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Highland Retreats:
Mashpi Rainforest Reserve
The wonders waiting at Mashpi Lodge will delight the worldliest nature lover. The Lodge is surrounded by a profusion of plant species, from ferns and bromeliads to hundreds of orchid species, many newly discovered. A staggering 500 species of bird—including some 36 endemics—are estimated to inhabit the forest, fluttering through the canopy. Monkeys, peccaries and even puma make their homes inside the Reserve crisscrossed with waterfalls between dramatic, verdant hills.
ACCOMMODATIONS
• 2 Nights Mashpi
 
INCLUSIONS
• Roundtrip Ground Transfers
• Guided Explorations Included
• All Meals
Arrive Mashpi:

You are driven on the highway north of Quito, passing the Equator Monument and Latitude 0. Climbing up to the western pass, detour for a short break at the viewpoint of the Pululahua Crater, a dormant volcano. From here on, it's downhill towards the Pacific Ocean, turning off the main highway onto rural roads about 30 minutes after this stop.

About two hours after leaving Quito, reach the archaeological site-museum of Tulipe, where you stop to explore the grounds and learn about the Yumbo people who created the waterpools and structures here. About an hour and a half later, you arrive at the entrance to the Mashpi Reserve, a haven for wildlife and biodiversity, and then continue to the Lodge itself. You are welcomed with a refreshing drink and checked in to your rooms. Depending on arrival time, guests will meet their Naturalist Guides for a short briefing about the reserve and activities. Lunch is served soon after, followed by a short time to relax.

After lunch, the afternoon's activities begin. Choose from many different options, always accompanied by a University trained naturalist and a local guide. Perhaps start with a hike through the forest, followed by a canopy tour aboard an aerial cable car, offering amazing views of the surrounding treetops. These will depend on factors such as group size, physical abilities and weather conditions. Optional night walks head out from the hotel following dinner (these excursions can be taken any night of the package).

(Lunch, Dinner, & Accommodations, Mashpi)

Mashpi:

For those who want to enjoy the beauty and magic of dawn in the forest—which is when most birds are active and calling, as well as when views are often most spectacular—early morning activities are organised before breakfast. Following breakfast, we head out from the lodge to explore, returning for lunch and a rest, before enjoying an afternoon amid nature, then dinner, night walks and sleep.

(Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner, & Accommodations, Mashpi)

Depart Mashpi:

On the last day, there's an early breakfast, followed by a morning activity. Guests return to the lodge and check out. Depart Mashpi Lodge at 11:30am, with a box lunch to enjoy on the ride back to Quito. We then drive back eastwards, winding our way up the Andes towards the capital, arriving at Quito hotels between 4 and 5 pm (depending on traffic, location and number of passengers).

(Breakfast, Mashpi)

 
** Itinerary and inclusions are subject to change
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