Mashpi Lodge

high altitude forests with incredible biodiversity

Set high in the forested mountains, around 50 km (30 miles) northwest of Quito, Mashpi Lodge is a stylish, innovative and upmarket modern property.

The lodge is contained within a single large building, with elegant lounge and dining areas leading out to a promenade deck with views out over the surrounding forest.

At these altitudes the weather is often quite adverse, with lots of cloud, mist and rain. The lodge therefore provides a set of comfortable indoor spaces, whose floor-to-ceiling windows both connect you with and protect you from the enveloping forest.

There is also an extensive spa and wellness centre, offering a range of treatments.

The wildlife interaction here may not be very hard-hitting, but if you are looking for a luxurious and atmospheric forest experience, then Mashpi Lodge is arguably the best option in South America.

Rooms

Guest accommodation at Mashpi Lodge is in 24 rooms, all contained within the three-storey main building.

Each room is elegantly decorated in a chic modern style and has direct views into the surrounding forests.

The rooms come in three specifications …

• Yaku Suites : x2 : 46 sqm / 495 sq ft : king bed
• Wayra Twin/Double Rooms : x20 : 34 sqm / 366 sqft : king or two queen beds
• Wana Single Rooms : x2 : 21 sqm / 228 sq ft : queen bed

Activities

The primary activity at Mashpi Lodge is hiking, with an extensive network of diverse trails through the surrounding forests.

There is also a miniature cable car system and tall observation towers from which to observe life in the canopies.

The Bosque Nuboso area can be easily reached by road from the capital, Quito. It is most commonly combined in trips with the Yasuni Amazon to the east and the Galapagos Islands out in the Pacific.

Seasonality

The best time to visit the Bosque Nuboso is generally considered to be during the Jun-Sep dry season.

The Bosque Nuboso has a subtropical highland climate. Temperatures are almost constant year round, with the two seasons being largely defined by the variation in rainfall.

Being a cloud forest, the conditions up here can be a great deal cooler and more rainy than in Quito, from which the following data is derived …

During the Jun-Sep dry season conditions are usually warm and dry, with lots of sunshine. Average daytime temperatures usually reach around 21C/70F, with nighttime lows holding up around 16C/61F. Rainfall is relatively low, at around 25mm (1”) per month. Sunshine is up around 8 hours per day, which is around 70% of daylight hours.

During the Oct-May rainy season conditions are usually warm and wet, with more overcast skies. Average daytime temperatures usually reach around 21C/70F, with nighttime lows holding up around 16C/61F. Rainfall is relatively high, at around 100mm (4”) per month, rising to 175mm (7”) in Mar-Apr. Sunshine drops to around 6 hours per day, which is around 50% of daylight hours, but can be considerably lower during that core Mar-Apr period.

Fortunately the rainfall, especially during the wettest period Jan-May, is quite predictable, typically starting around 1400 hrs and continuing for a couple of hours before clearing. It is therefore easy enough to plan each day to take this into account.

Getting there

The Bosque Nuboso area is located around 80 km (50 miles) northwest of the capital Quito and can easily be reached in around 90 minutes.

The Otavalo area, which is a hotspot for indigenousAndean cultures, lies about 50 km (30 miles) east from the Bosque Nuboso, so the three locations can easily be combined.

The areas further afield, in the Amazon and Galapagos, are reach by air from Quito.

easily combined with the Amazon and Galapagos