Category: Ecuador and the Galapagos Islands, January 2024

We had to get up early in order to catch our transfer from Quito to the incredible Mashpi Lodge, a 3 hour drive away.  We were picked up at the Casa Gangotena hotel, which is right across the street from Plaza San Francisco.

The plaza is named after the adjacent Catholic Church San Francisco.

We took a twisty road from Quito, at an elevation of nearly 10,000 feet, down to Mashpi Lodge, which sits at 3,117 feet in a “cloud forest”.  The last hour or so is on VERY bumpy dirt roads…particularly the last 30 minutes.  We encountered a police checkpoint along the way, a reminder of the current unrest in Ecuador.  After much jostling around we finally arrived at the lodge.  Below is a photo from their website, as it’s hard to capture how the lodge looks without a drone.  The viewing terrace is in the lower right.

First off, a bit about the lodge.  I ran across information about this place while searching for things to do near Quito to finish off our trip.  Their website is amazing, and the reviews are off the charts.  I discussed staying here with our travel company, and they couldn’t stop raving about what a wonderful spot it is.  After reading about our 3 days here, I hope you put this near the top of your bucket list, right next to the Galapagos.

Upon first entering, you are given a welcome drink, and then get to take in the view of the lodge.  The dining room is amazing!

We walked out to their amazing terrace to view the surrounding area.

I took a rather decent selfie from the same terrace.

Shortly after arriving, we were given a history lesson of the lodge as well as a briefing on what to expect during our stay.  In 2001, businessman and former mayor of Quito, Roque Sevilla, decided to purchase a part of the Ecuadorian Choco forest, with the intent to protect the area and it’s amazing biodiversity.

The site was formerly owned by a logging company, so Roque decided to build his lodge right where the old sawmill was, so not a single tree had to be cut down during construction.  He planted native trees around the lodge, and even though they are younger than the rest of the forest you will hike through, you can’t really tell.

Below is a photo of what they describe as the “first lodge”, where the resident biologist stayed while scouting out the area, identifying the various types of wildlife and plants that inhabit this area.

Construction started in 2010, and two years and $10 million dollars later, it opened to the public.  Mashpi Lodge is one of only 58 hotels worldwide with the National Geographic “Unique Lodges Of The World” designation, all of which have to meet strict luxury, environmental, scientific research and local responsibility standards.  I hope we can check out a few more of the remaining 57!

This photo from their website shows how remote this spot is.  We will climb the tower from where this photo was taken on our second day here.

In the meantime, we were connected with our guide Santiago (Santi), who outfitted us with rubber boots and walking sticks.  We then ventured out on a fairly short hike called “Seven Layers”, and we quickly discovered why the rubber boots were a requirement…the mud in some spots was ankle deep!  Here is Santiago pointing out something along the trail.  He has the best eyes I’ve ever encountered!

We saw a lot of these flowers called “Baby Shoe”.

As we were hiking the clouds were converging.  I felt like I was in an episode of Miami Vice!  Just making it clear, I was Crockett, without the groovy pastel jacket.

Santiago pointed out that these plants develop red on the tips of their leaves to attract hummingbirds to pollinate the flowers underneath those leaves.  Evolution baby!

It was cool to hike in the cloud forest…with actual clouds in the forest.  If you look closely they use plastic beverage crates to establish the elevation changes in their trails.  We would see this method used everywhere during our stay here.

Santiago pointed out this spider web haven up in a tree.  These catch a variety of insects and small birds.  It looks like something out of a horror film!

These are known locally as a “Poor Man’s Umbrella”.  These are the huge leaves of a variety of philodendron.  They were everywhere in this area.  We have a philodendron growing in our backyard, and they are maybe 10% of the size of these!

As we neared the lodge, I saw this view through the trees, and it made for an excellent photograph!  Ecuador is so beautiful!

The sign at the front entrance of the lodge is nice.  They really do have an artistic touch with everything they do here!

Up next, more of Mashpi…a lot more!  This place has so much to offer!

 

 

Our travel company advised that things had calmed down enough in Colonial Quito that we could stay the night here after our Galapagos cruise.  It turned out we were staying right in the center of the Colonial area, adjacent to the President’s Palace, so there was a strong military and police presence in the area.  We stayed at the beautiful Hotel Plaza Grande.  The service was impeccable!

Even though the adjacent Plaza Grande square was blocked off with fencing and guarded by military and police, our hotel reception was able to talk to a guard and get us into the square.

Outside of the military and police, we were pretty much alone in the square, and this is supposed to normally be one of the more crowded areas of Quito.  It was one of the most surreal experiences of my life.  This is the front of the Presidential Palace.

This is the Monument to Independence, in honor of the countries heroes who began the struggles for the independence of Ecuador from Spain back in 1809.

I love the marble globes which circle the monument.

Here is another look at the Presidential Palace from the center of the square.

I asked these guys from the military if I could take their photo, and they were more than happy to put on their helmets and pose for a picture.

Another shot of the Monument to Independence from the other side.  The monument was erected in 1906.  Plaza Grande is often referred to as Independence Square by the locals.  It was nice to have some weather in the 60’s after all of that heat in the Galapagos.

As we were leaving the square buildings were starting to light up.  That’s the Metropolitan Cathedral of Quito behind the soldiers.

As soon as we left the area around our hotel, the streets were full of people.  Quito appears to be about as hilly as San Francisco, maybe even more so!

We walked about 5 blocks to dinner.  While the streets were crowded and we definitely stood out, we felt perfectly safe.

That’s the Basilica of the National Vow in the background.  This is the largest neo-Gothic basilica in the America’s.  The first stone was placed in 1892, and it has been under continuous construction ever since.  The basilica remains unfinished, and local legend says that when it is finally completed, the end of the world will come.  No wonder they are taking their time!

The statue on the hill is the Virgin of El Panecillo, also known as the Virgin of Quito.  Finished in 1975, it’s 135 feet high, the highest statue in Ecuador, and is made completely of aluminum.

After we finished dinner the waiter asked us if we had an escort back to our hotel.  It was a curious question.  We said “no”, and started walking back towards our hotel.  I noticed he watched us walk away from the street, as if he expected something to happen to us.  Everything seemed perfectly normal.  Maybe we are just naive Americans?

Once back at our hotel I decided I wanted to check out Plaza Grande with all the buildings lit up.  I asked to go back in, but the guard flatly refused.  Our hotel receptionist also tried, but was told no.  Some threat level must have changed.  Here is the view of the fencing with the guard behind it.

The receptionist advised us that our hotel has a 4th floor balcony overlooking the square, so she had us taken up there to take in the view.  Needless to say, the views of Quito lit up at night are stunning.

I think we were better off getting the views from the 4th floor.

The Virgin of El Panecillo really stands out at night.

Up next, we awaken early again so we can have breakfast and catch our transport to our final Ecuadorian destination, the Mashpi Lodge.