Night Walk in the Monteverde Cloud Forest - but there's deadly vipers!

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A night walk in the Monteverde cloud forest might seem a strange thing to do. First off it will be dark so what can we realistically hope to see with a few weedy torches and the guide's strong one? Then of course there's the many deadly poisonous snakes that if they bite you, half an hour later, if you haven't found an antidote, you DIE or if you're lucky just get a limb amputated! That's not forgetting the countless toxic frogs, insects and spiders ready to give you a bloody nasty nip to put it mildly. Taking all this information into account we decide to throw caution to the wind and set off to meet our guide Olman for an evening of dicing with death!

Having given quite a few safety talks in my time I have to say that Olman is certainly thorough - either that or he's stringing things out a bit to let it get properly dark, something of a prerequisite for a night walk! We eventually set off single file like some weird torch-lit leafcutter ant procession, though if we really were leafcutter ants the torches would of course be the size and weight of large cars! The cicadas are chirping really loudly and there's another kind of 'beep, beep, beep' noise that Olman keeps mimicking. Perhaps it's to put the nightlife's minds at rest that there isn't really a procession of giant ants come to eat them alive should they be stupid enough to let themselves be seen. It doesn't seem to be working very well though as the only thing we see is - ironically - a line of leafcutter ants!

I should say at this point that we are not the only group of giant, torch wielding, leafcutter ants processing about the forest looking at real leafcutter ants, there are many other lines of torches stumbling over tree roots all around us. Eventually we manage to disperse enough for it not to be entirely ridiculous.

Olman is sweeping his powerful torch beam around the tree branches in the hopes of catching eye-ball reflections. He's doing it so fast I have my doubts it will work, but we carry on further along the twisting and turning trails bumping into each other and stifling nervous giggles in the hopes of seeing something. We see a few fire flies flitting about, their rear ends flashing - I quite fancy the idea of a flashing rear end - maybe one day the fashion designers (who I personally think are trying to out compete each other to make people think they look good in the most stupid items of attire possible) will come up with some natty flashing bum-bug 'season's must have' and I can join the croc/ugs/onesies/butterfly-tattoo fashion victims for a season.

Then suddenly Olman is shining his torch up at a bright green sleeping viper twisted around a branch above our heads. ABOVE OUR HEADS!! Er Olman, shouldn't we move to the side a bit while you piss off a deadly viper by flashing a torch at it while it's trying to sleep? I think now the safety talk was definitely long just to wait for it to get dark! Photos taken we thankfully move on.

We come to a tree with a few holes in and get a glimpse of a tarantula's leg poking seductively out. It's not coming out any further so we stumble on to see what else we can find. It's so dark and still hot and humid. Every sound seems sinister as the jungle emits its strange noises.

Finally Olman's torch waving plays dividends and he catches the flash of eyes reflected back. It's a two toed sloth hanging upside down from a branch above us. Not wanting to disturb the poor lady too much we take some quick photos then move on. Olman tells us sloths are related to the ant eater and armadillo family. Amazingly they give birth up in the trees! They are pregnant for 11 and a half months and their young stay with them for three years.

We see a scorpion in the leaf litter on the ground and Olman shines an infra red torch on it so we can see it better. Actually, thinking about it, the scorpion was glowing luminous green so that can't be right! It was a different sort of light anyway.

After more stumbling about and flashing of torches up in the tree tops we eventually spot another creature. This time it's a porcupine high up on a branch. Yes, on a branch! I didn't realise they climbed trees having only ever seen them on the ground before.

Towards the end of the walk Olman is determined to find us a Kinkaju so we wait while he scurries off to consult the other guides and eventually we do manage to get a quick glimpse before said Kinkajus scamper off. We also get to see a tarantula properly out of it's hole before it scurries back inside. It makes a lunge at a stick Olman flicks near the opening. Boy it's quick!

Wow what an experience. Eerie, atmospheric, hot, humid, exciting and life threatening!

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