ECUADOR

February 8 - 28, 2008

What a rugged country!

We just returned from 3 weeks in the north east and west portions of Ecuador.

We went from the Amazon lowlands to 4400 meters at Papallacta Pass where we had snow and ice. We stayed at 4 different lodges located in different habitats.

We left our camper at La Laguna Sta Maria del Oro at our friends home in Nayarit, Mexico and travelled by bus with Ben Wassink to Mexico City where we caught a flight to Quito.

The next morning we took a short domestic flight to Coca where we were met by the Sacha Lodge staff.

We took a fast motor boat ride down the huge Napo River for 2 1/2 hours, walked a kilometer to a canoe landing where we were paddled across a small lake to the hidden lodge. The next 5 days were spent birding, canoeing to different locations, climbing a tower wound around a huge Kapok tree, climbing a metal tower and walking the swing bridge above the jungle canopy. The swinging cable bridge was very stable but still was a challenge for Irene as she is not that great on moveable structures.

Another day was spent travelling to where the Parrots gather to eat clay to aid their digestion - this was quite spectacular. Here we saw many species of birds, monkeys, many varieties of trees.

After our flight back to Quito we were met the next morning by our driver (Nestor and his new large van) and guide (Galo). They were with us for the next two weeks as we travelled to our other locations. Galo was very nice, hard working and very knowledgeable and Nestor was very friendly and an excellent driver. We enjoyed both of them.

We spent time at Yanacocha, Paramo, Papallacta Pass area, Tandayapa area, Antisana Reserve at Guacamayos, Loreto Road and around the trails of the Lodges. Needless to say we got lots of exercise and sometimes it was not easy as the altitude ranged from 2200 to 4400m. Some days the rain did not make it easy and the trails became muddy and slippery. We then would move to walking
the roads.

We did have a lot of rain and there were many small slides along the roads and waterfalls appeared where there had not been any the day before. Since we were at a higher altitude the temperatures were cool and we only went without jackets at Napo River and Loreto Road area as these were at lower elevations.

The scenery was stunning, rugged and all shades of green. We saw snow covered
mountains, heavy rain clouds and some sun (not as much as we would have liked)

The Lodges that we stayed at after Sacha were Tandayapa Bird Lodge, Guango Lodge and San Isidro Lodge.

The only Lodge that we do not recommend is Tandayapa Bird Lodge, near Mindo and Bellavista. The lodge is only accessible by a 60-70m (77 steps) climb from the parking lot, since it is about 2300m the climb is not easy and you have to stop to get your breath. This is the worst arrangement we have seen for accommodation.

The lodge was also cold and they kept all doors and windows open. We did close them once and we noticed it was warmer but the volunteers (not Ecuadorians but Canadians) opened them again.

The fireplace was not usable and the humidity was 100%.

The Lodge is known for their hummingbird feeders. The feeders were extremely busy but we also noticed the owners had not planted any flowering plants only leafy green ones and the birds were totally dependent on the feeders for their sugar. The food here was good but the best was their soups.

Guango and San Isidro are sister lodges. The Guango lodge was at a higher altitude on the east slope and small and cosy, also cold and the dishes and cutlery were ice cold. Chris ate with his gloves on once. They did try to light a fire in the fireplace but they were not too proficient at it. The wood was stored in a damp place so there was a lot of smoke. They did try to warm it up. A river was near the Lodge where we got to see a family of Torrent Ducks. The many trails were nicely groomed.

At the San Isidro lodge we had cabins with two suites each.

It was also about 100% humidity as nothing dried. It is a very pretty setting with easy access to the road for walking and trails around the area. At this Lodge we had gourmet meals - just excellent and presented with much care and explanation of each dish.

We saw a new species of owl and in total we saw 369 species of birds and other wildlife including Red Howler Monkeys, Pygmy Marmaset Monkeys and Chris saw an Ocelot. We did not see any snakes.

We had a great time, but we were tired when we arrived back in La Laguna after an 11 hours bus trip from Mexico City and an hour taxi ride from Tepic.