Nowhere is it more obvious that water gives life than in Monteverde Cloud Forest. 

The way in which this threatened environment captures, uses and recycles water is evident in the petals that drip with tiny globules of liquid; the slippery mud underfoot and the clouds that get sucked up the mountainside in sudden, misty waves.

The rich ecosystem that flourishes in this environment includes mammals, birds and amphibians. However less known is the diversity of plant life. Monteverde is home to over 500 species of orchid, as well as providing the perfect environment for 878 types of epiphyte: non-parasitic plants that live on other plants.

The day that I spent hiking through the forest was characterised by water. The glistening of wet leaves, the rain showers that caught me unaware and the gushing of a waterfall at a trail’s end.

Life itself in Monteverde, is liquid.