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. |
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.