We arrived in Quito, Ecuador’s capital for two days of sightseeing and acclimatisation to the high altitude. Quito is situated in the Andean foothills at an elevation of 9,350 feet. The city is known for its largely intact Spanish colonial centre, with decorated 16th- and 17th-century palaces and religious sites. The pictures below show the view across the old colonial centre, to El Panecillo – Bread Loaf Hill – with the statue of the winged Virgin Mary and then onto the sprawling suburbs of south Quito and Independence Square.

Quito – View across Colonial Centre

Quito – Independence Square

The city has poor public transport, so many of the city’s 2.6 million people get around using cars. The ensuing congestion combined with the Latin driving temperament means getting around the city is sometimes exciting. We at least don’t have to drive ourselves!

We then headed north for a two-day stay in a Cloud Forest Reserve called Bellavista. Cloud forests are rain forests at high altitude. Bellavista is at an elevation of 8,000ft and has a highly diverse collection of wildlife and plants. It is a reserve of over 2,000 acres and covered by 6 miles of walking trails. It was a stunningly beautiful setting with an interesting micro-climate. Mornings typically start with clear blue skies and a chorus of birdsong. Cloud builds through the day and settles on the top of the trees, often accompanied by rain. The pictures below show early morning across the forest and the cloud settling on the trees later in the day, creating an eerie calming vista.

Cloud Forest – Early Morning

We encountered an eclectic mix of wildlife including a pair of Toucans, a family of Tayras (giant weasels), a 3-ft long earthworm, a range of beetles from the mini blue iridescent to the large Rhino Beetle and a very mean inch and half long parasitic wasp.

Cloud Forest – Plate-billed Mountain Toucan

Cloud Forest – Giant Weasels

Cloud Forest – Giant Earthworm

Cloud Forest – Blue Beetles

Cloud Forest – Rino Beetle

However the stars of the show were the beautiful hummingbirds, of which there are over 150 species in Ecuador:

Cloud Forest – Buff-Tailed Coronet Hummingbird

Cloud Forest – Hummingbird in flight

We are about to catch a short flight across the Andes to Coca for a 4 day visit to the Amazon Rain Forest, more to follow….

Read Part 2 >