Bellavista Cloud Forest Reserve

Wednesday, October 13.

I didn’t sleep well, as there was a screaming baby in the room next door, probably from ear and elevation problems. Up at 5:30, got organized, had breakfast and left my backpack in storage for when I come back.

I was picked up at 6:30 at Casa De Sol Hostal. The van already had three other tourists in it, George, Sharon and Debbie from Oregon. Then we picked up Nicholas, who hadn’t slept well either because his hostal was beside a nightclub. We drove for two hours through the city and into the country. The sun was shinning as we drove through a beautiful pass in the Andes. Some of the slopes of the mountains have been farmed but the further we got from the city the more the mountains were covered with lush vegetation. The last 10km was up a bumpy dirt road as we climbed to the mountain.

The Bellavista Cloud Forest Reserve sits high up on top of a ridge. The buildings are all made out of bamboo. Nicholas and I have an excellent room on the second floor of a bamboo building with four beds in it, a private bath, a little sitting room and an outdoor sitting area and a hammock out front. Fabulous place.

After settling in quickly, we were led to the lodge for breakfast, which was great. Then we met outside for a hike. They have hummingbird feeders out, and there are dozens of them flying around. Apparently they have 17 species here and over 130 species in Ecuador (one third of the world’s varieties). There we met an English tourist named Paul who had been there for one day already. He was going on a walk with a guide to a waterfall. The guide suggested that Nicholas and I join him, instead of the hike we were supposed to go on, because he thought it would be more challenging for us. So away we went. We hiked through the cloud forest for three and half hours. The trails were beautiful, the vegetation unbelievably lush and the route was challenging in a few places, partly because of the elevation again. We went up and down hills, walked for a kilometre through a rushing stream, scrambled up rocks using ropes, in order to reach a pretty waterfall. It was a tiring hike. Along the way, we had a lot of fun talking with Paul and our guide Carlos (from Miami).

The vegetation is very lush and beautiful with lots of flowers and interesting plants. Yesterday, on a volcano with no vegetation, and today in the cloud forest. What a contrast!

Back for lunch and then the clouds moved in and the place lived up to its name. It was a very misty rain for the rest of the day. Paul left to go back to Quito. Nicholas and I joined a hike with the other three for another two and half hours. They are birders and obviously very interested in seeing birds. It is very difficult to see birds, you can hear them, lots of them, but you can’t see them. Anyway, it was a pleasant hike through the woods in the rain.

Back for dinner, rainbow trout!, with another couple from Perth Ontario. After that it was bed time. We’re turning in early, because we have another early start tomorrow.