• South America 2026
    Approaching the Dragonfly lift.
    Top of the Dragonfly.View from our Dragonfly seat.Our stop/turnaround point.After last night's rains there was some roadwork that was needed today.Looking at the cool colors of the rocks beneath the water stream.It was fun walking IN the stream.So many different types of ferns.One giant leaf.One of the many walking paths....Visiting the onsite research lab: this WAS a real bug, it only looks like a metal model ... yikes.1Visiting the hummingbird farm: I got it! A pic of a moving hummingbird IN FOCUS!!!1If you place your hands near the feeder, the hummingbirds just perch on them. Kinda fun!These guy were fun to watch....Fernando, our stellar guide, set up a nice little treat table for us at the hummingbird station.

    Dragonfly lift

    March 2 in Ecuador ⋅ ☁️ 72 °F

    We started the morning with Mashpi's 'Dragon Lift': a sort of open-air 5-person gondola, followed by a nice, leisurely walk back to the lodge which itself presented a number of beautiful experiences.
    After lunch we visited the lab where many of the guides double as researchers across various interests: bugs, snakes, butterflies, birds ... this area seems to be a veritable cornucopia of opportunity to study existing & identify new species of flora & fauna. I only took one pic of an amazing research bug, but that by no means is representative of the volume of work performed here. It was nothing short of amazing the volume of interests and the personal passions that drive the research here. Astonishing. Admirable.
    In the afternoon we visited a hummingbird farm which not only attracted other birds & critters, but was also just too much fun trying to interact with the birds.    Read more