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A number of attractions have sprung up around Monteverde in recent years, some of which have come to rival the reserves themselves in popularity. The Original Monteverde Canopy Tour (tel 645-5243 or 257-5149, www.canopytour.co.cr ; US$45), pioneered here by locals and now copied all over the country, is based at the Cloud Forest Lodge near Santa Elena. You can whizz from platform to platform via pulleys strung on horizontal traverse cables. It's not a particularly educational experience, nor do you normally see much plant, animal or bird life - you're moving too fast - but it's a nice little thrill. You have to reserve in advance for the tour, something a n umber of businesses in Santa Elena will do for you; the Info Center Camino Verde in Santa Elena also lays on free transportation, leaving daily at 7.15am, 10.15am and 2.15pm. Three other places in the area offer canopy tours: the Monteverde Canopy Tour office on the road to the Reserva Santa Elena (tel 645-5929, fax 645-5822, www.canopytours.com ; US$35) is a well-equipped outfit whose tour comprises a 1600-metre ride through the canopy via fourteen platforms. They'll pick you up from your hotel; make reservations a day in advance, either directly with the office, through your hotel, or with the Info Center Camino Verde, who also lay on free transport if you book through them, leaving at 8am, 10.30am, 12.30pm and 2pm. The Sky Trek (tel 642-5238), located at the Sky Walk office on the road to the Santa Elena reserve, charges the same price (US$35) as the Monteverde Canopy Tour and has an extensive network of trails, platforms, suspension bridges and "ziplines" - the ropes you slide along from platform to platform. Tours leave at 7.30am, 9.30am, 11.30am, 1.30pm and 2pm; reserve at least a day in advance. A more sedate ride through the forest is offered by Aerial Adventures (daily 6am-6pm; US$10; tel 645-5960), on the road to the Finca Ecologica in Cerro Plano. Rather like a rainforest ski-lift, the ninety-minute trip consists of a rather slow journey above the rainforest in hanging chairs. A different bird's-eye view of the forest can be had from the unique Sky Walk (daily 7am-4pm; US$12; www.skywalk.co.cr ), an impressive series of bridges and paths built by Fernando Valverde, a biologist from Monteverde and world authority on the construction of rainforest suspension bridges. Located 3.5km along the road towards the Santa Elena reserve, the Sky Walk consists of a network of suspension-style footbridges, stretching from the ground to canopy level between acres of virgin rainforest. Bridges provide some really spectacular views - but take waterproofs. Up the hill from Santa Elena on the way to Monteverde, the Serpentario (daily 9am-4pm) has a range of unnerving vipers in residence. The creatures are less menacing at the Butterfly Garden , in Cerro Plano (daily 9.30am-4pm; US$5), which, unlike most such places in Costa Rica, is geared to research rather than the export of pupae. For a smaller-scale rainforest walking experience, the Reserva Sendero Tranquilo , a private reserve in the grounds of a local farm behind the cheese factory in Monteverde, offers informative guided tours (book on 645-5010; around US$13 per person) through primary- and secondary-growth forest. The only part of the Bosque Eterno de los Ninos (Children's Eternal Rainforest; part of the Reserva Santa Elena) that you are currently permitted to visit is the Bajo El Tigre trail (daily from 8am, last entrance at 4.30pm, though you can stay in the reserve until dusk; US$5), a short, unchallenging trek at lower elevations than in the cloudforest reserves, and with great views out to the Golfo de Nicoya - sunsets from here can be spectacular. The Finca Ecologica (daily 7am-5pm; US$6), south of Santa Elena, is, as the name suggests, an ecological farm where banana and coffee are grown. Animals in the area frequently come to snack at feeders the farm has set up; the most frequently sighted creatures are agoutis and coatis, as well as a resident sloth. A system of trails leads to a quiet waterfall, and you can also take a guided night walk here (US$13), leaving daily at 5.30pm and 7.30pm. La Lecheria (Cheese Factory; Mon-Sat 7.30am-noon & 1-4.30pm, Sun 7.30am-12.30pm) sells various types of Monteverde cheese and cajeta , a butterscotch fudge, as well as delicious ice cream. Guided tours (book on 645-2850; US$8) give you a behind-the-scenes glimpse into the world of cheese. Other good options for a rainy afternoon are the Orchid Gardens in Cerro Plano (daily 9am-5pm; US$5), run by orchid enthusiast Gabriel Barboza, with over 400 different species of orchids on show, including the world's smallest. A slide show of Patricia and Michael Fogden's rainforest photos takes place year-round at the Monteverde reserve auditorium (daily 4.30pm; US$3). You can't ride horses on the trails in the Monteverde or Santa Elena reserves, but a number of local outfitters hire them for trips through the surrounding countryside - as always in Costa Rica, the state of the horses varies wildly. In Santa Elena ask at the Pension Santa Elena for Sabine Hein (tel 645-5051, www.horseback-riding-tour.com ), who has several healthy, well-cared-for horses and who knows the stunning countryside around Santa Elena well - you can stop at several look-out points with panoramic views out to the Pacific and the Nicoya Peninsula. On the road to Monteverde, Meg's Stables (tel 645-5052), next to Stella's Bakery, hires out horses for around US$10/hr.
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