Rio Quijos Eco Lodge — Hotel in Sardinas

My wife Cathy and I stayed here for a week in February for our first visit to the northeast part of Ecuador. We had a large room in a one story building comprised of four rooms. We were the only guests in that building for most of our stay and it was quiet and spotlessly clean. The maids clean and wash towels whenever requested. They also offer laundry service. This building seems quite new and had a big king-sized bed, one small night table, one other small table and chair, a couch and some built-in shelves and a bar for cloths hanging in a corner. We requested a night table for the other side of the bed and two of the plastic porch chairs for sitting on the porch. These were quickly brought. We could have used a dresser for putting cloths away and a lower table/desk and chair for writing or the computer. ||Breakfast was included and was very good. They also fix dinner. We had some food with us and wanted to fix some dinners for ourselves. The lodge gave us a place to put a few items in the drink refrigerator and we alternated nights eating at the lodge. February seems to be a time when it's not very busy so it was easy to do our own dinner without being in the way of the kitchen staff. ||We were there for wildlife watching (especially birds). There are several well-maintained trails around the property through the dense 2nd growth tropical forest. The lodge is about 1/2 mile from the highway and birding along the entrance road can be very good at times. The larger opening allows more light for better viewing and perhaps more insect activity. The road/driveway goes down to the river which is very fast with large boulders. White-capped Dippers and Torrent Ducks are easily seen there. We had the Mottled Owl calling next to our room one night and heard the Rufescent Screech-Owl during another night. There were some fruiting trees near the main lodge and we heard the unmistakable and odd-sounding calls of the Wattled Guans at dawn or a bit earlier. ||The lodge has purchased land located about 5 miles to the south where a large Andean Cock Of The Rock lek is located. It is the largest concentration of the birds that I have ever heard of. The lodge owner, Angel Nunez and local guide Omar Munoz took us there one afternoon. A long dirt road, steep at the end, led us to the lek area and it's just a short walk to the screened off hide they constructed. Only the males were there displaying and there were around 40 or 50 making an ungodly racket 20 or 30 feet up on the small trees on the slope. The extensive unbroken tropical forest starts there along the side of these ridges and the deep forest species that are not found down in the valley are found here. In addition to the Cock Of The Rocks, during the 1.5 hours that we were at the hide, we documented: Emerald Toucanet, White-capped Tanager, White-collared Swift, Chestnut-collared Swift, Wattled Guan (heard only), Crested Quetzal (heard only). They are putting up a small building nearby and plan to make the location, which borders a very large reserve, available for biological researchers. ||We accumulated a large list of bird species on the lodge property during our week there and I will try to put that on later when I finish...

Our visit to Rio Quijos Eco Lodge was part of their two day birdwatching adventure. Angel picked us up at our hotel in Quito and we were off to the cloud forest, passing over the Andes at Papallacto pass with a view of Antisana Volcano. When we arrived after the two hour drive, we were greeted by Kimchi, the lodge’s official greeter and guide dog. Angel called us to the side and had us listen to the sound coming from the forest. A Motmot! What a great first bird to get. The Lodge has hummingbird feeders, fruit and corn placed for the birds and you can enjoy them from a comfortable seat on the covered porch. Our birding guide, Omar arrived and we were on our way to find more birds. We were taken to a hummingbird sanctuary where we found 11 species of hummers including the spectacular Wire Crested Thorntail! Other highlights of the day were visiting the lek of cock of the rock, searching for a field for Red breasted meadowlark and vermillion flycatcher, combing the riverbank for dippers, and finding a torrent tyrannulet hunting in a small mountain stream. We returned to the lodge after a successful day of birding and on this rainy evening, were treated to a wonderful dinner prepared by Gloria including a caprese type salad, locro de papa, a fine chicken entree with fresh vegetables, and a delicious dessert of Dulce de Sidra. Our room at the lodge was large, modern, and extremely comfortable with en-suite bath. The windows are screened, and allow a wonderful breeze to come through. The rooms are arranged in duplex or quad plex cabanas with the main lodge being a place to relax for meals and birdwatching. We slept to the sound of the rain and the river. The first sounds of the morning were Andean Cock of the Rock alerting us that morning had come. The dawn chorus of birds was truly unforgettable and something this traveler had dreamed of experiencing. Our delicious breakfast was served while the green jays, Oropendulas, and caciques all made a noisy arrival to enjoy their breakfast as well. We spent the morning enjoying the birds and butterflies around the property, escorted by Kimchi, of course, and all too soon, it was time to return to Quito and our onward journeys. Our only regret was not having more time to spend. On our way back to Quito, Angel took us into Cayambe Coca National park in an effort for one last hummingbird which we didn’t find, but were afforded a glimpse of Northern Pudu, the worlds smallest deer! An unforgettable time at the most beautiful lodge one can imagine. Hoping to return one day and stay for a week, enjoying the entire area. Don’t hesitate, this is the most perfect piece of heaven in the...

What a gorgeous lodge! As a tour leader I have stayed in many lodges and I would say that this is one of the best, taking into account that it is relatively inexpensive and makes no pretensions about its status. The rooms are beautifully presented, very comfortable, very clean, and there's plenty of hot water. The food is very tasty and helpings are generous, and the staff is very kind and helpful. Angel the manager is fantastic, and a credit to the lodge. A huge attraction to this lodge are the gardens, full of attractive flowers, several hummingbirds on the feeders, and the extensive trails through the 29+ hectares (90+ acres) of forest on the estate - my tours concentrate on butterfly photography, and there are plenty of rarer species which we found on these trails. Note that there is a huge forested ridge the other side of the river which belongs to the lodge, which has a trail through it - ideal for bird watching or nature watching. There are no other decent lodges anywhere near here in the general Baeza area, so this lodge is ideally suited as a first stop either on the way into the "Oriente" (Amazon) from the airport, or as a final stop the night before your flight home: in 2 hours you can easily reach the airport. Many thanks to Angel and his staff for their hospitality, and I'm very much looking forward to...