Waterfalls, Butterflies, Hummingbirds, Sweeping Views of the top of treetops, Absolute luxury only 3 hours from Quito?

That’s the Mindo forest made possible by our 3 day-2 night stay in the all-inclusive, Mashpi Lodge.

Mashpi Lodge is a leader in luxury, and part of the National Geographic Unique lodges of the world. It’s situated in the metropolitan area of Quito, in the Cloud forest, also known as the Mindo forest (check out the TripAdvisor reviews here). It sits at about 950 meters (3,117 feet) which puts you within but above many of the trees, allowing for a fantastic view. It’s eco-friendly and built with sustainable construction, but still sleek and modern — so you can feel guilt free visiting. The surrounding forest has astounding biodiversity and is a true bird watchers paradise. Every morning you can opt to get taken out by your guide to watch rare birds- literally from the balcony of the hotel.

I found this place on a whim during out 9 day stay in Quito and my husband and I decided to indulge and book this piece of heaven for 3 days and 2 nights. A driver will pick you up from the Lodge’s hotel in Quito the morning of your arrival and drive you to the lodge. Along the way you get to stop at the Museo de Sitio de Tulipe which is a cute museum about the history of the area. It’s mostly in Spanish and was under construction when we arrived but the grounds were nice to walk around in.

Then you arrive at the lodge after passing through Pacto (a cute town) and you are greeted by this majestic piece of architecture.

Upon arriving you check-in and are given a nice cocktail. Cocktail drinks are not included in the price but I recommend drinking. Santiago, one of the bartenders, is a master at mixology and always recommend the best drinks from local ingredients. I may have spent many hours talking and drinking at the bar. Maybe….

The first night you are given an introduction, run down of potential activities, and an itinerary of your day by your nature guide. Our guides were Fernando Arias and Paul. They basically make this experience for you. They are skilled at customer service and extremely knowledgeable about the biodiversity of the forest, birds, and the land. Paul, knew every bird there was to know, and Fernando knew every plant, animal, and rock.

You get two nature walks a day and a number of activities, such as visiting the life center with a butterfly sanctuary, birds, and a beautiful view, the hummingbird garden (with hundreds of humming birds), taking a suspended ride on the Dragonfly to overlook the landscape, and going to the Observation Tower. You are guaranteed to see waterfalls, are offered the opportunity to take a swim, and you can also swing on jungle branch.

Yes, it’s like a nature amusement park for adults and children, but with you being the only ones there. The attention is undivided. At the end of our magical journey Fernando and Paul prepared a picnic by a small waterfall at night where we listened to music, drank a bottle of wine, and laughed about life.

I can not recommend this place more. Have you been to Mashpi? What did you think?

BASICS:

Location: Mindo Forrest

Price: Ranges from $1,000 a night on up (depending on season).

Tips: Book 3 days, 2 nights. It’s close enough to Quito to make it a short trip.  We stayed in a King room and it had glass walls. Great to wake up to. There are double bed options too.

Activities: Do not skip the hummingbird sanctuary if you love photography. Wake up early for bird watching.

Allergies: We weren’t gluten free on this trip but there’s a menu for breakfast and dinner, and a buffet for lunch. They will 100% accommodate dietary restrictions.

 Hummingbirds at the Hummingbird Garden. You get up close and personal.

View from the Observation Deck right outside the dinning room area of the lodge.

Butterflies at the LifeCenter

View from the Sky Tower.

Birdwatching — Bird watcher know what they are looking at 🙂

Our guides. Paul standing and Fernando walking down the steps.