Mashpi Rainforest Biodiversity Reserve
Metropolitan Touring is proud to present the innovative Mashpi Lodge, an elegant hideaway which will redefine traditional tourism. Ready to receive its first guests in 2011, Metropolitan's newest project is for those who seek a different sort of jungle experience. Time and space will take on a different meaning as you become immersed in the deep green forest, exploring pristine landscapes such as the rainforest canopy (with the special Aerial Tram), viewing on-site cultural vestiges of the earliest rainforest dwellers, learning about the native flora and fauna and interacting with local people.
Mashpi Lodge brings together first-rate service and the singular natural and cultural wonders of the Ecuadorian rainforest. Discerning and environmentally-aware visitors will explore the remote Private Rainforest Reserve – accessible only to guests –without sacrificing comfort or style. Mashpi Lodge features impeccable service and the utmost in accommodations, facilities and dining. It is being built to the high standards necessary to qualify as one of the prestigious “Luxury Camps and Lodges of the World.”
Where is Mashpi?
The 1103 hectare (2,725 acre) Mashpi Biodiversity Reserve is rainforest, and is located in one of the most important global “hot spots” of biodiversity: the Tumbez-Chocó-Darién. Considered one of the richest on Earth, it features an exceptionally high level of endemism. Beginning in southern Panama, these lush forests extend 1,500 kilometers (932.1 miles), southward along the western flank of the Andes Mountains, including the Pacific coasts of Colombia and Ecuador. Mashpi Lodge features year-round access and activities.
The Mashpi Biodiversity Reserve is easily accessible, located only two and a half hours to the northwest of Ecuador’s beautifully preserved capital city of Quito via paved and secondary roads.
Explore
Explore Ecuador's Rainforest World
"The big trees of the forest are very powerful," claims my Achuar guide Gilberto, standing in the shadow of a mammoth ceiba tree. "All plants and trees are people, but you can't see them normally. The tall ceiba earns great respect, but is also dangerous for newly born children. It whispers to them and makes them ill." He pauses and arches his neck back to look at the tree's top, some 40 m (130 ft) up in the canopy.
Walking through the forest with Gilberto, the green and brown morass of decay and destruction in turn comes alive. After an hour on a trail, his knowledge of plants, flowers, animals, myths and customs turns what seems like an impenetrable mass of life and death into a forest of revelation.
Dream world
In common with many other Amazonian peoples, the Achuar, who are part of the jívaro linguistic family, don't separate the waking world from the dream world, the "real" from the "spiritual." They use hallucinogens such as naatam, known more commonly as ayahuasca, or "the truth vine" Banisteriopsis caapi, under the guidance of a shaman for ritual trance purposes, a practice not recommended for the uninitiated.
"When you take naatam, the forest comes alive." For most people, the forest itself is hallucinogen enough. Although the missionaries have done their best to banish shamanism and prohibit the use of the forest's hallucinogens, both practices are still integral to the older generation of Achuar.
Further on, Gilberto points out an arrow-leafed plant carpeting the forest floor. "The shishin speaks kind words while you are in a trance. It is very friendly. The shamans brush it over the body of a patient, chasing bad spirits." Another plant, chirikiaspi, gives the hunter strength and fortifies the lungs to be able to shoot monkeys high in the canopy with a blow pipe. "It also anaesthetizes the body," explains Gilberto, "making you feel numb and able to walk for days without much food," which is exactly what the Achuar use it for: their territory is the size of Belgium or Maryland.
During the afternoon we sit on a little wooden bench drinking nijiamanch, a slightly acidic, yeasty, milky-white broth. It is made by one the village women by chewing up manioc and spitting it into a big, earthenware pot where it ferments for a few days. It is said that this "beer" or chicha as it's known in most of the country after its Quechua name, tastes of the woman who makes it. As practiced beer drinkers, we had no trouble quaffing it down from bowls continually refilled by the local shaman's first wife. Following Achuar custom, we carefully avoided looking her in the eye as she served us.
The Amazon Experience
Drinking strange beer, taking herbal teas, eating new foods, and learning about the day-to-day lives of the Indians of Ecuador's rainforest is a worthwhile and humbling experience. It is worthwhile as an opportunity to glimpse a way of life different in almost every respect to that with which we are familiar. Also because revenues from tourism undoubtedly play a part in protecting the fragile forests. Humbling because we are confronted with a totally alien environment which most of us would be unable to cope with alone and unaided. Most people come away from meeting jungle peoples in awe of their self-reliance and their apparently simple, uncluttered lives. Most regard their jungle trips as among their most lasting memories.
The Ecuadorian Amazon options
One of the most positive developments in the last years in Ecuador has been the development and consolidation of community-based and community-benefiting tourism. There are several excellent initiatives that Metropolitan Touring works with.
We also take guests to lodges that have large nature reserves where the chances of spotting the rainforest's elusive creatures are high. Sacha Lodge's canopy walkway, for instance, is an amazing structure that young and old enjoy no end, allowing one to appreciate the forest from a unique perspective. We also arrange tours aboard the Manatee Amazon Explorer boat, which takes passengers on cruises of varying days along the Napo River, an Amazon tributary, offering yet another perspective on this region's great riches.
Amazon Rainforest - Ecuador
Ecuador's rainforest is located in the heart of the world's largest and most famous tropical rainforest, the Amazon Basin. A short flight, or a descent by road down the flanks of the Andes, leads modern explorers and adventurers along the same routes the first Spanish Conquerors ventured through in their search of El Dorado or the land of Cinnamon... and found the mighty River Amazon instead.
Accessibility
Ecuador's portion of the Amazon is regarded as the most accessible of all the countries that share the Basin. Leaving Quito in the morning, you can be swinging in a hammock at your chosen lodge by lunchtime. The country is also a continent-leader in nature- and community-based tourism initiatives, where the value of the forest and of its inhabitants' heritage has been recognised and prized above its short-term exploitation. By visiting the rainforest and staying at responsible lodges, you are actively contributing to its conservation for future generations - and of course, exploring one of the planet's most fascinating ecosystems.
Explorations and Discoveries
Our Ecuadorian Amazon itineraries offer environmentally-conscious programs for all ages, enjoyed in safety and comfort with reliable operators and experienced naturalist guides: explore the rain forest on treks on terra firma forest beneath the gigantic Amazon trees, along boardwalks crossing palm swamps and up observation towers for a close look at the forest canopy. Take to native dugout canoes to paddle up rivers and creeks, or start early for birdwatching outings. Climb canopy towers or walkways for wonderful perspectives of the forests and its denizens... A new, green world awaits.
Metropolitan Touring is currently developing a new lodge, Mashpi Rainforest Biodiversity Reserve, located on the western, Pacific, slopes of the Andes. The reserve harbours some 1,000 hectares of cloud- and rainforest, and is located a mere two hours' drive from the capital, Quito. Find out more here.
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