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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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Service
The immersive experience that Mashpi Lodge offers relies on excellent service. This begins as soon as you start your journey to the hotel. Drivers are locals with an intimate knowledge of the area, pointing out landmarks and sharing the history of villages you drive through. Upon arrival, a welcome party takes your bags and serves you the drink of the day (from lemon grass to elderflower teas). Before lunch and check-in, there’s a welcome briefing where you’re introduced to the hotel manager and the resident biologist, as well as given information on the lodge, the activities and facilities available, and the agenda for the rest of the day.
Service at the restaurant and bar is conversational and warm. With nearly 70 per cent of staff hailing from the local area, the team are the beating heart of Mashpi with unique insights into the region. The guides in particular have academic knowledge of the area’s wildlife, plants and biodiversity, and are a walking encyclopedia when out on excursions. In most cases, you’ll be in a mixed group with strangers but the guides make everyone comfortable with hikes tailored to the collective group’s interests and abilities. Guests are never made to feel ignorant, with every question receiving an enthusiastic answer.
But it’s not just guests that need looking after, with the hotel itself requiring constant upkeep by staff owing to the unique, humid conditions of the rainforest. From constantly washing the windows and walls, to regular pruning of the canopy so as not to invade the lodge, the property also benefits from some TLC.
Bed and bath
Floor-to-ceiling glass windows create a striking effect in each of the 25 rooms and suites. A calm oasis in the middle of the rainforest, the Scandi-inspired interior doesn’t detract from the canopy itself. Think teak wood bed frames and headboards, rustic orange lounge chairs and white linen floor lamps. The utilitarian rooms feature a long desk and chair, a good size wardrobe, and minimalist white and wood bathrooms. There are generously-sized single person rooms, twin rooms, doubles and three luxurious suites, complete with standing bathtubs looking out into the cloud forest.
Mashpi’s “wayra” rooms can be interconnected for families or large groups. The rooms are spread over three levels of the lodge, offering a forest floor, canopy or “above” view. Sleep with the blind half down and the window slightly open to enjoy the extraordinary experience of waking up to canopy life. Hair dryers, a safe, towels and biodegradable toiletries are all provided, with a complimentary drying service available for your clothes after each expedition. The only TV in the lodge is in the library for evening briefings, with the hotel encouraging guests to connect with nature instead.
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Food and drink
Owing to its isolated location, Mashpi’s restaurant has a captive audience. But it’s risen to the challenge, with a truly standout three-course dinner menu. The dishes are Ecuadorian-inspired with nearly 80 per cent of the ingredients sourced from the surroundings. As well as seafood ceviches, octopus and beef shank pastas, asparagus and aubergine vegetarian options, expect innovative dishes like matcha mousse, coconut tartare or duck amuse bouche. The menu changes each night, and a small taster always kicks off proceedings.
Lunch is also exceptional, with a light sandwich menu or three-course meal and salad buffet. Breakfast is a smorgasbord of fresh fruit, Ecuadorian pastries and bread (from cassava bread to bacon corn dumplings) while an à la carte menu includes hot dishes like omelettes.
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A small bar is tucked into the corner of the restaurant and there’s a happy hour before dinner with half-price cocktails. All the drinks are beautifully presented and intricately made – try the spicy guava margarita for a ginger kick and the deliciously fresh, celery-based summer tanager mojito. The wine selection is an exhaustive list from around the world, but the silky and citrusy Ecuadorian Chardonnay vino really showcases the best of the country’s wine-making.
Facilities
Mashpi combines luxurious facilities with a cloud forest playground. Most guests stay two or three nights, so the hotel encourages you to utilise every hour, whether it’s a treatment in the spa, an hour in the hot tub that looks out to the canopy, use of the yoga deck or a couple’s massage at a waterfall (is there any better honeymoon activity?)
For expeditions, you’re equipped with wellies, ponchos, walking sticks, drawstring bags and reusable water bottles, with expert guides on hand to accompany you on hiking trails for all abilities. The howler monkey and magnolia trails are the two main routes; both are mostly flat and good for spotting wildlife like monkeys or even sloths. There are also waterfall hikes and night trails that expose you to nocturnal animals and plants.
The lodge is famous for its dragonfly, an open-air gondola that offers unrivalled views of the forest as it takes you through and above the canopy. Accompanied by your guide, it can be stopped at any moment to observe wildlife, or at any of the six supporting towers for guests to continue their hike on foot. The two-person skybike and 85ft observation tower also offer aerial views of the forest, while the life centre is a must-visit for bird watchers. The viewing platform looks out onto the valley where endemic species like Choco toucans, tanagers and Guayaquil woodpeckers can be observed.
Don’t forget to step inside the butterfly farm, too, where you’ll learn about the life cycle of butterflies while myriad species flutter around you. The life centre is central to Mashpi’s conservation efforts. Three species of orchid have been discovered while more than 200 species of butterflies have been identified.
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Accessibility
The public areas and the ground floor Wayra Rooms are wheelchair accessible. The terrain surrounding the lodge can be tricky to navigate for those who have difficulty walking.
Pet policy
Pets are not allowed at Mashpi to preserve the natural habitat.
Check in/check out?
Guests arrive at 12:30pm for lunch, then check-in at 2pm. Check out is at 11am and transfers leave the hotel at 11:30am.
Family-friendly?
Yes, there are guided tours available for families, as well as large or interconnecting rooms.
At a glance
Best thing: Complete immersion in the cloud forest.
Perfect for: Nature enthusiasts.
Not right for: Party people or those on a budget.
Instagram from: The balcony overlooking the restaurant, the outdoor viewing platform or in the dragonfly (everywhere you look is a stunning photo).
Address: Reserva Privada Mashpi, Mashpi 150150, Ecuador.
Phone: +1 844-738-5895
Website: mashpilodge.com
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