Mashpi Lodge

Exploring the Reserve

As you enter the realm of the rainforests, you will become aware of Life at every step: mushrooms and fungi below, tree trunks festooned with liverworts, lichens and mosses, giant ferns reaching up to the light above, swirling mists and clouds of moisture. And then, from nowhere, comes the sound of rushing water, a waterfall amid this glistening, green world, where you can revive your senses.

The wonders waiting at Mashpi Lodge will delight the worldliest nature lover. Perched at 900 m (3,116 feet) above sea level and surrounded by lower montane rainforest and cloudforest, 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 – areestimated 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.

The Lodge – A Luxury Cocoon in the Clouds

The sophisticated and strikingly-contemporary lodge is designed as the ideal springboard for exploring the biodiverse world of its reserve. A hideaway in the clouds only accessible to its guests and located on a high plateau, Mashpi Lodge features views of the forested mountains on one side and the forest right up close on the other through its floor-to-ceiling glass windows.

The Lodge, built with the latest techniques in sustainable processes, is designed to blend beautifully with its surroundings. It features contemporary, minimalist decor, mixing warm earth tones, notes of bright colour, clean lines and striking angles and vistas: a luxury cocoon amid the cloudforest with the natural world just beyond, ideal for contemplation and relaxation.

Mashpi Lodge is intimate, accommodating a maximum of 44 guests in 22 understated yet luxurious rooms, including 3 “Yaku” suites and 19 “Wayra” rooms.

Other facilities include an outside terrace, a first floor Reading  area, and a Wellness space.

Rooms & Suites

Mashpi lodge is designed to completely immerse you in the cloudforest, while keeping its creatures safely at bay – a luxury cocoon amid the clouds and tumbling mountains. The rooms, arranged over three floors, all face north, with floor-to-ceiling glass windows, some on two sides, with the forest just a few meters away.

You wake up to a captivating view awash with greens and browns, with trunks, branches, vines, leaves, birds and clouds all around. It’s a bit like being in a capsule, observing life beyond from the comfort of your bed. Open the window, and the sounds of bird and frog calls wash over you. The rooms’ lighting is subdued, hidden LED lights running along the handsome wooden bedheads providing a magical touch.

Fine Dining in the Forest

The Lodge’s towering, two-story Dining Room offers a dramatic setting for a lively gourmet experience. Here, Mashpi’s chefs draw from the diversity of Ecuadorian cuisine and ingredients, making the most of its location between the coast and the Andes: the best of both worlds.

Dishes are conjured with herbs (mint, peppermint, lemongrass, chillangua, wild garlic, citronella, stevia, basil and sweet basil…), spices, varieties of chilies, and leaves from the surrounding rainforest, as well as from delicious regional ingredients, such as a vast array of tropical and temperate fruits (think papaya, pineapple, naranjilla, guanabana, muyo, snake fruit, wild blackberry…) and palm heart, coffee, manioc, chocolate and plantain.

Breakfasts are very informal and include fresh fruit from the region, breads, eggs any style, cheeses, hams, cereals, home-made jams, organic honey and muesli, and energizing fruit juices for the day’s activities.

Lunch is deliberately light, with a changing menu every day, mixing a wide variety of fresh vegetables, soups, sandwiches and a mix of classic, contemporary Ecuadorian dishes. Ceviche – served in different styles – might well feature. Again, delicious and energizing fruit juices are on offer, and, to end the meal, a buffet of delicious, home-made ice-cream – including palm heart, coffee, chocolate, sweet mini-banana.

Dinner is a more formal affair, the drama of the dining room accentuated by the subdued floor lamps, creating an intimate and romantic ambience. The dinner menu changes according to season, and could include chicken, beef, fish, seafood and vegetarian dishes, all accompanied by mouth-watering side-dishes of local ingredients prepared with imagination and flair.

A full bar offers specialty fruit cocktails and natural energetic drinks. A carefully-selected wine list features mainly Chilean and Argentinean vintages.

The chefs are happy to cater for the needs of vegan and celiac guests.

ACTIVITIES

Guided activities within the reserve:

-Nature treks through trails and waterfalls with guide

-Hummingbird viewpoint

-Life Centre and butterfly vivarium

-“Sky bike” bycicle-canopy ride

-Observation tower

-Birdwatching