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If you go

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An inviting outdoor terrace on the third floor serves as an intimate retreat with stunning views. The contemporary interior, by Diego Arteta, feels at once warm and clean lined. The lodges 22 rooms accommodate up to 44 guests. Among the offerings are three suites featuring tubs- with-a-view.

HOW TO GET THERE Mashpi Lodge is kilometers northwest of the capital of Quito, about three hours drive from Mariscal Sucre International Airport.

THINGS TO DOThe resort is situated on a , - hectare private reserve, surrounded by a new, , - hectare municipal r eserve, in a patch of biodiverse Andean rain and cloud forest called the Choc. Atypical day includes guided excursions through out the reserve. Local guides lead day and night time hikes, to their own butterfly house or through the surrounding cloud forest. The Mashpi Rainforest Biodiversity Reserv e is home to between

and bird species, suchas toucans and motmots; thousands of varieties of insects and orchids; as well as monkeys, peccaries and even pumas. What sets Mashpi apart from other luxury wilderness lodges in the region is its access to remote parts of the reserve and the canopy the most species-rich segment of the forest via sophisticated skyways. An aerial gondola, opening in November, connects one mountain to the next, and allows for leisurely open-air viewing with minimal impact on the forest. Theres also an aerial bicycle, a sort of slow-moving two-wheeler perched on a zip line, which resort owner Roque Sevilla developed from a drawing inPopular Mechanics.

FOOD AND D INING The cuisine emphasizes hyperlocavorism. Sta ff in the on-site gourmet kitchen forage, grow their own herbs, process chocolate from the local cacao trees, and opt for bio-dynamic foods like pineapple and passion fruit, which they serve in multi-course con-temporary and Ecuadorian menus, paired with South American wines.

Rates at Mashpi Lodge are $, per person for two nights/three days and include all meals, transportation and guided excursions. mashpilodge.com.