18 Shafts of light that ? lter through the canopy. The aroma of the forests plants and ? owers. The swirl of clouds through branches and trees. The sound of rain drops cascading onto leaves... Everywhere you look, you ? nd life, in all its varied, surprising and multi-coloured forms. Nowhere is this truer than within the Masphi Rainforest Biodiversity Reserve. The 1,000-hectare (2,600-acre) Reserve enjoys a privileged position, harbouring both lower montane forest and rainforest, part of the globally-important Tumbez-Chocó- Magdalena ‘hot spot of biodiversity. A profusion of plant species has adapted to these environments, creating an incredibly rich ecosystem of trees, vines, ferns, orchids and bromeliads, home to hundreds bird species, possibly thousands of orchid species, tens of thousands of insect species, as well as monkeys, peccaries and even puma. Its a system which is still revealing its secrets to science, still mysterious, still magical. The contemporary, sophisticated and intimate Mashpi Lodge provides the perfect base for exploring this tropical forest, for sitting and listening to the sounds of its creatures, or watching dozens of species of hummingbirds ? it and ? utter from one ? ower to the next. MASHPI LODGE - A PURE HIDEAWAY