 Trails
Pizota Trail. From
the end of the road, at the yellow house called
"Amanzimtoti," follow this steepening trail for 600 meters to the
Reserve Entrance, at the point where the path crosses a small stream.
On your way visit the Pacifica waterfall (ask at the house). "Pizota"
means female Coatimundi, a small mammal that frequents the surrounding forest.
Bridge
Trail. This goes from the Reserve Entrance, altitude 5500 feet
(1676 meters) to the Covered Bridge over the Chirripó River.
There's a shelter, with a toilet, halfway along.
Ridge
Trail. Shortly after the shelter, turn right off the Bridge Trail.
Follow the trail past a small
woody glade (Granadilla Gully), then make your way up the steep slope.
Pass the Lone Poró Tree.
Zigzag up the ridge to a path entering
forest, at about 6300 feet. Great views but clouds can eliminate
visibility in minutes. Follow the trail through the trees to a
sheltered spot above an
abandoned pasture that demonstrates undergrowth regeneration. Return
down the
ridge, or if you are game, continue up the marked path through the
forest. The trail follows a ridge, going uphill for about 1.5 km
until it joins the main Chirripo Peak Trail at 7150 feet (2170 meters).
You can take the main trail downhill for a further 5 km loop back to
Casa
Amanzimtoti.
River
Loop. Take the marked gate down the slope from the Bridge Trail and
head right,
circumnavigating the lower meadow to reach the river and take in the
cascading waterfall (Cloudbridge Falls) that can be viewed from above.
Follow the arrows and return up a steep section to the bench on the Pizota Trail, passing the Rock of Caves.
Uran
Trail to Cloudbridge
North. Take the Bridge
Trail to the covered bridge and turn left onto the path on the other
side
of the bridge. Cross the Rio Uran via a rickety suspension bridge and
continue
along the path until you see the sign for
Cloudbridge North. Continue to the shelter known as "Rancho Don Victor." Above the
shelter is a steep trail that takes you up through mountainside forest to Vulture Rock (see Skutch Trail).
Skutch
Trail, on Cloudbridge North, starts at Rancho Don Victor and heads uphill to Vulture Rock and eventually to Cerro Skutch, which at 8760 ft or 2650 m is the
highest point on Cloudbridge. This trail is under construction.
Chirripó
Peak Trail. If you take the main trail to
Los Crestones or Cerro Chirripó, you reach the southern boundary
of the Cloudbridge Reserve after about 3.5 kilometers of hiking the
"Fila Cementerio de la Maquina" (graveyard of the machine). There's a
Cloudbridge bench there. The highest point of Cloudbridge South, at
7172 feet (2186 meters), is at the entrance to Chirripó National
Park, 4 km from the trail's start.
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