Sky Walker

By The Editors
September 4, 2013 9:00 am

Vacation is over. Time to start planning your next vacation.

And if summer getaways are the most American of times, then winter awaygoings make expats of us all.

For your next sojourn: Mashpi Lodge in the Ecuadorian rainforest. They have a cloud gondola, and they’re taking reservations now.

Nestled 3,000-feet above sea level near The Equator, just-opened Mashpi is both a wondrous nature reserve and “luxury cocoon in the clouds.”

Inside the lodge: 22 immersive rooms of floor-to-ceiling windows pressed against the cloud forests, illuminated by hidden LED lights and featuring king-size beds, open-air Jacuzzis and gourmet rainforest-to-table dining.

Mashpi

For the best views, use the aforementioned canopy gondola, a six-person aerial tram that glides guests both over and through the heart of the reserve.

Or via sky bikes: i.e., two-person, pedal-powered aerial gliders.

In the preserve: 500 species of birds, moths the size of your hands, monkeys, pumas and “an Avatar-like luminous fungus.”

And no James Cameron anywhere.

MEET US AT YOUR INBOX. FIRST ROUND'S ON US.

Join America's Fastest Growing Spirits Newsletter THE SPILL. Unlock all the reviews, recipes and revelry — and get 15% off award-winning La Tierra de Acre Mezcal.