Maquipucuna

Wonderful experience. Long walk in the trail but we were lucky to see 3 bears. We can also spend time in the nearby river and waterfall. Highly recommended this place for the bear sightings

Both the reserve and ecolodge are amazing. We stayed at the Ayllu House for two nights. The accommodations were beyond our expectations. The food was excellent and they were very easily able to accommodate my vegetarian diet. The views were spectacular. We went on guided tours with both Mauricio and Isabel and cannot believe how much they both know about the area. We are planning to return during the bear season and stay for a bit a longer to explore the area more.

Amazing Reserve with an amazing mission and story. Accommodations, hikes, biodiversity and the lush nature of it all were truly spectacular. Definitely recommend this place.

My friend and I stayed here in November and absolutely loved it. My friend is in their 70's and I'm in my 30's. I loved the bear treks, but my friend a harder time keeping up.
If hiking isn't your thing don't let that stop you from going. There are plenty of self guided trails for you to enjoy at your own pace.
The lodge is magical. Hummingbirds galore and you get to enjoy watching them while you eat the delicious food prepared by the lodge. The dining area and all of the lodge, accept your room, is open air. It is fantastic.

Mauricio and all of the trail guides were amazing. I was able to see the spectacled bear three different times. Along with toucans, a Quetzal and so much more. They were always pointing out things a long the way.

Lori is an amazing host and also took us on a really fun night hike to find bioluminescence. Again, magical! She made sure all our needs were accommodated. Liking making sure we had fresh laundry before we headed to Quito. Thank you so much for being so warm and welcoming. We truly loved our stay.

I'd like to give a final thank you to Angel. He was our transportation to and from Quito. We couldn't have had a better driver for the two hour trip. He helped me with my terrible Spanish and made it fun:)

If you love nature, good food and good people this is a place you shouldn't miss. I hope I get the chance to return someday.

Amazing lodge in the middle of the cloud forest of Ecuador.

We spendt 5 days in Maquipucuna and everything was perfect. The reserve is a birdwatching paradise with incredible lush vegetation and many animals to see. The food is delicious, the housing super confortable and every person working on or with the lodge is great. I would particularly recommend our guide Mauricio who made our stay really special by helping us spotting birds such as tucans, quetzals and others.

Overall it was an amazing experience and I would recommend not only coming to Maquipucuna but also staying for more than a day or two.

For those wondering, yes Maquipucuna is completely safe from the political turmoil of Ecuador. It is far away from the coast and surrounded by a quiet web of welcoming rural communities.

Maquipucuna is a magical place. It is one of the most biodiverse places in the world. Seriously, we saw so many beautiful plants, birds, and butterflies! My wife and I stayed here for our honeymoon and it was spectacular. Arcenio was an amazing guide who can spot any bird from a mile away. Angel was so kind. Isabel had a passion for nature and her guests. They all made our stay very special. I can't wait till we can come back!

We only spent one day here, but it was great. In addition to the bear, we saw choco toucans, hummingbirds, and aracaris. We wish we had stayed longer as the wildlife is plentiful, the accommodation is gorgeous and the staff is super friendly. Isabel was great host and organized our day trip on short notice. She was friendly, understanding, and a pleasure to talk to. Arecenio was an excellent guide, so we recommend requesting him before your stay. As well as tracking the bears, he taught us how to take pictures with his lens. He also helped us spot some birds we were particularly interested in.

I'm an entomologist and so Bugs are naturally more interesting to me than birds. But whether you like birds, bugs, or culture, the Maquipucuna Reserve is a gem outside the main city boffins quito. You can even get there and back to Quito in a day trip

Maquipucuna was a perfect first cloud forest experience. The lodging was so nice and comfortable and the food was fantastic. The staff was so caring and we felt so at home we did not want to leave after our four days were over. We saw many beautiful birds and butterflies on our walks, learned about medicinal and edible plants, and even went on a night walk where we saw lots of cool bugs. Definitely came back with a greater appreciation of bugs after this trip! Our guide Arcenio and resident entomologist Nancy were so knowledgeable and made it an great learning experience for us.

The hosts are excellent. A delicious lunch and a nice 1 hour hike through the forest.

Really beautiful place to spend time in nature. Family owned and run with a really personal touch and managed by people with a genuine interest in conservation. Bird watching and night hikes were wonderful and the property has many trails to explore. Food was delicious, and I'm saying that as a vegetarian who sometimes has a hard time with that here! Highly recommend.

Maquipucuna is a beautiful place, and the ecolodge is a fantastic experience. We stayed 3 days, 2 nights, and saw an incredible number of different birds, an Andian Bear, bats, frogs, lizards, and many fascinating insects/arachnids. We had the pleasure of going on hikes with 2 separate guides, both of which were vastly knowledgeable about not just the incredible number of bird species in the area, but of the plant life and local animals and bugs as well. We were lucky enough to also go on a night walk with Isabel, which was incredible (ask your guide about a night walk) we saw so many things and learned a lot of fun information. Our room was spacious, clean, and pleasant, with a beautiful view from each window. The food was delicious, and everyone working there was friendly and helpful. Any time we come to Ecuador in the future, this will be a definite stop.

We just came back from there and already want go be back soon 😍
The owner made us feel more than welcome and comfortable, the food was delicious.
We went w/ our 1 year old 👶 and even thou we didnt go for the medium-hard trecking experience , we saw a bear 🐻 footprint recently spotted, made birdwatching, and had an amazing time at the waterfall .
Highly recommended ⭐

Nuestra anfitriona hizo de nuestra breve estadía un medio día muy especial, con un café de su propia cosecha, buena comida yavistamiento de huella de oso 😍 .
Recomiendo quedarse el mayor tiempo posible, lo vale ⭐

We had a great experience at Maquipucuna! Although we missed the bears, we saw fabulous birds, had good guides and delicious food. The lodge is comfortable but rustic, and it is isolated in the cloud forest with only the sounds of the birds and the river. Dedicated people and good work supporting the preservation of this amazing habitat - ecotourism at its best!

So exciting that we got to visit while the Andean bears were in the area, what a wonderful experience. Everything at Maquipucuna was top notch, the guides, the food, the accommodations, the staff. Wish I stayed longer, hope to make it back someday.

It is a brethtaking place full of live, full of nature. It is a rain forest reserve which has about 400 of birds species, lots of mamals, insects, plants, butterfly, etc. See you there soon it's superb...

Nice place to come with family. It's really green and the birds are always chirping. Lovely, huh?

Amazing experience! Beautiful area, truly life changing. Be sure to get the cacao massage :)

Wonderful staff, extensive hiking trails, beuatiful views of the cloud forest!

So beautiful! Good food, good service and good price