After more than a decade of waiting neighbors and tourists of Monteverde are closer to having a completely paved road.
Two weeks ago The National Highway Council (Conavi) signed a contract to have 11.2 miles from Guacimal to Santa Elena (Puntarenas) asphalted.
Conavi hired the Grupo Orosi Company to carry out the work. Project costs are 11 million dollars. The project is said to begin this year and conclude in 2018.
For the president of the Monteverde Chamber of Tourism, Danny Ramirez, the plan for asphalting the road has been a „long ordeal“ that seems to come to an end now.
According to Ramirz the fact of not having a route in optimal conditions has put Monteverde in disadvantage with respect to other tourist destinations.
„There are many travel agencies that hide Monteverde as a destination due to the deterioration that the state of the road generates to their transport units. That leaves us at a competitive disadvantage, because it also increases the cost of transportation,” he said.
The cloud forests around Monteverde and Santa Elena are premier destinations and a must-see for tourists visiting Costa Rica.