FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS

Lush green leaf representing the pristine ecosystem at Mashpi Lodge, set in the Ecuadorian cloud forest.
Lush green leaf representing the pristine ecosystem at Mashpi Lodge, set in the Ecuadorian cloud forest.
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Mashpi is not in the Amazon rainforest but in the region of Choco that runs along Panama, Colombia, Ecuador, and Peru. The Choco-Andean Forest, located northwest of Ecuador, encompasses an area of 124,296 hectares- though only two percent of its original forest.

The journey to Mashpi Lodge begins in Quito, the capital of Ecuador. Quito is well-connected with the world, through its international airport. There are daily and regular flights connecting major cities in South and Central America, as well as good connections with North America (via Miami, New York, Houston, and Atlanta) and Europe (direct from Madrid and Amsterdam). Due to flight times, a night in Quito is usually required. Mashpi Lodge transportation will collect you from one of the city’s main hotels and bring you directly to the Lodge, the trip will last between 3.5 to 4.5 hours. There is no extra charge for transportation.

Watch this video on how to get to Mashpi Lodge.

As a tropical cloud and rainforest, Mashpi tends to be warm and humid, getting cooler in the evening. The one thing you can almost be certain of is rain: ranging from light drizzle to dramatic downpours lasting for hours. Temperatures range from 22-24 °C (71-75 °F).

Damp clothes from river-splashing and downpours needn’t hold you back: clothes drying service is free to all guests and sees garments returned within 12 to 24 hours of delivery, depending on demand. Laundry is also available at an extra cost.

A staggering 400 species of birds – 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 by waterfalls, all between dramatic, verdant hilla. While you’d be lucky to catch a glimpse of many of these private creatures, a network of camera traps allows to us observe their movements in breath-taking proximity and clarity. A vast range of frogs, toads, and butterflies, however, are easy to spot in the reserve.

There are less mosquitos than you would expect in the Mashpi Forest, but it is advisable to wear long sleeves and pants and plenty of repellent while inside the forest.

Outside your window may be abuzz with life, but within, Mashpi Lodge is a bug-free-zone! We recommend keeping your windows closed at night with the air-conditioning on to prevent anything form coming in.

Guests arrive at the hotel at approximately 12:30 PM and rooms will be available for check-in after lunch at approximately 2:00 PM. Check-out is at 11AM. Transfers leave hotel at 11:30 AM.

The Lodge provides rubber boots for all forest activities (these are thoroughly cleaned and disinfected between uses) as well as ponchos for rainstorms, that your guide will carry for you.

The restaurant can cater for most dietary requirements, please inform the team before arrival.

Breakfast begins at 7.30AM, Lunch at 12.30PM, and dinner from 7.30PM. The kitchen remains open until the last guest has had dinner.

Room service is available on request.

All our rooms have:

  • Safe deposit boxes
  • Bathrooms with luxury amenities
  • Hairdryers
  • Wi-Fi Connection
  • Telephone
  • Bathrobes and slippers
  • Fruit plate on arrival
  • Reusable water flasks
  • Fresh, filtered water

Although there are no vaccination requirements for Mashpi, the U.S. Center for Disease Control advises travelers to “make sure you are up to date on routine vaccines before every trip.” In addition, Ecuadorian authorities might require you to show a certificate of yellow fever vaccination when entering or leaving the Amazon Basin area or continuing travel to other regions of South America. If possible, you should obtain a yellow fever vaccine before departure from the United States.”

Travelers from Brazil, Angola, Democratic Republic of Congo, or Uganda will be required by the Ministry of Public Health of Ecuador to present a yellow fever vaccination certificate as a prerequisite for entry into Ecuador.

Travelers from these countries should be vaccinated at least ten days before their arrival in Ecuador and show the certificate at migration upon arrival.

Keep in mind that Ecuador is a tropical country and that you are responsible for your personal health and safety when traveling abroad. 

Placetopay is the electronic payment platform that uses Mashpi Lodge to process online the transactions generated in the virtual store with the payment methods enabled for this purpose.

In the virtual store of Mashpi Lodge you can make your transaction with the means of payment enabled for this purpose. You, according to the payment options chosen by the merchant, will be able to pay through (Diners, Discover, Visa and MasterCard); of all banks with current payment and with deferred payment, only the cards issued by Banco Pichincha, Diners, Loja, BGR and Manabí.

To protect your data Mashpi Lodge delegate to Placetopay the capture of sensitive information. Our payment platform complies with the highest standards required by the international PCI DSS standard for security in credit card transactions. In addition, it has SSL security certificate issued by Geo Trust a Verisign company, which guarantees secure communications by encrypting all data to and from the site. This way, you can feel safe entering your card information.

During the payment process, the browser displays the name of the authenticated organization, the authority that certifies it and the address bar changes to green. These features are immediately visible and give guarantee and confidence to complete the transaction in Placetopay.

Placetopay also features constant monitoring from McAfee Secure and electronic message signing with Certicámara.

Placetopay is a brand of the Colombian company EGM Ingeniería Sin Fronteras S.A.S.

Yes, in Mashpi Lodge you can make your purchases online 7 days a week, 24 hours a day just a click away.

If you haven’t finalized your payment yet, you can go back to the initial step and choose the payment method you prefer. Once the purchase is completed, it is not possible to change the payment method.

No, electronic payments made through Placetopay do not generate additional costs for the buyer.

You must check if a payment confirmation email arrived in your email account (the one registered at the time of making the payment), in case you have not received it, you must contact Mashpi Lodge to confirm the status of the transaction.

If your transaction is declined, you must verify if the account information is valid, if it is enabled for non-face-to-face purchases and if you have space or available balance. If after this, you continue with the decline you should contact Mashpi Lodge. And you can refer your application to [email protected].

For each transaction approved through Placetopay, you will receive proof of payment with the purchase reference at the email address you provided at checkout.  If you do not receive it, you can contact the line (+1) 844-738-5895 or the email [email protected], to request the forwarding of the voucher to the same email address registered at the time of payment. Almost you can refer your application to [email protected].

You should check if the transaction was successful on your bank statement. If so, you should review our shipping policies on the website Mashpi Lodge to identify delivery times.