This eco-lodge in Ecuador’s Choco rainforest puts a luxury spin on adventure travel, with floor-to-ceiling glass windows, an exceptional restaurant, expert guides and open air cable cars
Location
Sitting in the six-acre Mashpi Reserve, the lodge offers complete immersion in the Choco rainforest. It’s a three-hour drive across the equator from Quito (Mashpi has its own car and minibus service to and from the city). Dubbed the “cloud forest”, the reserve sits between 900 to 1200 metres above sea level, where cooler temperatures and frequent cloud cover create a misty vista across towering trees, waterfalls and the western Andes slopes. The atmosphere create conditions for incredible biodiversity – think toucans, hummingbirds, tanagers and ocelots, as well as brown-headed spider monkeys, sloths and jaguars (if you’re really lucky). Forest trails mapped by biologists snake outward from the hotel, allowing guests to retrace the steps of the wildlife.
Just two per cent of the original Choco forest remains, and it’s a bucket list location for many nature-lovers. Constructed in 2012 on the site of an old sawmill, Mashpi Lodge was built to protect the area against deforestation.
The vibe
Mashpi is truly unique, with floor-to-ceiling glass windows offering incredible views to the canopy everywhere you turn. It’s a feat of architecture but the interiors are equally striking. The airy, open-plan restaurant features oak veneer tables and dining chairs that complement the forest outside, while warm floor lamps create a cosy oasis in the evening. With just 24 rooms and group treks throughout the day, there’s a communal atmosphere at lunch and dinner, with guests sharing tables and getting to know each other at the bar (the pre-dinner happy hour is buzzy).
Mashpi lends itself to special occasions. There are couples on babymoons and honeymoons, extended families celebrating a big birthday and solo travellers. The incredible range of avian life also makes it a hit with twitchers. The lodge is intimate and sociable, but there are quiet nooks for respite, such as the library or outdoor viewing platform looking out across the reserve.
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