Entdecken Sie San Jorge

• Geschichte der Hazienda
• San Jorge de Cosanga – Yanayacu Wildtier Reservat
• Hosteria San Jorge Quito & Botanisches Reservat
• San Jorge de Milpe Orchideen-Vogel-Lodge
• San Jorge de Tandayapa Eco-Lodge und Kolibri-Schutzgebiet
• Der magische Vogelrundgang

Lodges & Naturreservate

San Jorge verfügt innerhalb seiner 4 geschützten Privatreservate über 1 Hazienda und 2 Lodges.
Die Hotelpositionen von San-Jorge unterscheiden sich in  4 Klimazonen von Ecuador zentral; die hohen unfruchtbaren Ebenen, dem Hochland-Regenwald, dem Wolken-Wald und dem subtropischen Regenwald. Sie bilden einen idealen Ausgangspunkt für Naturliebhaber und Öko-Individualreisende.

Die Höhen unserer Eco-Lodges & Botanischen Reservate San Jorge befinden sich auf:
Quito - 3100 bis 4000 Meter mt o.s.l. in unfruchtbaren Ebenen und Hochland-Regenwald, Paramo 
San Jorge de Cosanga - Yanayacu - 2000 bis 2400mt o.s.l. im Andenregen- Waldes (Osten) 
San Jorge de Tandayapa - 1500 bis 1700mt des o.s.l. Wolken- Waldes (Westen) 
San Jorge de Milpe Lodge - 900 bis 1000mt o.s.l des subtropischen Regen- Waldes (Westen) 

Die aus dem 18. Jahrhundert stammende Hazienda San Jorge, nah an Quito, liegt auf der Berganhöhe des Andenberges Pichincha, inmitten einem 200 Morgen unberührten und geschütztem Gebiet, das viele endemische Pflanzen und Tiere aufweist.

Geologie: Der Bereich ist Nordecuador, in der westlichen Anden-Gebirgskette. Die Hauptberge sind der Rucu und Guagua Pichincha und gehören dem Cauternary Zeitraum an. Guagua Pichincha ist ein aktiver Vulkan ohne piroplastic Materialien, aber mit schwerer Lava.

Hydrologie: In der Botanischen Reserve San-Jorge, Quito, gibt es zwei große Schluchten, die Singuna und Pozorumi genannt werden. Innerhalb dieser Schluchten befinden sich zwei kleine Flüsse, deren Wasser im Winter (November bis Mai) ansteigt. Ihr Wasservolumen verringert sich im Sommer (Juni bis Oktober). Das Wasservolumen in den Flüssen wird ausschließlich durch den Regen bestimmt.

San Jorge Eco-Lodge-Milpe,  gelegen nahe Milpe, liegt im Botanischem Reservat San Jorge im oberen subtropischen Regenwald. Im Reservat können Sie unsere Observatoriumsplattform auf der Hügeloberseite (ist ein vor-Inkahügel) besuchen und fesselnde Panoramaausblicke erleben. Im Reservat befinden sich 11 herrliche Wasserfälle.

San Jorge Eco-Lodge Tandayapa, Kolibrilodge, das Reservat befindet sich im unterem Tandayapa Tal der berühmten Nono-Mindo Straße  und liegt im Wolken-Wald. Tandayapa fällt innerhalb des Choco endemischen Vogel-Bereichs (EBA) von Nordwestecuador. Diese Position bietet erstaunliche Panorama -Aussichten, wilde, ursprüngliche Umgebung, tropische Anlagen/ exotische Pflanzen und wild lebende Tiere, die im Wolkenwald einzigartig sind.

San Jorge de Cosanga – Yanayacu, unser  Tier & Vogel-Reservat, auf den östlichen Steigungen der Anden gelegen, am Rand  des Antizana  Nationalparks  im Andenwolken-Wald. Das San Jorge Reservat Cosanga-Yanayacu konserviert 300 Morgen des reinen Waldes, in dem hunderte Vogelsorten sowie Säugetiere und Reptilien geschützt werden.

Ausgewählte Kundenstimmen

Loved our stay. Would like to do the other lodges on another visit and

bring our friends. Everybody was friendly and very helpful.

The guides were very informative and fun. The areas we visited were

very nice. Beuatiful country.

All the hotel servcies were very good. Food delicious and beautifully

presented. Staff ,very friendly and helpful.

Janice McLead

Box 211 Brackendale BC von Iho

Thelmaj@shaw.ca

Wonderful location, very scenic.

The staff was outstanding. José Molina was a delight with sense of humor

and knowledge about the area.

We did not take any tours , but grealty enjoyed the setting of this

lodge.It is very picturesque . The plants receive lots of loving care.

Food was always very delicious and the presentation was appearing. We

enjoyed the frait an d the attentiveness of the server José.

Dary and Dian Know.

294 S. tm 1049 kn ppa Tx 78870

dkk78870@yahoo.com

Yes, we enjoyed several tours. Otavalo, Papallacta and Tandayapa. We

specially liked the personal envolvement of the Cruz Family

and I felt very safe and comfortable.

Yes, great staff and guides. Big josé was terrific and enthusiast and

personable and great driver.

Food was very good and very well presented . Little José was very

pleasant and gentle and cordial . When serving and with assitance .\

Jane Burton

Po Box 514 Brackendale Canada

jken71@telus.net

Jennie Martin , Nick Martin, Ada Rivera

23625 112 St Trevon 53179

Martin53189@earthlink.net

The Botanical and Birding tours were superb. As beginners , Dr George Cruz was patient and kind .He walked closely with us to ensure that we understood the highlights of the tours . He made everything interesting and connected his lectures to what we know or understood, making everything an extremely educational and fun experience.

Our guide, Dr Cruz was a walking encyclopedia of history, culture , birding and botany.

I have never been so impressed by the knowledge base of a guide , as I was with him.

Wonderful diverse tropical forest and beautiful lodges.

I was amazed with the variety of the cuisine ! The meals were exquisite . It was tantalized each day with a different meal, one meal was only surpassed by the next or the next.

I can not think in anything you can improve at this time. My hope is that the service does not change with the franchise expends!!

We will be back!!!

Ada Rivera

Milwaukee Public Schools

Principal

riveraai@mail.milwaukee.k12.wi.us

My travel companion and I signed up for a 5-day tour with Jorge Cruz. We started and ended our tour at the Hosteria San Jorge. We were greeted at the airport by very professional Hosteria San Jorge staff and driven the short 15-20 minute drive up to the beautiful mountain setting. Our room was clean, comfortable, warm and quiet--no hustle & bustle of city noises here. When woke in the morning we were delighted to see a birds feeding at feeders right outside our window.

Meals were served in a lovely dining room overlooking a large patio teaming with hummingbirds--I saw several life birds just waiting for breakfast to be served.

The food was great and the staff was exceptionally friendly, courteous and helpful.

We spent the rest of the morning hiking with Jorge in the forest above the lodge--he showed us dozens of species of birds that we would have missed had we been on our own.

The best part of the experience, however, was Jorge Cruz--the owner and our personal guide for the next five days. Jorge is nothing short of amazing--he knows all the birds, where to find them, how to imitate their songs, and how to point out their location to you--he's not happy until you have seen the bird. But, more than that, Jorge exudes enthusiasm for his Ecuador and for protecting what's left of the incredible forests and natural habitats.

I highly recommend the Hosteria as a jumping off spot for Jorge's Magic Birding Tour. We spent the rest of our time with Jorge between two of his other gorgeous lodges in Tandayapa and Milpe. Nestled in remote jungle settings away from roads and lights and civilization, the buildings, amenities, staff and food are superb. And, of course, the birds, wildlife, and scenery were spectacular.

The only thing I will do differently when I return is to make sure I visit Jorge's other lodges and to schedule enough extra time to be able to spend a day relaxing in a hammock with my binoculars and good book on the covered veranda

shawneetravler

Southern Illinois

The purpose of my call to San Jorge was to go on a mountain biking excursion. Of the outfitters I called, they were the most friendly and they offered to pick us up at our place in Quito. Dr. Jorge Cruz gave us the bike tour personally, after taking us through a tour of the historic town of Nono. Nono has preserved Spanish architecture which allegedly is unchanged for 400 years. The backdrop resembles pictures I have seen of Switzerland- grand, green and lovely. We traveled 33 kilometers from Nono to Tandayapa with Jorges wife following by van to insure there were no problems. This was by the far the fastest bike ride I have ever taken, and by far the most scenic. The road was mostly downhill and the view below was a canyon filled with assorted greenery, flowers, birds, waterfalls, and clouds. If you are afraid of going very fast downhill, beware. It took my wife awhile to adjust to the dizzying velocity. However, Jorge did work with her on how to best manage the mountain, and then she was great.

The lunch was delicious and bountiful, and we sat and enjoyed it while overlooking an awe-inspiring bluff. We thought we had enjoyed a great day when we arrived in the tiny town of Tandayapa, but our day was not over. We took a fifteen minute hike to the lodge there, and what a treat! The trails were perfect, and Jorge spent a lot of time explaining each plant and tree and the medicinal values of the native fauna. We could see that he had a lot of love for the land and his profession. We sat on the restaurant deck and enjoyed seeing so many types of hummingbirds zooming around. The lodge has many varieties of orchids, bromeliads and other flowers growing in every nook and cranny, and the place is just a bird magnet. After enjoying some fresh lemonade, we were taken back to Quito by Jorge and his wife. We look forward to visiting the other lodges, especially, Milpe. The experience stood out because of the dedication of the owner, and the beauty sold itself.

Brian Drvarn

South Florida USA

San Jorge de Quito is a great place , very relaxing , yet close to the city and easy to get to.

Guides are excellent, very knowledgeable and helpful.

Hotel and tourism services are EXCELLENT . No problems.

Keep doing what you are doing!!

Howard Barnes

Apt 37 La Charroterie Hills Spp Guernsey

Howard.barnes@manx.net

Juanita and Richard Baker

522 N. Blue Island Lane, Sebastian, FL 32958 USA

Bakerj@fit.edu

rhba@bellsouth.com

Did you enjoy any cultural or natural tours with us?

Quito

Tandayapa

Milpe

Yes, we appreciated our stay very much. Dr. George Cruz is so knowledgeable and has many interesting facts and stories. He was able to show us many birds, they are so beautiful!

The trails and the whole concept of eco-lodge at different altitudes is amazing!

Please give us your opinion of the guided tours and the areas you visited. Did you like our guides?

Patti was excellent, looked after us well, was very flexible and had a fine sense of humor. She was very willing to share her ideas. Dr. Cruz was always there when he said he would be, drove us very safely, and explained everything well and answered all our questions. He is a fine person, plus an outstanding bird guide who is well equipped.

Please give us your opinion about Transportation, Service, Lodging, Maintenance, Hiking Trails. . .

We appreciate having the transportation very much and being met at the airport is essential. There is one seat belt not working. All passengers must be safe here and have seat belts. The food was excellent. It had been a treat to try Ecuadorian food and all the fruit and juices were wonderful. Lodging and lodge maintenance were fine.

How can we improve?

Since 2-3 of us old folks reacted to the altitude, we appreciated being driven up to our rooms the first night – and helped with the luggage. Assume that folks over 60 need that extra help and advice (as you gave) on handling the altitude. And when going uphill, stopping and resting – listening for birds, or telling us about the forest while we caught our breath was very good.

Andrew Liu and Brenda Baker (Kira and Erik)

42 Newbury Street, #2, Newton, MA 02459 USA

amliu@mit.edu

1. Did you enjoy any cultural or natural tours with us?

We enjoyed our stay at Quito, Tandayapa, and Milpe very much. The facilities, hospitality, food and tours were all excellent.

Please give us you opinion of the guided tours and the areas you visited. Did you like our guides?

We were very fortunate to have Jorge lead us on our bird tours. We learned a tremendous amount from his wealth of knowledge about the birds, plants, and local ecology. We also enjoyed the city tour of Quito with Patricia who was very knowledgeable and friendly.

Please give us your opinion about – transportation, Food, Lodging, Lodge Maintenance, Hiking Trails….

Food was excellent at all of the lodges, I think I gained a few kilos Lodges were also excellent and situated in wonderful areas. They were well maintained and the service was great. The hiking trails were well maintained and covered interesting terrain.

How can we improve?

There is very little to say in terms of improvement. Perhaps it would be nice to have all the faucets in the wash basins with hot on one side and cold on the other (Just kidding, in the US, hot is on the left). We think that all the services were wonderful and thoroughly enjoyed our trip to Ecuador, the Quito and the lodges. Thanks so much!

Anna Schornag

1300 SW 106 Street, Miami, FL 33156

Email: ascha002@fiv.edu

Did you enjoy any cultural or natural tours with us?

Yes – my opinion is that each eco-lodge is spectacular and incredibly unique. It is impossible to choose a favorite when each place is so different. In Milpe, the trails and the birds were amazing, the food great, the help kind and friendly. In Tandayapa, the trails and the views of the Cloud Forest were astounding and I loved how small and personal it was, it felt like a place of pure peace. And Quito was just beautiful. There it was fun to get to know the other guests and the views of the city and the volcanoes were amazing.

Please give us you opinion of the guided tours and the areas you visited. Did you like our guides?

My guides were Dr. Cruz, his son Jorge, and Patty. I feel very lucky to have been able to have Dr. Cruz and his son as my birding guides because of how well they knew their stuff. It was thrilling to hear all their stories and they taught us to see so many amazing birds. Patty also was very kind and knowledgeable about the native plants and traditions.

Please give us your opinion about: Transportation, Food, Lodging, Lodge Maintenance, Service, Hiking trails. .

The transportation was great, always on time. Jose was a very pleasant driver and guide. He also told plenty of stories about the local life, his experiences and what he has seen at the different lodges. The pickup from the airport was clear and simple. The food – oh! The food was amazing! I don’t even know when I have had that much good food in one place – the fruit, the soups. The trails were well kept and clearly marked, allowing for personal exploration on non-guided days.

How can we improve?

It is hard to say how to improve a place that is already so wonderful. I suppose to continue to plant the native plants on the slope and maybe to incorporate an organic garden for the food. I hope to see the orchids in bloom at Tandayapa, I love the idea of the local flora and fauna concentrated around the eco-lodges and hope to see it as an affordable but pleasant place for both international tourists and the locals to learn about this incredible land that is Ecuador.

Also – the website or the correspondent for Tandayapa needs to state that overnight bags are required for however many nights you will be staying there.

This was a wonderful experience – Thank you so much!

Klara Scharnag

13001 SW 106 Sttreet, Miami, FL 33186

Email: peoplerpeople@bellsouth.net

Did you enjoy any cultural or natural tours with us?

I stayed at the Quito, Tandayapa and Milpe lodges – I went on multiple birding tours, the medicinal plants and sacred waterfall hike, the bus ride to Otavalo, two shamanic cleanings, and a horseback ride eco-tour. All of them were absolutely fantastic, fun and informative. I am already planning my next trip to Ecuador and to San Jorge!

Please give us you opinion of the guided tours and the areas you visited. Did you like our guides?

The guides, Dr. Cruz, Estalin, Jorge, Adrian, and Patty, were all wonderful. Yes, I liked them very much. They were helpful, patient well-informed, and very friendly, even when we couldn’t understand each other. I will miss my new friends.

Please give us your opinion about: Transportation, Food, Lodging, Lodge Maintenance, Service, Hiking trails. .

The one trail down to the river at Milpe was a bit steep, ever for a young, experienced hiker like me. However, all the trails were fun, well maintained and well marked. The food, especially the soups was beyond compare, absolutely delicious! All of the service, transportation, food maintenance, etc was phenomenal beyond my expectations. Everyone I met was so friendly and obliging. I have absolutely fallen in love with the place.

How can we improve?

Perhaps letting your guests be slightly more informed for instance I had no knowledge of the pool or sauna at San Jorge until my second time here.

My experience was a very positive one, and I greatly enjoyed my stay – the rooms were comfortable and luxurious and every day was a grand adventure. I enjoyed meeting both the staff as well as the other eco-tourists. My one caveat is that I would wish such an experience, even a downgraded one, would be available to those with less money, like the true adventurers of a certain age who rely on kindness and connection to get around, but who bring rich stories and experience to the table.

Thank you all for a life-changing adventure!!!

Did you enjoy any cultural or natural tours with us?

Each of the eco-lodges we visited were wonderful and completely unique experiences. Every staff member and guide went out of their way to make our stay exciting and memorable.

Please give us you opinion of the guided tours and the areas you visited. Did you like our guides?

Your guides were extremely knowledgeable and friendly. It was apparent that the guides modified their tours to suit our interests.

Please give us your opinion about: Transportation, Food, Lodging, Lodge Maintenance, Service, Hiking trails. .

The hiking trails at Tandayapa and Milpe were challenging and fun. Our group definitely found the adventure we were looking for.

How can we improve?

Not answered

Anna Schornag

1300 SW 106 Street, Miami, FL 33156

Email: ascha002@fiv.edu

I enjoyed the cultural or natural tours. Each San Jorge Eco-lodge is

spectacular and increadibly unique. It is impossible to choose a

favorite when each place is so different.

In Milpe, the trails and the birds are amazing, the food is great, the

help kind and friendly.

In Tandayapa the trails and the views of the cloud forest were

astounding and I loved how small and personal it was; it felt like a

place of pure piece. And Quito was just beautiful! There it was fun to

get to know the other guests and the views of the city and the volcanos

were amazing!

My guides were Dr. Cruiz, his son Jorge, and Petty. I feel very lucky

to have been able to have Dr. Cruiz and his son as my birding guides

because of how well they knew their stuff - it was thrilling to hear

all their stories and they taught us to see so many amazing birds.

Patty was also very kind and knowledgeable about the native plants and

traditions.

The transportation was great, always on time. Jose was a very pleasant

driver and guide. He also told plenty of stories about the local life,

his experiences and what he has seen at different lodges. The pick up

from the airport was clear and simple.

The food - Oh! The food was amazing! The fruit, the soups ... The

trails were kept and clearly marked, allowing the personal exploration

on non-guided days.

Klara Scharnag

13001 SW 106 Sttreet, Miami, FL 33186

Email: peoplerpeople@bellsouth.net

I stayed at the Quito, Tandayapa and Milpe lodges - I went on multiple

birding tours, the medicinal plants and sacred waterfalls, hiking, the

bus ride to Otavala, two shamanic cleansings, and a horseback eco-tour.

All of them were absolutely fantastic, fun and informative. I am

already planning my next trip to Ecuador and San Jorge. The guides Dr.

Cruiz, Jorge, Adrian, and Patty - were all wonderful.

They were helpful, patient, well-informed and very friendly. I will

miss my new friendds.

The food - especially the soups - were beyond compare, absolutely

delicious! All of the service: transportation, food, maintenance, etc,

was phenomenal, beyond my expectations. Everyone I met was so friendly

and obliging. I have absolutely fallen in love with this place.

Stefanie Gould

8 Partridge Hill Rd, Dover, MA 02030

Email: Stefaniegould@comcast.net

Our family of 5 had a terrific time. Jorge was a wonderful,

knowledgeable guide. We enjoyed our tour of Quito, learning about

Ecuador history and culture. Then the middle of the world tour was fun,

next we biked to Tandayapa lodge which had a beautiful scenery and

foliage. The next day we went on a wonderful bird watching hike. We

drove at the end of the day to Milpe wheree we stopped to se toucans

and parrots on our entrance to the reserve. We went on a night hike and

the next day we went bird watching and hiked to the waterfalls. Each

part was fabulous and we would highly recommend this place to our

friends.

Elayne Cheslow

102 Ene Ave., Aatlantic Beach, NY 11509

Email: ebcheslon@gmail.com

All exceeded our expectations - we really did not know the extent and

diversity - so the tours were more than we anticipated. We really fell

in love with Ecuador.

Dr. Cruz's wealth and depth of knowldge was amazing and we enjoyed

learning from him.

The individual services were excellent. We enjoyed our lodge stay to

the extent that they showed us.

April Liu

204-1020 W. 12th Ave., Vancouver, BC VGH1L3

Email: april.ape@gmail.com

San Jorge has excellent service and food. We enjoyed the fireplace in

the room and the hummingbirds in the garden. The attendent Jose is

verry helpful and kind.

The tour to Tandayapa was excellent. The guides were very helpful to

accomodate our interests. It felt like a custom tour - very enjoyable!

Marllene Hahn

2511 Apache Dr., Wheaton, IL

Email:; Ma.hahn@att.net

each of the eco-lodges we visited were wonderful and completely unique

experiences. Every stuff member and guide went out of their way to make

our stay exciting and memorable. Our guides were extremely knowledgable

and friendly. It was apparent that the guides modified their tones to

suit our tones.

The hiking trails at Tandayapa and Milpe were challenging and fun. Our

group definitely found the adventure we were looking for.

Carolyn Dong and Daniel Shore

4 Marshall Terrace, Wayland, MA 01778

Email: carolyn.dong@gmail.com

Javier was our guide in both Tandayapa and Milpe. He was outstanding

and we really eenjoyed every minute with him. He had an excellent

whelth of knowledge. Our one regret is that we were unable to take the

waterfall / medicinal plants tour in Quito due to our illness.

The food was impressive at all three locaations, and especially

delicious at Tandayapa and Milpe. Service was also impressive.

Maintenence was excellent. Overall an excellent experience - our needs

and wishes were well attended, and the schedule was quite flexible.

Anderson family

3428 Berkshire Circle, Johnson City, TN 37604

Email: jim_darla@comcast.net

We had a guided city tour in Quito and six days of guided birding at

Quito, Tangayapa and Milpe. We enjoyed all our tours and saw a lot of

wonderful birds.

Our guides were both very knowledgeable in their areas of expertise and

were polite and enjoyable to tour with. The areas were all very beautiful.

Food was excellent and all the stuff was extremely helpful. Lodge

maintenance was fine. Trails were well maintained.

Text: Sent: Saturday, July 04, 2009 5:07 AM Subject: Hoy día. Jennie Martin , Nick Martin, Ada Rivera 23625 112 St Trevon 53179 Martin53189@earthlink.net The Botanical and Birding tours were superb. As beginners , Dr George Cruz patient and kind .He walked closely with us to ensure that we understood the highlights of the tours . He made everything interesting and connected his lectures to what we know or understood, making everything an extremely educational and fun experience. Our guide, Dr Cruz was a walking encyclopedia of history, culture , birding and botany. I have never been so impressed by the knowledge base of a guide , as I was with him. I was amazed with the variety of the cuisine ! The meals were exquisite . IT was tantalized each day with a different meal, one meal was only surpassed by the next or the next. I can not think in anything you can improve at this time. My hope is that the service Does not change with the franchise expends!! We will be back!!! Ada Rivera Milwaukee Public Schools Principal riveraai@mail.milwaukee.k12.wi.us Asunto: FW: Mindo Cloudforest Don Jorge, Here is a copy of my letter to Birding, the American Birding Association’s magazine. From: Sall, Larry D Sent: Friday, May 22, 2009 3:11 PM To: 'tfloyd@aba.org' Subject: Mindo Cloudforest To the letters to the editor editor: The note in the May edition regarding the Mindo Cloudforest Foundation in Ecuador was timely. We had just returned from a tour in that area. As the location where birds evolved, Ecuador is a birder’s paradise. Our experience was enriched by Dr. Jorge Cruz who is an extraordinary bird guide and who runs San Jorge Eco-lodges and Botanical Reserves. We birded at Dr. Cruz’s San Jorge Ecolodge and the Yanacocha Reserve in the Western Andes. From there we worked our way along the Nono – Mindo Road to his lodge at Tandayapa where we saw an abundance of hummingbirds and tanagers...

Sent: Saturday, July 04, 2009 5:07 AM

Subject: Hoy día.

Jennie Martin , Nick Martin, Ada Rivera

23625 112 St Trevon 53179

Martin53189@earthlink.net

The Botanical and Birding tours were superb. As beginners , Dr George Cruz patient and kind .He walked closely with us to ensure that we understood the highlights of the tours . He made everything interesting and connected his lectures to what we know or understood, making everything an extremely educational and fun experience.

Our guide, Dr Cruz was a walking encyclopedia of history, culture , birding and botany.

I have never been so impressed by the knowledge base of a guide , as I was with him.

I was amazed with the variety of the cuisine ! The meals were exquisite . IT was tantalized each day with a different meal, one meal was only surpassed by the next

or the next.

I can not think in anything you can improve at this time. My hope is that the service

Does not change with the franchise expends!!

We will be back!!!

Ada Rivera

Milwaukee Public Schools

Principal

riveraai@mail.milwaukee.k12.wi.us

Asunto: FW: Mindo Cloudforest

Don Jorge,

Here is a copy of my letter to Birding, the American Birding Association’s magazine.

From: Sall, Larry D

Sent: Friday, May 22, 2009 3:11 PM

To: 'tfloyd@aba.org'

Subject: Mindo Cloudforest

To the letters to the editor editor:

The note in the May edition regarding the Mindo Cloudforest Foundation in Ecuador was timely. We had just returned from a tour in that area. As the location where birds evolved, Ecuador is a birder’s paradise. Our experience was enriched by Dr. Jorge Cruz who is an extraordinary bird guide and who runs San Jorge Eco-lodges and Botanical Reserves. We birded at Dr. Cruz’s San Jorge Ecolodge and the Yanacocha Reserve in the Western Andes. From there we worked our way along the Nono – Mindo Road to his lodge at Tandayapa where we saw an abundance of hummingbirds and tanagers beyond any expectation. At Milpe lodge we saw more species in an environment that could have been Jurassic Park, and one day we birded near Maldonado. Because Dr. Cruz employs and trains local people, he is fostering in them an appreciation for their natural environment. If these fragile and important environments are to be saved, and it is in our self interest that these rain/cloud forests be saved, then it is necessary for the people who live there to feel the preservation of those environments is in their best interest. We were delighted with the local cuisine prepared by local ladies with local ingredients and to see young people from the area studying the birds, plants, and culture so they could be guides too. Dr. Cruz and his program is designed to be profitable, and it needs to be to realize his vision for the welfare of the land and the people who live on it. One way for us to help is to take advantage of Ecuadorian hospitality and visit these places where we only leave behind foot prints and jobs for the local people.

Larry & Judy Sall

Dallas, Texas

Mittwoch, 6. Mai 2009

Yes, we enjoyed the birding tours.

San Jorge de Quito is wonderful. San Jorge de Tandayapa nice facility, San Jorge de Milpe, wonderful view.

We had 3  guides, George , Xavier and  Danny- all were very knowledgeable and had excellent eyes for finding  birds. All of the birding areas were no doubt Great  for bird diversity although rain presented a proper exposure  in Cosanga.

All the hotel services, like maintenance, transportation, food, lodging, exteriors, trails are wonderful. The food specially was excellent!! Great to sample local Ecuadorian gourmet cuisine. Hotel staff very courteous. Airport pickups excellent. Staying at San Jorge is a carefree holiday!!!

Todd Boland
Saint  Johns, Canada