Ecuador's Cloud Forest

Day 1 — Quito › Mashpi Lodge

This morning you will be met at your hotel in Quito and transferred with fellow guests to Mashpi Lodge, located three and a half hours (110km) by road from Quito in the evergreen wilds of the Andes’ western slope. Departing Quito on the highway north and after passing the Equator Monument and Latitude 0, the sudden shift in altitude (from 2800 metres above sea level to 1000 metres above sea level) will allow you to discover the spectacular natural diversity of the Andean landscape. The road crosses the valley of Pomasqui dominated by Andean dry forest, and then to the western flank of the Andes through the Cloud Forest and the road ends in Mashpi at the beginning of the tropical rainforest.

You will spend the next two nights at Mashpi Lodge where you can join guided excursions, walks, bird-watching and nature encounters. After settling in, you are introduced to your naturalist guides who will briefly speak about the cloud forest and its conservation, the activities you will be offered during your stay, and helpful tips about what to wear and bring to the excursions. This is followed by lunch.

After lunch enjoy a hike in the cloud forest on the Cucharillo Trail – named after the Cucharillo tree (Magnolia dixonii), which in Spanish means ‘little spoon’, an Ecuadorian endemic that is common at Mashpi, although otherwise threatened throughout the country. The trail requires some physical condition due to its steeper portions, but has been made less demanding thanks to recycled plastic crates that have been used to form steps and make paths firmer. At the end of the trail find a large waterfall and rocky riverbed with beautiful ponds and smaller waterfalls. The excursion takes about 2 hours to complete. There is some time to relax before an optional evening excursion.

The forest transforms by sunset: the sounds and smells intensify and other senses are awakened. You will discover the evening croaking of nocturnal frogs and incessant buzz of insects. Turning off flashlights, you will be able to observe sparkling fireflies and feel bats zipping by and on the ground, discover the faint glow of bioluminescent fungi all around. Owls and other nocturnal birds may call into the night, while the rustling of branches above us may mean that we’re in the presence of kinkajous (Potos flavus), an arboreal mammal relative to the raccoon, making their way through the trees in search of ripe fruit. The excursion begins at 7 pm and takes about 45 minutes to an hour. We then return to the lodge to enjoy a delicious dinner.

Day 2 — Mashpi Lodge

Spend a full day enjoying many of the activities on offer which include:
• Hikes along primary and secondary growth trails through the cloud forest, so incredibly rich in bio-diversity
• Dragonfly aerial gondola above the forest canopy
• Life Centre, including explanation and displays of butterflies, frogs and toads, along with a wonderful selection of orchids and bromeliads
• 26-metre high observation tower – ideal for wildlife viewing
• The Sky-bike – a unique way to cycle 200 metres along a zip line in the canopy of the forest
• Hummingbird viewpoint, with some 16 species of this colourful bird commonly on display
• Traditional medicinal plants – their uses and benefits explained
• Swimming in beautiful natural pools

Day 3 — Mashpi Lodge › Quito

This morning is an early start for bird watchers with a guided tour – the Ecuadorean cloud forest is one of the finest ecosystems on earth to view an amazing variety of avian life. After breakfast, head to the Copal Waterfall, a beautiful 2-hour hike through a landscape of moss-covered trees, bromeliads, and orchids. Return to the hotel by noon for check out before heading back to Quito, stopping on the way to enjoy lunch at an excellent local restaurant and brewery. On arrival in Quito, you will be dropped off at your hotel.

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What’s included

• 2 nights’ accommodation
• All meals (B, L, D) plus soft drinks during your stay
• Shared transfers to/from select Quito hotels
• Shared forest excursions with English/Spanish-speaking guides
• Shared Dragonfly cable car
• Specialised lectures
• Waterproof ponchos and rubber boots

Not included

• Carbon offset fee
• Gratuities

The whole trip, one booking

We arrange your international and regional flights alongside your journey — in whichever cabin suits — with stopovers, travel insurance and the rest of your time in South America, so it’s all priced, ticketed and looked after together.

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Why book through us

A South American itinerary takes real co-ordination: flights across the Pacific, internal flights between countries, trains, lodges, guides and the occasional boat. Booking through Fine Travel, you benefit from partners on the ground who have been chosen and tested over many years by our specialist partners — and you deal with one TAANZ-accredited agency in New Zealand.

One consultant, first call to home again

Your Fine Travel consultant looks after your enquiry and your booking from the first conversation to your return, with the operator’s on-the-ground partners behind the journey itself.

Complimentary documentation

If you prefer printed copies of your travel documentation, we’ll courier a full hard-copy set to you at no cost — a service few agencies still offer, and one our clients tell us they value.