Straddling the Continental Divide at 1540 meters ( 4662 ft ), the Santa Elena and Monteverde cloud forest area offers one of the most interesting places to visit in Costa Rica .

In this Costa Rica rain forest are found more than 100 species of mammals including 5 species of cats, over 400 species of birds including 30 kinds of hummingbirds, tens of thousands of insect species (over 5000 species of moths) and 2,500 species of plants (420 kinds of orchids). The area is acclaimed as one of the most outstanding wildlife refuges in the New World Tropics.

Finca Valverde is among the oldest farms in the traditionally farming community of Monteverde. It is owned by the Valverde family, one of the first to settle in the area. On their still productive land, the Valverde's harvest coffee for export, as well as most of the vegetables that are served in their small hotel. 

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