Mashpi Lodge

What a fantastic lodge up in the sticks of the Quito cloud forest. Loved every minute there. Great birding and the butterfly breeding area is amazing. Special thanks got top all the staff there but especially in the restaurant Fabricio, Jorge, Xavier, and our guide Andreas who was great at his job and so knowledgable. Would have liked to see some bird feeders closer to the lodge but maybe that would spoil the enjoyment of tracking the them. The cable car and bike ride (Dragonfly) also fantastic to see and do across the forest canopy. All incredible , thanks again for a great 3 nights there. Roger and Denise Sargent.

During our 3 night stay, we were confused about what was going on, and felt like we were on our own to figure out what to do. Our experience at the lodge did not live up to our expectation or the price. We arrived in the evening on a private transfer around 6PM. We were welcomed and checked in, and were told there was a night walk but we should probably skip it since we had been traveling all day, and we should come back to the front desk after we unpack and eat dinner so we can talk about what we were doing the next day. The rooms are spacious and well appointed, and housekeeping was perfect. After dinner, we returned to the front desk and shared with the front desk that we had just arrived and were looking for instructions about our stay. A male took us over to the map and described the different excursions, and which one was embarking the next day. They also shared there was a birdwatching workshop at 6AM out on the terrace. We woke up early for the workshop, and it turned out to be instruction on how to use the binoculars, which we already knew. We did a nice walk along the waterfall, and our guide Stuardo was great at spotting birds and telling us about the area. On the gondola ride, our guide was kind but only spoke Spanish so we were not able to get information on the hour ride. For the afternoon excursion to the hummingbird garden, we needed to get back for a spa appointment in the evening, which we mentioned but ended up running a bit late and rushing. I would have expected the front desk to inform the guides about this ahead of time, but they did not know. The quantity and diversity of hummingbirds was incredible, but it felt a bit artificial to watch them drink provided sugar water. At the end of the day, our guide let us know what was available the following day but we had to dart off for the spa. The spa was great, we had two relaxing massages. At one point we got a beer at the bar midday, and one of the staff asked if we had done a drone zoom-out video. We did not know that was an option - apparently something you typically do upon arrival. It came out really cool, we were glad to have been in the right place at the right time. The following day, our last full day, we did the sky bike and life center. The sky bike was similar to gondola - great view over tree tops, though not much to see in terms of wildlife. The life center was interesting, but like the hummingbird garden, centered around human provided food which made it feel unnatural. On our way back, we learned from other guests that there was an orientation upon arrival, which included instructions on how to book a hot tub in the forest. What? We had no idea that orientation or a hot tub existed. The guests shared other details about the lodge’s mission and efforts that would’ve been great to know from the beginning of our stay. By this point we were frustrated, because we felt like we had been uninformed on the lodge’s offerings, but we were leaving early the next

World class experience and staff! Every detail thought of and every desire accommodated! The daily activities were unforgettable. Gabriel our guide was made sure everything was perfect! The lodge, room and restaurant are stunning! The 3 hour trek from Quito was fine. Note the last 45 minutes were very bumpy but worth every minute to be delivered to this amazing experience in the cloud forest Don’t walk…run to book your stay. Stay 3 night to get the most of your stay.