After waking up enjoy breakfast with a wide variety of fresh fruits from the region, different types of bread, cheeses, hams, your style of eggs, cereals, home-made jams, organic honey and granola, plus energizing fruit juices to fuel yourself up for the day’s activities.
You may want check out the laboratory. Our laboratory is the home of investigation projects that are carried out within the Mashpi Reserve, manned by our resident Wildlife Project Coordinator. Here, both young and old can learn more about past and ongoing scientific projects that are carried out by our team and guest researchers.
For those who are seeking some adventure, why not try your hand at a jungle swing? This delightful trail starts near the staff house, a short walk from the lodge. It offers an excellent understanding of the regeneration process that forests undergo following deforestation. The first part of the trail was used for pasture just 15 years ago, and now it’s a beautiful young forest, dominated by pioneer species of Miconia tree. The trail ends in lovely mature forest before returning along the main path.
On this trail we can put the story of Tarzan to the test. Vines are bridges connecting the forest canopy, and some are strong enough to hold the weight of a person. Halfway along this trail, we can take a swing on Mashpi’s very own Tarzan rope-vine – shouting like Tarzan optional!
Another walking trail is the Strangler fig trail which trails throughout the Reserve cross various types of terrain, ranging from the earth and gravel of the main road, forest paths carpeted by leaves, wading through rivers. While some have been specially adapted to make walking easier and pleasant, using embedded recycled plastic crates to create steps and firm paths.
This trail is named after one of the most curious plants in the reserve, the strangler fig. This seed plant, dispersed by birds, lowers its roots from the canopy into the ground around the host tree, and then slowly grows around it until it effectively smothers it. This trail is dominated by palms over 40 m high called pambiles or iron palm (Iriartea deltoidea).
The Mashpi forest is transformed at night, with far more activity than during the day. The Mashpi Torrenteer Lagoon lies a short walk along the road from the hotel, where a waterfall and river form a beautiful pond. This is the ideal habitat for various species of frogs – rain frogs, glass frogs and tree frogs – as well as other fascinating species we might encounter. In this lagoon, our scientific investigation team was able to discover a new species for science: the Mashpi Torrenteer. Its Latin name is Hyloscirtus mashpi, which means guardian of the river.
