After our guided adventure in the Monte Verde Cloud Forest the day before we were looking forward to something a bit more independent at the Santa Elana Cloud Forest the next day. We may have gotten a little more than we bargained for though…
We got off to a nice start with a beautifully maintained trail. Right off the bat we glimpsed some birds and an eyelash viper relaxing on a branch only about 8′ off the trail. We continued up the hill to a tower sitting on top of the ridge. It had incredible views of the valley, but also featured a bat falcon that soared on the strong winds.
From there it was down the hill and through the woods. The trail was quite pleasant for the next mile or so and we appreciated the views of the moss covered trees, as well as the occasional bird. The wildlife was definitely more sparse here though, so I don’t have many photos to show for it.
As we approached the furthest point on the hike the weather took a turn for the worse. The rain started to pick up and the trail got worse. For a while we simply hoped that it would be a temporary change, but it turned into an hours long slog through deep deep mud. The trail was easy to see, but very hard to follow. We spent lots of time hopping across sticks that we hoped would hold our weight out of the mud, and nearly lost some footwear when it didn’t. All the while the rain continued. In the end it was a 3.5 mile hike that took us 3.5 hours. All with little elevation to show for our struggles. It was a beautiful forest, but we would definitely recommend staying off the Sendero Cano Negro.
Taken 2/18/23