There are places you visit and places that visit you back — that settle into your memory and quietly refuse to leave. Mashpi Lodge, a luxury eco-lodge set within a private 2,500-acre reserve northwest of Quito, Ecuador’s capital, is firmly the second kind. Equal parts glass-and-steel architectural marvel and untamed wilderness, it sits suspended in the clouds of the Chocó bioregion, one of the most biodiverse corners of the planet. This is our full Mashpi Lodge review — everything you need to know before you book.
What Is Mashpi Lodge?
Nestled in the enchanting heart of Ecuador’s breathtaking cloud forest, Mashpi Lodge is only 60 miles (100 kilometers) northwest of Quito. Don’t let that distance fool you: the journey takes around three hours, and the final stretch along a winding dirt road through dense vegetation is part of the magic — an unwinding ritual that prepares you for what’s waiting at the top.
Eco-friendly hotel Mashpi Lodge is a modern monolith of recycled steel, tropical wood and glass hidden in cloud forest in Ecuador’s Andean foothills. It was built in sustainable style by former Quito mayor Roque Sevilla, on land wrested from loggers. That origin story matters: this isn’t just a hotel that happens to be in a forest. It is a conservation project that happens to have stunning rooms.
The Setting: A Cloud Forest Like No Other
Perched at 900 m (3,116 feet) above sea level and surrounded by lower montane rainforest and cloud forest, Mashpi Lodge is surrounded by a profusion of plant species, from ferns and bromeliads to hundreds of orchid species, many newly-discovered. A staggering 500 species of bird — including some 36 endemics — are estimated to inhabit the forest, fluttering through the canopy. Monkeys, peccaries and even puma make their homes inside the Reserve, crisscrossed with waterfalls between dramatic, verdant hills.
The Chocó bioregion straddles the border of Ecuador and Colombia and is considered one of the top five biodiversity hotspots on Earth. What that means in practice: you will see things here that don’t exist anywhere else on the planet.
Things to Do at Mashpi Lodge
This is where Mashpi sets itself apart from luxury hotels that happen to be in nice locations. The activities here aren’t excursions you bolt on — they are the core of the experience.
The Dragonfly Gondola is the lodge’s signature adventure: the 1.5-mile ride floats through the Mashpi Rainforest Biodiversity Reserve for approximately two hours. The point of departure is a cable car station about ten minutes’ walking from the resort and there is room for four guests plus a guide on each trip. Suspended above the forest canopy in an open gondola, watching the clouds roll through the treetops below you, it’s the kind of experience that redefines what travel can feel like.
The Sky Bike is equally unforgettable. Two people at a time sit on a machine that moves along a cable, the one in back pedaling and the other just taking in the view. The seats even swivel around to get a different perspective.
Birdwatching is extraordinary even for non-birders. Twitchers should scale the 26-meter observation tower — a ten-minute walk away — from where toucans, parrots, and other intriguing birds can be seen. The Hummingbird Station, a clearing where dozens of hummingbirds feed in a blur of iridescent color, is one of the most viscerally joyful things you can do in Ecuador.
Night hikes reveal a completely different forest: bioluminescent fungi glowing on fallen logs, scorpions and tree frogs illuminated by headlamps, the jungle alive in ways daylight conceals.
The Butterfly House (Mariposario) is a living kaleidoscope — a glass enclosure filled with species continuously cultivated on-site, many found only in this corner of the world.
The Life Centre, Mashpi’s research station, is where the science happens. You may even get to see the newly discovered Mashpi Glass Frog, a new member of Ecuador’s lengthy species list, endemic to Mashpi. Guided visits with the resident biologist are among the most intellectually rewarding parts of any stay.
The Food: Better Than You’d Expect in the Middle of Nowhere
Mealtimes at Mashpi are far better than you would expect in such an isolated location at the end of a long dirt road. The dramatic dining room, with a ceiling several floors above, has picture windows facing out to the forest and the passing misty clouds.
Menus change daily and highlight Ecuadorian ingredients and regional flavors. Each meal offers both refined and relaxed options. The flavors are fresh, creative, and beautifully presented. Breakfast is a buffet and lunch also offers a salad bar.
Dinner is the showstopper: a formal à la carte experience where dishes like rack of lamb with Ecuadorian root vegetables or mountain garlic fettuccine arrive beautifully plated in a room where you can watch clouds pass through the trees outside your window.
Service, by unanimous agreement across reviews, is exceptional. What really stood out throughout the Mashpi Lodge was the level of service. Within hours of arriving they were greeting me by name and graciously leading me to ‘my’ table.
Sustainability: More Than a Marketing Claim
Established in 2001, Mashpi Reserve protects 2,500 hectares of pristine tropical forests; this rich biomass acts as offset for Mashpi Lodge, which has been a completely carbon-neutral property since 2017.
Supporting local communities, 55% of employees are from nearby areas, 13% of food is sourced locally, and women entrepreneurs benefit from sustainable enterprise initiatives. Educational programs impact 333 students and offer adult education and tourism guide certifications.
This is not greenwashing. The conservation infrastructure at Mashpi — the research station, the parabiologist training program, the biological corridors — is real, independently certified, and ongoing.
How to Get to Mashpi Lodge
The lodge runs a shared transfer from Quito (departing from the sister property, Casa Gangotena Boutique Hotel in the historic center) that takes approximately three to three-and-a-half hours. Private transfers are also available at an additional cost. The final 30–45 minutes of the journey are on unpaved roads — comfortable enough in a 4WD transfer vehicle, though those with significant back or neck issues should take note.
Pro tip: Mashpi Lodge can be combined with a stay at Casa Gangotena in Quito and the Finch Bay Galapagos Hotel in Santa Cruz, creating one of the most complete Ecuador itineraries imaginable — colonial city, cloud forest, and the Galápagos all in one trip.
Mashpi Lodge is one of those rare places where the reality exceeds the expectation — and given how high the expectation is before you arrive, that is saying something. The combination of world-class biodiversity, thoughtful architecture, genuine sustainability, exceptional food, and warm service makes it not just the best eco-lodge in Ecuador, but one of the finest nature hotels in the world.
If Ecuador is on your radar — and after reading this, it should be — Mashpi Lodge belongs at the top of your list.
