Frogs, Falls, and Feathered Chaos

 

Violet Tailed Sylph. A rare moment when it stopped long enough for a snap!

Today we channelled our inner Dora the Explorer. There was much to see, do, and probably trip over. Breakfast set the tone — a lovely spread of healthy options, plus a made-to-order menu for those of us who don’t believe in self-restraint before 8 a.m. The coffee was solid, and the bar staff were delightfully chatty, happily debating espresso-to-milk ratios with Mal while we awaited our “adventure” ahead.

Good morning! That's not a macchiato. This is...he says

The South American version of passionfruit. So good

Looks strange but it was a damn good pancake!

Doras ready. Let's Go! 

The morning began with a walk through the forest to Magnolia Falls — named after the Mashpi Magnolia, which grows nearby. A quick, refreshing dip in the pool beneath the falls woke us up better than any caffeine, and then we followed the creek to Station 4 of the Dragonfly — Mashpi Lodge’s canopy gondola. We hopped aboard for a change of scenery, a cool breeze, and a blissfully effortless ride back home through the treetops. The morning experience was almost Jurassic Park-esque...

But, as it turns out, there’s no rest for the wicked (or the mildly enthusiastic ecotourist). After lunch, we were off to meet Ecuador’s real show-offs — the hummingbirds. Ecuador has 132 species of them, second only to Colombia’s 165, and we happened to be in the prime hummingbird neighbourhood. We were driven to the so-called “hummingbird theatre,” where we spent over an hour watching tiny feathered maniacs zip, dive, and body-slam each other in mid-air. They might look delicate, but don’t be fooled — these birds are feral with wings. Photographing them was an extreme sport in itself. Out of 500 shots, maybe five were remotely acceptable. 😂

Mushroom

Ew snake

The mashpi magnolia. We would see its fragrant flowers later on the canopy

The flora were so unique

The middle part opens up!

Millipede

Magnolia Falls

Wading the Creek

Following Estuardo

The forest is UNTOUCHED

The water came perilously close to going into my boots at times! Fortunately Estuardo knew where the danger points were and put extra rocks in the creek for me to step on

At times it felt like dinosaurs could appear to eat you...yes a little morbid lol

A spider big enough to be worthy of being Australian

You can just see the lines of the Dragonfly

This was station 4 of 6. The only one midway that is used for loading and onloading. 

The carriages fit 5

Estuardo opening the contraption

Mashpi Magnolia flower

Back at the lodge for lunch. Gripping on to my drink!

Prawn and purple potato fritter

Quinoa soup

Soursop mousse

Hummingbird theatre

They varied in size and colour

Violet Tailed Sylph

Green-crowned brilliant

There were more than just hummingbirds. Flame-faced tanager.

Emerald toucanet

The day was not done. This newly frog-obsessed Dora had one more mission: to see the Mashpi glass frog. This unique, transparent little bugger — only about 2cm long — was first discovered in 2014 and officially identified in 2019. Naturally, it only appears in the dark, in a creek, and requires the eyes of a hawk (or in our case, Estuardo) to find. We waded through the water, torches beaming, until he finally pointed out a few of the tiny gems clinging to rocks and leaves. My photos don’t do them justice, but my eyes saw what the lens could not — otherworldly, almost magical creatures that glowed faintly under our lights.

It was a perfect finale to a full day of discovery — waterfalls, gondolas, hummingbird chaos, and frog-hunting in the dark. Not bad for a day in the life of Dora.

Day 4: Still alive, slightly damp, and developing an alarming fondness for frogs.

See-through. If you look closely you can see bones, blood vessels and more!

Estuardo was committed!

There's one

You can just make out the organs

This was apparently a different species but I couldn't tell the difference..

A sleeping speckled hummingbird

A celebratory drink aptly named Glass Frog! Lemongrass infused vodka, tonka bean, celery, apple shrub, parsley