Bellavista Cloud Forest Reserve day trips from Quito

Every Day

Departures

1 Day Trip

Duration

Guide excursions

Trip Includes

All-inclusive

Package Type

Bellavista Cloud Forest Reserve & Lodge Day Trip

Less than 1 hour 45 minutes from the heart of Quito city, or 1 hour from the Mitad Del Mundo Equator monument.

Bellavista is a private reserve of 700 hectares, at the top of the famed Tandayapa Valley, near Mindo, in an area that has won the highest 24 hour bird count in 2006, 2007, and 2008 in the Audubon Christmas Bird Count for the Americas. Bellavista is a dream come true, not just for us, but for every nature lover and bird-watcher whose imagination is stimulated by the idea of a Cloud Forest.

Started by a Colombo – British couple, Gloria and Richard, in 1991, what was initially a 55 hectare reserve has now become a certified ecolodge with a 700 hectare private reserve, the land owned by Gloria and Richard and a handful of like-minded conservationists.

Activities: Short hikes, birdwatching, wildlife and natue viewing.
Age range: 1 yr – active 60’s.
Trip Style: Soft adventure.
Package Type: All-inclusive.
Start Date: Every day (minimum 2 pax)

DEPARTURE LOCATION	Quito
RETURN LOCATION	Quito
DEPARTURE TIME	From your Quito Hotel at 6:15 – 6:30 AM
RETURN TIME	From the reserve at 14:30 – 15:00 PM
WEAR	Comfortable clothing, hiking shoes, hat, jacket and sunscreen.
INCLUDED	Round trip transport from Quito Breakfast and lunch. Guided naturalist hike (English and Spanish spoken) within the reserve (botany, birds, cloud forest ecology) Taxes.
NOT INCLUDED	Expenses not specified in the program. Soft-drinks and alcoholic beverages. Tips & Extras.

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Why choose Bellavista Cloud Forest?

Cloud forests, correctly termed pre-montane/subtropical rain forests, cloak the steep slopes of the Andes from about 900 meters to about 2500 meters. They are forests of high biodiversity, with a profusion of little-studied wildlife and plants.

The Reserve’s goal is to educate the public about the significance of biodiversity in tropical cloud forests and the ever increasing importance of protecting these unique ecosystems. Bellavista and the Tandayapa Valley boasts over 330 recorded species of birds… and the list continues to grow! The Tanager-finch, Giant Antpitta, Swallow-tailed Nightjar, Plush-capped Finch, Beautiful Jay, and White-faced Nunbird are all found here.

Birders and nature lovers alike thrill to the sight of brightly colored tanagers and the Plate-billed Mountain-Toucan, and everybody loves to simply sit in our four-story dome and admire the multitude of hummingbirds hovering around our feeders.

Bellavista’s resident mammals include the endangered Spectacled Bear, (recently captured by one of our “Camera Traps”), as well as the puma, Andean coati and tayra, and of course the newly discovered Olinguito! to name a few.

We’ll pick you up at your hotel at 6:15 – 6:30 AM, and travel past the Ecuador Monument , and on down a mountain road with sublime views, after that kill on a dirt road with awesome perspectives for our climb to Bellavista.

Once at Bellavista, the hummingbirds will take our complete attention! Large numbers hover constantly around the feeders, and it is easy to distinguish six to eight species or more at short proximity. Sometimes they will even perch on your finger

After breakfast we go for a guided naturalist hike into the cloud forest, of about 2 to 3 hours.

Your guided hike will familiarize you with the overflowing vegetation of the Cloud Forest, its bird life, and the intriguing adjustments to life in this unique condition. Each hike uncovers something new notwithstanding for those of us who are sufficiently lucky to live in the forest every day!

Lunch is served in our new bamboo restaurant, with amazing perspectives towards Pichincha Volcano. After lunch, you will have the alternative to unwind and watch the hummers and other brilliant species outside the Trogon’s Lounge or take yourselves on another natural hike into the Cloud Forest. The trails are all around checked and safe, and your vehicle will expect you back at the Lodge to leave between 15:00 PM to return you to Quito.

NOTE: For a moderate extra cost, we can pick you up or drop you off at the Quito airport – please enquire.

Please be aware that the prices vary consistently due to the last minute deals, so in order to GET THE BEST PRICE for the dates you desire please fill out the request form below.

After doing so, we will send you the absolute best prices for the dates that you indicate.