Mashpi Lodge and Galapagos

My recent trip to Ecuador began with a a journey from Quito to Mashpi Lodge.  The drive takes about 3.5 hours on a good day and the last hour or so is on an unpaved road.   The area had gotten heavy rains in the weeks before I arrived and there were signs of many recent landslides along the road.  About 1.5 hours into the drive, the traffic came to a stop and we learned that there had been another landslide.  If this happened in the US (or many other places), it would have taken quite awhile to clear the road of the dirt, rocks and downed trees, but this isn't Ecuador's first rodeo.  They have heavy machinery placed at intervals along the road and in less than 1.5 hours, the road was clear and traffic was moving in both directions.  After this introduction to the country, I was happy to arrive at such a peaceful spot.  Mashpi Lodge (the small building you can see on the bottom left in the photo above) was built in 2012 in an area that was formerly used for logging.   The cloud forest has regenerated in amazing ways and hiking around the property gives you the feeling that you are in a forest that has been there longer than time...but in fact, most of the trees are less than 20 years old.   Mashpi Lodge has cared for the land and studied the creatures that live here....and found species here that hadn't been known to science before.  It is a wonderful place to explore. 

Your stay at Mashpi includes your meals and activities.  Most days you are scheduled for 2 excursions, some days 3.  You are assigned to a small group of fellow guests and you have at least one guide with you at all times.  Activities can be adjusted to your activity level, but to get the most out of the experience, I think you need to be reasonably fit.  Children are welcome here and the excursions can be adjusted for different age groups.   There were guests from about 5 years old to probably 80 years old.  The trails are well maintained, but it often rains and the paths can be slippery and muddy (they give you rubber boots to wear for the duration of your stay).  My first afternoon, I went on a short hike (about 1 hour).  The next day, I hiked to the observation tower and sky bike---an invention where you are seated in a carriage and you pedal across a zipline to one platform and back to your starting point taking in a bird's eye view along the way.  I also hiked through a river to a beautiful waterfall----an experience I would have every day of my stay but visiting new and larger waterfalls each day.  One morning our group had breakfast in the hummingbird gardens and had probably 100 birds join us.  We hiked one evening to see the nocturnal creates of the forest.  In between, you could rest or have a spa treatment (I had a wonderful coffee body scrub).  

The lodge building itself is full of windows so you feel like you are in the forest (but with no bugs).   The food is amazing and there is more variety than you would imagine for being in the middle of nowhere.  My guide Andreas was amazing the staff were all extremely helpful----this is a luxury property.  I spent 3 nights and that is the minimum of nights I would recommend since it is a journey from Quito and you want to be able to explore as much of the forest as possible.  I think 3 or 4 nights is the perfect amount for most people.    

I headed back to Quito and included with my HX Expedition was a 2 night hotel stay and a full day city tour before we headed to Galapagos.  I chose a 4 night sailing that went to the Northern islands of Galapagos.   The Galapagos Islands have a lot of biodiversity and the terrain and creatures can change quite a bit in a short distance.  One reason I chose this itinerary is that it visits the area where Galapagos penguins live---who doesn't love penguins :) 

The pace of the expedition was pretty fast paced.  There was typically at least one morning excursion and one afternoon excursion to choose from.  Due to Galapagos park regulations, we needed to be back on board before dark (6pm for my expedition).   I did a a mixture of beach, glass bottom boat, hiking, panga boat, kayaking and snorkeling excursions.  I certainly wasn't bored!  The HX ship is very comfortable and it is on the larger side for Galapagos cruise lines (it can hold about 90 guests), but that size helps with the motion of the ocean---it is more stable than the smaller boats.  There was a small science lab and library on board and the naturalists and guides on board took turns giving lectures each night (all were very interesting).  

No matter what excursion you went on, you saw birds...lots of birds.   Some of the birds were more interesting than others. The most interesting for me was the male frigate bird that inflates the red part of their chest to attract a female mate.  It is a unique sight.  There are also quite a few sea lions and Galapagos fur seals on the islands and when zoomed in with my camera lens, you can see that most were sleeping peacefully when we were visiting (aren't they cute!).  

The Galapagos can be explored many different ways---from a ship or a hotel on land.  I'm happy to help you decide on the best way for you to explore this beautiful land. Please mention code "adventure" in the month of April 2025 for an exclusive perk for booking your Galapagos trip with Unraveled Travel, LLC.  

Please note:  enjoy these wildlife photos, but do not share or use them for your own purposes.