Ficus La Raiz

In the hills around Santa

Elena in Monteverde, you can find a hand-painted sign for Raiz, a root bridge that extends across a trickling creek. The simple sign directs you to a rudimentary path through the cloud forest that leads down, towards the stream.

It will be obvious when you arrive at Ficus la Raiz, also called el Puente Raiz or the Root Bridge. The roots of a large woody ficus plant criss-cross the small valley to form a natural bridge.  From the top, you can test your balance and bravery if you want to try to cross the river using the bridge—many visitors only get to a comfortable selfie spot and then scurry back to land.

Sketchy pathways descend to the creek on either side of the bridge, allowing you to see the full size of the bridge and the tentacle-like supports along the creek’s edge.