El Monte Lodge review in detail

We visited El Monte Lodge in the Mindo cloud forest as a transitional stop between a Galapagos cruise and a stay in an Amazon Jungle lodge. So we felt that the likelihood of it being a bit of an anticlimax was quite high. In reality, it was an unforgettable stay.

The bedroom lodge at El MonteEl Minto Cloud Forest Lodge

Most stays in the cloud forest include pick up from Quito and the drive is enlivened as you pass the middle of the world at latitude 0°. This geographical landmark is honoured by a monument and a very small quirky museum that is just a little naff but great fun nevertheless.

The cloud forest itself is stunning. You can almost hear the trees breathing as the clouds float through the forest canopy. Orchids, birds, butterflies, waterfalls - the air is damp and the sound of running streams is everywhere – all impossibly romantic!

Cloud forestOrchid in Ecuador Cloud Forest

El Monte cloud forest lodge stands in its own grounds on the outskirts of Mindo. Our accommodation was in one of several private, thatched lodges which stand only a few yards from the river marking the boundary of the estate. The only access to the lodge across the river was by a small platform attached to a pulley.

Food was delicious, prepared on site using vegetables grown in the lodge garden. Meals were served in the Central Lodge, which was very comfortably furnished with rustic easy chairs, a small library and board games.

The bedroom lodges were very comfortable - basically furnished with en-suite facilities. There is no electricity and lighting is provided by kerosene lamps, so if you want to read at night (or check for creepy-crawlies sleeping in your shoes) then I’d recommend you bring a torch. This might make staying here a bit challenging if you have very young children, as indeed would the closeness of the rather fast-running river. However, older children would love the gently adventurous feel to the place and the chance to roam around the grounds or take a dip in the small swimming pool.

Mindo itself is a busy little town with restaurants and cafes, local shops and lots of opportunities to trek in the forest, try a bit of horseback riding, stop off at an orchid garden, or even go tubing in the river – an area which is predominantly about experiencing the great outdoors in a unique setting.

This brings us, finally, to the birds. If you are going to Ecuador you probably know that it has a huge variety of birds and butterflies and the cloud forest is a great place to see them. The lodge arranged a guide who took us out on two mornings before breakfast and pointed out loads of them – each one more colourful and exotic than the last. Being only an occasional birdwatcher rather than a true twitcher, I confess to yearning for a cup of coffee long before we had exhausted all the birdlife, but even I was thrilled by sight of a quetzal and a toucan. And the sight of a sky-blue butterfly flying through the forest, weaving its way through the orchids was more than enough to make me forget my caffeine deprivation.

And then it was back to the hub of Quito (about 3 hours drive) before the next part of the adventure – our stay in a cloud forest lodge was less sensational than the Galapagos cruise, certainly, but it really should figure on everyone’s ‘must do’ list.

The entrance to El Monte cloud forest lodgeThe entrance to El Monte Cloud Forest Lodge

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