive Costa Rica, with $8 dorms and a fantastic free breakfast of eggs, fruit and freshly baked banana bread.
Monteverde perfectly represents Costa Rica; beautiful with lush greenery, cloud forests, hilltop hikes and extreme activities. The only downside is that it's so tourist orientated and everything seems to have a price tag. Guided tours are in abundance and there's even an entrance fee to wander the cloud forests of Monteverde and Santa Teresa. In true backpacker style I'm still striving to do as many free activities as possible. On the first day here we take a walk to the strangler tree and the bridge tree which have both naturally grown into amazing abnormal attractions. The bridge tree forms a sturdy bridge which at almost ten metres high, you can easily clamber from one side of a stream to the others. The strangler tree can also be climbed where it's been hollowed out in the inside and is even higher, almost 20 metres.
Despite my budgeting we did splash out on a few tourist activities. The bungee jump was a must, incredible, exhilarating and not to be missed. It was unique also in that you're transported out into the middle of a zip line before jumping off a cable car. Scary! We also spent a morning zip lining through the forests at incredible heights with astonishing views.
The rest of my time in Monteverde was spent eating good food, going for morning runs and reading my book in some of the most beautiful surroundings in the world.