Watching Wildlife

Diana Henderson picks her 10 favourite ways to get back to nature in the Forests of Ecuador

Ecuador is undeniably one of Latin America’s leading destinations for bird watching, with over 1600 species - almost 18% of the planet’s total birds. This is due to the huge array of different eco-systems and habitats (46 in all) and the vast areas of the country that are covered in forest, be it Andean cloud forest or Amazon rainforest.

Throughout these wilderness regions, there are now dozens of lodges offering you the chance to get close to nature in adventurous locations while retaining a certain level of comfort. JLA regularly inspects many of them and we take close note of their green credentials. All of the lodges quoted below have been inspected recently.

Highlands

ANDEAN CLOUD FOREST

Cloud Forest exists between 1500 and 3500 metres above sea level on the western slopes of the Ecuadorian Andes. Wet, green, vibrant and extraordinarily beautiful this type of forest is often referred to as enchanted forest. Often enshrouded in mist, the dampness gives rise to lush vegetation and an abundance of epiphytes including lichens, bromeliads and orchids. These forests are also home to a large range of animals such as woolly tapirs and spectacled bears. The diversity of bird species is incredible.

All of the following lodges are within a 2-hour drive of Quito and, if you’ve got a spare day or two in the capital, they make an excellent side trip, especially if you’re keen on birding. All of these lodges are ‘tourist class’, nothing fancy, but comfortable and with private facilities.

Termas de Papallacta Spa and Resort

Located only 67km from Quito at 3220 metres above sea level, Termas de Papallacta is located at an altitude where you’ll need to take it easy at first and let the body adjust. That’s the perfect excuse for you to slip straight into one of the thermal pools found in the garden right outside your room. Located between two volcanoes, Cayambe and Antisana, the waters are rich in minerals but clear and odourless. On a clear night, be brave and return to the pools for a spot of Andean stargazing - highly recommended!

With a setting that’s more akin to the Swiss Alps than the Andes, Termas de Papallacta isn’t strictly a "forest lodge". It is however a very relaxing place to stay and feels a world away from the big city chaos of Quito. Warning - it can be busy at weekends with families from Quito, so try to arrange your visit during the week for greater peace and tranquility!

Termas de Papallacta - 2 days, 1 night from £269 pp including transfers from Quito.

Tandayapa

Further down the valley from Bellavista, Tandayapa is situated a stone’s throw from the edge of the forest. Not being surrounded by thick vegetation allows for maximum light and open viewing from the lodge and its large deck with hummingbird feeders. Sit and enjoy your morning coffee as up to 13 species of hummingbirds stage a fly past at close proximity!

Inside, the large dining room and lounge area offer good views by day and cosy log fires by night. The flat walkways and platforms make Tandayapa ideal for those who are not keen on trail walking on uneven ground or who require wheelchair access. All of the rooms are large and practical and have picture windows.

The 6km-long Tandayapa Valley is part of the Choco Endemic Bioregion and is only an hour’s drive away from the Pedro Vicente and Mindo Cloud Forest Reserves - thus making this lodge a good base for both the novice and the experienced birder.

Tandayapa - 2 days, 1 night from £275 pp including return transfers from Quito.

Tinalandia

Again, this is excellent bird-watching territory, with around 270 species recorded around the lodge, including the famous cock-of-the-rock. Tinalandia is the oldest established of the lodges in the area and was one of the first to venture into eco-tourism. There are two main buildings, the lower one houses the dining room (warning: meals can be slow going as you’ll often be reaching for your binoculars ahead of the knife and fork), while the main lodge, situated further up the hill, houses 16 large, comfortable rooms with private facilities and a shared balcony.

Tinalandia has its own mini hydro-electric system, so there’s no problem with electricity and hot water. There are about 200 acres of primary forest and farmland to explore and there’s even a 9-hole golf course here if you fancy a round. Don’t aim to take it too seriously though as the birds are sure to distract you!

Tinalandia - 2 days, 1 night from £340 pp including return transfers from Quito

Arasha Rainforest Resort and Spa

If you’ve got limited time, want to get out of the hustle and bustle of Quito, and prefer the warmth of a lower altitude, then Arasha is the place for you. Situated in the cloud forest about 124km (2 hour’s drive) north west of Quito, the resort has a capacity for 160 people in 48 large double bungalows built in Balinese style. While that might sound large and impersonal, this resort is well landscaped, with 130 acres of lovely gardens and tropical flowers, and really doesn’t appear that big or busy.

With the numerous activities available within the grounds - fishing, swimming, bird watching, rainforest walks and river tours, Arasha has something for everyone and is ideal for families. With the husband packed off on a rainforest trail, the children enjoying the swimming pool and grotto whirlpool, you can lie back and be pampered - try the toque de cielo (a piece of heaven) - pure bliss! As you’d expect, the resort is very popular with families from Quito, so try to avoid the busy holiday and weekend periods if you can.

Arasha - 2 days, 1 night from £193 pp including return transfers from Quito.

Bellavista

They say that getting there is all part of the adventure and with Bellavista this is certainly the case. The drive there from Quito takes you along a windy, potholed road that leads way up high into the Bellavista Cloud Forest Reserve. But don’t fear, you will be handsomely rewarded - perched on a small ridge at around 2000 metres above sea level, Bellavista boasts fabulous views over the surrounding forested valleys. This is unquestionably one of "the" places to go bird watching in Ecuador and is especially good for hummingbirds.

The lodge comprises three wooden houses, accommodating 10 comfortable rooms with private facilities and heaters " it can be cold at night. One of the houses, "the dome" (see photo below), is a four-storey, thatched-roof, glassed dome, with a dining room and lounge area downstairs and bedrooms on the upper level. With feeders strategically placed in prominent positions along the verandah, you’ll be in hummingbird heaven! There are several good trails through the "enchanted forest", graded from easy to difficult - look out for the plate-billed mountain toucan on the way. With the British owner and manager living on site, Bellavista is a friendly, well-run lodge and the perfect place to discover the cloud forest - ideal for adventurers, birders and walkers alike.

Bellavista - 2 days, 1 night from £184 pp including transfers from Quito.

Lowlands

AMAZON RAINFOREST

To the east of the Andean cordillera, the land falls away into the vast green lowlands of Ecuador’s Oriente - the Amazon Basin. Much of this region still remains an untouched rainforest wilderness, with indigenous settlements strung along the tributaries of the main rivers. It is particularly good for birders, with a great diversity of species such as greater yellow-headed vultures, chestnut woodpeckers, white-winged swallows, toucans, kingfishers and many different species of macaws, parrots, parakeets and tanagers. Despite its remoteness, the Ecuadorian Amazon offers the visitor a relatively well developed and accessible tourist infrastructure. Hidden away in the Northern Oriente (Rio Napo) there is a selection of good jungle lodges based on sound ethics of environmental and cultural sensitivity and conservation. Listed below are a few of the better options.

La Casa del Suizo

La Casa del Suizo is a great place for those who want a taste of the jungle while maintaining a good level of accommodation. This is a comfortable ‘hotel’ located about one hour’s drive from Tena airstrip, a short flight from Quito. Its spectacular setting, high up on the banks of the Rio Napo, commands a fabulous view across the jungle and back to the cordillera.

With room for 150 people (in 75 rooms) this is no jungle hideaway, but it does still manage to retain a small scale feel and has excellent facilities including a wonderful swimming pool and thatched-roof open-air bar with comfy seats. The large dining room is netted and serves buffet-style meals. The rooms, with ceiling fan and private facilities, have netted windows to catch both the bugs and the breeze and there’s even a phone in reception and a small shop run by the local indigenous Ahuano people.

There are lots of different excursions available including visits to the nearby Ahuano village and boat trips to the primary rainforest across the river for good birding. This lodge combines well with the Termas de Papallacta to give you the full range of climate and vegetation, from highland cloud forest to lowland rainforest.

La Casa del Suizo - 4 days, 3 nights from £328 pp including return flights from Quito to Tena.

The journey to the following two lodges - Sacha and La Selva - is a true adventure in itself. Starting in Quito, you take a short 45-minute flight over the snowcapped Andes to the river port of Puerto Francisco de Orellana, known locally as Coca. From Coca, you transfer to the river and are taken in a motorised dugout canoe for two hours down the Rio Napo, from where it’s a short walk through the forest and paddle across a jungle lagoon to arrive to your lodge.

Sacha Lodge

The sister lodge to La Casa del Suizo, Sacha is arguably the most comfortable of the lodges found in primary rainforest. Set within a 3,200-acre private reserve and nestled on the edge of the Pichinocha Lagoon, behind the Rio Napo, Sacha’s 10 comfortable, screened bungalows are built in a rustic style. Each has 2 rooms, with private facilities and hot water, ceiling fan, two double beds and a private veranda with hammock. There is electricity for much of the day and laundry service available.

Covered walkways join the rooms with the bar and restaurant, which are perched on a thatched lookout with fabulous views over the lagoon. One of the many highlights of Sacha is to get up early and climb the 135- foot lookout tower for sunrise to watch the jungle wake up - the bright flashes of tanagers and toucans flying by, the squawks of the parrots chattering and cries of monkeys howling - it’s a wonderful experience. Equally as magical is watching the sunset from the jetty or while paddling in a dugout on the lagoon.

Sacha Lodge - 4 days, 3 nights from £457 pp including flights from Quito to Coca.

La Selva

With no electricity and bamboo-sided huts, this is back to nature and definitely the more authentic jungle experience. Storm lanterns and candles add a romantic touch - who needs electricity! (Just in case you do there is a charger in the main living room). A rustic lodge built entirely from local materials and with 20 individual cabins (each with private facilities), solar-heated showers, twin beds and mosquito nets, La Selva is a unique location.

Checking your room for any unwanted guests and ‘friendly’ spiders before gingerly clambering into bed under a mosquito net sets the tone for your jungle adventure. The communal areas are bright and comfortable and the 180-degree vista from the main lodge, set high up on the bank overlooking a lagoon, is ideal for bird watching. The butterfly farm, canopy observation tower and a flexible programme of excursions all add to the experience. For those seeking adrenalin, try the night canoe trip - paddling silently in the pitch black around the lagoon - a splash, a rustle, what is it? Too late, it’s gone. Phew!

La Selva - 4 days, 3 nights from £445 pp including return flights from Quito to Coca.

Manatee Amazon Explorer

An interesting alternative to the jungle lodges is to take a cruise along a tributary of the Amazon. The Manatee Amazon Explorer is a three-storey, flat-bottomed boat that offers 3 or 4-night cruises on the upper Rio Napo. With accommodation for 30 people in well-equipped twin cabins with private facilities, hot water and air-con, the Manatee offers a luxurious way of seeing and experiencing the jungle. There’s a bar and lounge area on the sun deck, while the lower deck holds a large dining room. Laundry facilities mean that you can even return to civilization without the muddy trousers!

Getting there, a short flight from Quito brings you to Francisco de Orellana (Coca), from where you board the ship and cruise quietly upriver towards the Yasuni Biosphere Reserve, home to a host of animal, bird and plant species. For the more active, you can paddle in a dugout canoe up small creeks or go for jungle walks. With the gentle flow of the river, stunning sunsets, stargazing and balmy moonlit nights on the water, it’s all very romantic and a great way to relax for a few days.

Manatee - 4 days, 3 nights from £520 pp. including return flights from Quito.

THE RIO PASTAZA

The Southern Oriente is the least-developed region of Ecuador’s Amazon, with limited access and tourism still very much in
its infancy. The area has retained its cultural and natural integrity due, for the most part, to the traditional mentality and fierce
independence of its indigenous people, the Shuar and Achuar.

Kapawi Lodge

Situated in the heart of the Achuar territory, Kapawi is the most remote and eco-friendly of Ecuador’s Amazon lodges. Its aim is to provide the Achuar with a project that brings their community in touch with the Western world, while keeping their identity and control of their own destiny. Currently employed by the lodge and learning how to run it, the Achuar will assume full control of this joint eco-tourism venture in 8 years time.

Accessed only by small plane on dirt runways and then by canoe, the lodge is built on stilts on the shores of Kapawi Lagoon, surrounded by pristine primary rainforest. The number of bird species recorded around the lodge area alone is a staggering 500. There are 20 double rooms, built using the traditional Achuar wood and thatch, each with private facilities, solar-heated showers, mosquito screens and a large terrace right over the lagoon - wonderful for snoozing in your hammock and watching the reflection of the stars at night.

The many excursions available are led by naturalist Achuar guides and include visits to the local communities, hikes in the rainforest, canoeing, kayaking, fishing and bird watching.

Kapawi Lodge - 4 days, 3 nights from £494 pp including flights and transfers to Montalvo.

All lodges can be incorporated into a longer tailormade itinerary to Ecuador. For further information, contact JLA on 020 8747 8315 or 0161 832 1441 

Diana Henderson is Journey Latin America’s product manager, based in our London office.