Travel Reference
In-Depth Information
boasts an incredible diversity of bird life, with well over 300 species,
as well as sheltering the endangered spectacled bear. There are nu-
merous trails, both self-guided with maps and with local guides. For
more on the open-air ecolodge that is operated in conjunctionwith the
reserve, see the
Where to Stay
below, page 248.
Contact the foundation at Baquerizo 238 and Tamayo, La Floresta,
Quito,
2-2507-200/201, fax 2-2507-201, roberto@maquipucuna.org.
In the USA, c/o Institute of Ecology, The University of Georgia, Ath-
ens, GA 30602-2202 USA,
706-542-2968, fax 706-542-6040, usa@
maquipucuna.org, www.arches.uga.edu/~maqui.
Driving from Quito, travel along the Puerto-Quito Highway through
Mitad del Mundo and Calacalí (northwest) for a couple of hours. Turn
at Nanegalito on the right for the rough and bumpy ride down the dirt
or mud road through Nanegal, until you come to the signpost for the
reserve. Check at the bus station in Quito for the daily departure to
Nanegalito and Nanegal.
Volunteering at Maquipicuna
To learn more about the endangered spectacled bear, in-
cluding World Wildlife Fund reintroduction efforts, visit
their site at www.panda.org. Then, in the search box, type
“spectacled bear.”
For volunteer opportunities with Fundación Maquipicuna
and other Ecuadorian conservation-oriented foundations,
visit www.thebestofecuador.com/volunt.htm.
Mindo-Nambillo Protected Forest
This beautiful premontane cloud forest - a veritable birder's paradise
- lies just a few hours west of Quito at elevations of 4,250 to over
14,700 feet. Officially protected as the Bosque Protector Mindo-
Nambillo, it is administered by a private local organization, the
Friends of Mindo-Nambillo Forest (Amigos de Naturaleza de Mindo-
Nambillo), located in the nearby village of Mindo. They can provide
directions and guides, as well as accept the entry fee into the park.
Mindo, in short, serves as a great example of what was once typical
forestland along Ecuador's western slopes. The reserve, combined
with the adjacent Maquipucuna Biological Reserve to the north, pro-
tects thousands of acres of primary forest. It's a hotspot of biological
diversity and ongoing scientific research.
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