Bellavista Cloud Forest Reserve & Lodge sits on a ridgetop 90 minutes west of Quito, in the midst of, you guessed it, the Andean Cloud Forest. Accommodations vary, but here at Adventure Life we default to the Superior rooms for our travelers. The newest block of these Superiors has a full bank of windows facing out over the valley, and a …

While we did spend that first night at Bellavista, atop a ridge and far from civilization, I also wanted to check out the town of Mindo. Mindo is a more-famous, and more-visited community at the edge of the cloud forest. Whereas you will feel immersed in the cloud forest at Bellavista, Mindo provides an opportunity to stick your toes in the …

On our previous cruise in the Galapagos, we had spent 8 days in the western half of the archipelago. For this time around, we opted for an eastern cruise. We had successfully seen penguins last time, along with all the usual critters. So now it was time to see if we could locate all three types of boobies, and maybe even run across an …

Over my multiple trips in and out of Quito, I have stayed in a handful of different areas…

- There are the properties that are part of the airport complex itself. Cookie-cutter, lacking in identity, but utilitarian. Great for late arrivals and early departures, when there isn’t really time to explore anyways. …

The absolute best thing about Sacha Lodge - even better than being able to escape into the air conditioning on a hot afternoon - is the ability to get into and above the forest canopy in multiple different ways. In fact, Sacha Lodge has four different ways to get you up there, which is the most of any lodge in the Amazon.

- The …

One reason I honestly wanted to visit Sacha Lodge was to learn if this property was truly worthy of receiving my travelers. We’ve had some pretty old photos on the website, and they weren’t the most flattering. But I quickly learned upon arrival that almost all of the client-facing buildings at Sacha Lodge have been replaced, …

Jen and I have had quite a few different exploratory experiences in Quito. The best part of having a local office is that we get to see these wonderful folks on each pass through, and they always want to show off their favorite parts of the city.

Together with these local experts, we’ve developed a pretty flexible system for our …

International arrival into Quito’s airport is pretty straightforward. Customs and immigration are well-marked, and the route to the arrivals hall - where most folks will have arranged for one of Adventure Life’s drivers / guides to pick them up - is easy to follow.

Of course, for those who are nervous about this international …