The day I had to leave Rapa Nui, I teared up. I so wanted more time there. While the island is part of the country of Chile, it’s actually in Polynesia and is similar to Hawaii in that it’s tropical, very green, and filled with volcanos. Read also about the resort where I stayed – Nayara Hangaroa.
Rapa Nui is one of the world’s most remote inhabited islands, is in the Pacific Ocean, and is about five hours by air from Santiago, Chile. Of course, what distinguishes it from any other on the planet is its unique statues called Moai. Much about the history of the statues and the ancient people is unknown and mysterious.
Signs around the Moai statues ask you not to touch them. Photo by Melanie Votaw.
There are about 900 Moai statues total located mostly around the coast of the island, and some are as tall as 33 feet. The belief is that each statue represents an important person from the past whose skeletons are buried underneath. The faces are called “Aringa Ora,” which means the “living faces of loved and revered ancestors.”
No one knows exactly how the Moai were made, and the statues are quite different from one location to another. Only some have pointy noses, for example, and some wear what appear to be hats made of a redder stone, although it’s believed that what looks like hats may actually represent long hair wrapped on the top of the head.
A coastal shot from Rapa Nui. Photo by Melanie Votaw.
The Moai are all male, and the belief is that it would take five or six men about a year to finish carving a single statue. But then, it would need to be transported to its final location and lifted into a standing position. No one knows for sure how the people accomplished that without machinery.
The statues were made from the volcanic rocks that make up the island’s topography, but all of them were toppled over at some point during Rapa Nui’s history. At one time, the eyes of the statues were filled with white coral and a piece of black obsidian rock for the pupil. These were all destroyed, however. Only one has been reconstructed from pieces and is displayed in the island’s history museum.
A rainbow on Rapa Nui. Photo by Melanie Votaw.
Some believe the statues were toppled during a civil war, although one of my native guides doesn’t buy this theory because the Rapa Nui language doesn’t even have a word for “war” or “vengeance.” He believes they were toppled by another group arriving by ship with the aim of attacking.
American anthropologist William Mulloy was responsible for raising the funds to lift some of the Moai back to standing, and the people of the island are very grateful to him for this. It’s what made tourism possible, which boosted the economy, as there is almost no industry there.
The island doesn’t have a great deal of light pollution, so it’s an excellent place for stargazing.
Experts aren’t sure when the original inhabitants first settled on the island, but the evidence suggests it was around the year 1200. While theirs was a thriving culture, they suffered from over-forestation, followed by the introduction of European diseases and kidnapping as slaves. In 1877, there were barely more than 100 native inhabitants left, but modern DNA has made it possible to confirm that the people are indeed Polynesian.
Rapa Nui became known as Easter Island because the first Europeans arrived on Easter Sunday in 1722. When the native people who had no word for war approached the visitors, they began to touch the sailors out of curiosity.
This was disconcerting to the Christian Europeans, so to try to make the people stop, they fired their rifles into the air. But since the native people had never heard a gunshot, they didn’t know to be afraid. It was then that the sailors were ordered to shoot into the crowd, which resulted in the murder of about 12 islanders. When the people saw their kinsmen killed, they ran.
Later, when the people saw that their loved ones were stolen for slavery, some of them were able to hide within caves on the island. These stories are a sad testament to the horrors of exploration and colonization.
A closeup of a Moai statue. Photo by Melanie Votaw.
One of the most interesting ancient stories on the island has to do with the Orongo ceremonial village, which had a competition called the Tangata Manu. The men would compete to get the first Manutara bird (sooty tern) egg of spring. It was dangerous, as they had to climb down a cliff and swim in the strong currents among sharks to an islet where the birds nested. They would hide in caves there and wait for the birds to arrive.
The one who was lucky enough to retrieve the first egg from its nest had to then swim back to Rapa Nui without breaking the egg. The leader of his clan could then rule the island for a year until the following year’s competition.
When you visit Rapa Nui, there are many wonderful sites to see. The most famous Moai on the island are the 15 in a row near the ocean. These are the ones you usually see in photos. My favorite view of them, however, was from the Moai quarry (also one of my favorite spots), which is where they believe most, if not all, of the Moai were carved.
The Moai quarry. Photo by Melanie Votaw.The Moai quarry. Photo by Melanie Votaw.The Moai quarry. Photo by Melanie Votaw.
Today, it’s like a Moai graveyard with some standing and many on their backs or sides. Some of the statues in this location were also left unfinished, although no one knows for sure why. The 15 Moai are in the distance from the quarry, which overlooks them, making for a particularly beautiful view.
The spectacular view of the most famous Moai – the 15 – from the quarry. Photo by Melanie Votaw.
The visible part of the Moai statues end at the waist or top of the thighs, but there is one statue at the quarry with kneeling legs. The theory is that it was harder to transport a statue with legs, so perhaps they stopped carving them like that. Some of the Moai have nipples carved into their chests, and some also have tattoos carved on their backs or buttocks. Some statues also have hands with long fingers carved on their stomachs.
The tattoos carved on the buttocks of this Moai in a spiral are believed to represent the sun. Photo by Melanie Votaw.You can see the right nipple carved in the chest of this Moai statue. Photo by Melanie Votaw.The hands with long fingers are carved over the stomach of this Moai statute. Photo by Melanie Votaw.
The other group of Moai that I loved the most was among many palm trees and sitting on a hill above a gorgeous beach. These had pointy noses, and many had the “hats” atop their heads.
The Moai statues with particularly pointy noses and “hats.” Photo by Melanie Votaw.
Besides the Moai, there are some remains of stone home structures that were often built in the shape of a boat. Some of the ancient people also lived in caves where they could hide from intruders and maintain a small farm just outside the cave. The main crops were bananas, sweet potatoes, and sugarcane.
We were taken to one of these caves, which had the remains of a tree trunk in its roof that has been carbon dated and found to be 300,000 years old. They believe it ended up in the cave roof after a volcanic eruption.
The beautiful volcanic crater on Rapa Nui. Photo by Melanie Votaw.
There is also a huge and stunning volcanic crater that you absolutely must visit.
Rapa Nui, of course, also has civilization with an overall population of about 8,000 people. There is a small town with restaurants and shops, and there are hotels, as well as opportunities to go boating, diving, and surfing.
A shop in town on Rapa Nui. Photo by Melanie Votaw.
You will see wild horses and stray dogs all over the island. These animals are well cared for by the current residents, but I took some dog biscuits with me to feed them, as they’re quite friendly. One of the women I met at my resort fell in love with one of the dogs and considered transporting it to her midwestern home. But then, she realized it would be taken to a life spent indoors in a cold climate, so she concluded it was better off living freely on the island.
A marina on Rapa Nui. Photo by Melanie Votaw.
One of my guides told a great story that made all of us laugh. He said that the first axes on the island were made of stone because that’s what they had available. When they were first introduced in modern times to axes made of metal with wooden handles, they wanted to come up with a word in their native language for this item.
Since the axes they were given were made in Ohio and carved with “Made in Ohio” on the handles, the mayor decided to name them “oh-hee-oh.” To this day, or so our guide claimed, an axe is called an “oh-hee-oh.”
Rapa Nui is indeed a paradise with a profound and mystical history. I can’t stop thinking about the place, so I may have to return to experience it again. If you have the opportunity to go, don’t miss your chance. There’s nowhere else on earth like it.
The 5-star resort property of Nayara Hangaroa on Easter Island, which I will call Rapa Nui for the rest of this article, is an exceptional experience that I can’t possibly recommend enough. Also read my article on visiting Rapa Nui in general.
A portion of the reception area at Nayara Hangaroa. Photo by Melanie Votaw.
We were greeted at the airport by resort personnel on foot, but because of a small protest happening that day, they weren’t allowed to drive right up to get us. Instead, we all had to drag our bags a few minutes away to a parking lot. That wasn’t fun, but once we arrived at the resort about 10 minutes later, we were greeted with a welcome local fruit drink and a flower lei.
The real flower lei given to me upon arrival at Nayara Hangaroa. Photo by Melanie Votaw.
At reception, someone sat with each of us to give us instructions about the property. Then, someone guided us to our rooms. There are two types of rooms. I opted for a “Kainga” room (Kainga means earth), which is the least expensive of the two types of rooms.
My room at Nayara Hangaroa. Photo by Melanie Votaw.
But that least expensive room didn’t leave me feeling cheated in the least. It was air conditioned room and made of cypress logs, clay, and volcanic stone. It was very spacious (527 square feet) with a king-sized bed, couch, table, private outdoor terrace with a table and two chairs and ocean view, a large bathtub, stand-up shower, sink, minibar, and front hallway with a shelf and a large bureau with shelves, a safe, and plenty of room for hanging clothes.
My room at Nayara Hangaroa. Photo by Melanie Votaw.My private terrace at Nayara Hangaroa. Photo by Melanie Votaw.
A bathrobe and flip flops were provided, and maid service was available twice a day. The first drinks in the minibar were complimentary, while I paid for the refrigerator to be replenished after that.
My room at Nayara Hangaroa. Photo by Melanie Votaw.My room at Nayara Hangaroa. Photo by Melanie Votaw.The large bureau and entry shelf in my Kainga room at Nayara Hangaroa. Photo by Melanie Votaw.
The shower was constructed of local clay tiles made by an artisan from Pichilemu on the Island and manufactured in local ovens, and it had the best showerhead I have ever experienced in my life. It was a strong flow of water, but extra fine. (I luxuriated under it a bit more than I’d like to admit.)
The shower in my room at Nayara Hangaroa. Photo by Melanie Votaw.
The Maunga (mountain) rooms are built on two levels and great for families, providing 796 square feet. These also have a private outdoor terrace along with 1-1/2 baths, a king bed plus two sofa beds, and the other amenities as my Kainga room.
One of the buildings at Nayara Hangaroa. Photo by Melanie Votaw.
The package I bought is called the “Dream Program.” It includes only breakfast, but other on-site meals and excursions leaving from the resort can be charged to the room. I found the cost of the excursions and the food to be quite reasonable. The “Discover Program” includes breakfast, as well as either lunch or dinner each day, and one free half-day excursion per night stay. The “Full Experience” includes all meals.
The pool at Nayara Hangaroa. Photo by Melanie Votaw.
The resort has an outdoor pool and a spa with reasonably priced treatments, is kid-friendly, and offers bicycle rentals. It’s also located just across a street from the coast and a short walk from the Island’s main town, which has a few restaurants and cute little shops. I bought a gift box of Moai statue-shaped and scented soaps.
A portion of the breakfast buffet at Nayara Hangaroa. Photo by Melanie Votaw.
The food at Nayara was universally delicious. The breakfast buffet at Poerava restaurant was very extensive with eggs made to order, bacon, a variety of cold meats, cereals, juices, breads, and pastries. The variety was the most I’ve seen at a hotel outside of Asia, which seems to always have the best breakfast buffets in the world.
A rainbow one afternoon from the outdoor seating of Poerava restaurant. You can also see one of the many stray dogs on the Island that are cared for by the inhabitants. They seem quite healthy and happy. Photo by Melanie Votaw.
Poerava also serves lunch with both indoor and outdoor seating that overlooks the ocean. Its location provided a wonderful view of the sunset and gifted us a full rainbow one late afternoon. I ate the roast beef salad there two days in a row because it was so good. Besides mixed greens and roast beef, it contained palm hearts, grilled onions, avocado, and mango slices with a honey mustard vinaigrette.
Food is also served at the Vaikoa Bar, which is located in a separate building next door to Poerava. Each night, they provided a free surprise cocktail like a Kir Royale or a Pisco Sour.
Basil ceviche amuse bouche. Photo by Melanie Votaw.
The fine dining restaurant just beyond Poerava serves dinner in an elegant indoor setting, but it was fine to dress casually there. I was served a wonderful basil ceviche amuse bouche followed by a lovely salad with avocado, carrots, sweet potatoes, and grilled pineapple. I also loved the chicken curry. Of course, the restaurants serve a great deal of local fresh seafood.
Salad with grilled pineapple, carrots, sweet potatoes, and avocados at Nayara Hangaroa restaurant. Photo by Melanie Votaw.Chicken curry at Nayara Hangaroa’s restaurant. Photo by Melanie Votaw.
There are numerous excursions available leaving each day from the resort at 9:30 a.m. and 3:00 p.m. Besides the various Moai statues on the island, you can visit a volcano crater site or small cave. You can do a trek in the more isolated parts of the island or a guided bicycle trip for three hours.
Other experiences include diving, surfing, a boat ride, cooking classes, and Moai carving classes. While some of the excursions are called “low difficulty,” they aren’t all on flat land. You might have to climb stairs or rocks a bit.
Our guides for the excursions were locals who were very knowledgeable about the Island’s locations and history. Two of them said they had learned much from their grandparents, who were native to Rapa Nui. Of course, there’s still much no one knows about the Island and its statues, which is one of the things that makes it so fascinating.
The view from Poerava restaurant. Photo by Melanie Votaw.
My only complaint about Nayara was that many of us wanted to take a sunrise excursion to particular Moai statues near the resort, but they told us repeatedly that this wasn’t available to us because of the clouds. In other words, they claimed there would be no sunrise. We wondered if they just didn’t have any available staff that early in the morning.
Then, at the airport before leaving the Island, I met a couple who had stayed at the other Rapa Nui 5-star resort called Explora Lodge. They said they went on a sunrise excursion during the time of my stay that proved to be a mystical experience. I feel a bit cheated that I didn’t have that opportunity.
There was a Polynesian dance show one night at the resort. Photo by Melanie Votaw.
The downside of Explora, according to them, was that they felt pressured to leave $100US in tips for the staff on a daily basis, which they thought was excessive considering the price of staying there. At Nayara, we were never pressured to tip anyone, but of course, I did. I’m happy to tip, but no one likes to feel pressured into it.
Despite my minor complaint, my stay at Nayara Hangaroa was stellar, and I would love to experience it again. Next, I plan to visit their resort property in Chile’s Atacama Desert. Stay tuned!
I visited Iguassu Falls in the late 1990s, and I have wanted to go back ever since. I finally got my chance. As someone who has traveled the world and seen many awe-inspiring places, I have to say that Iguassu is still one of the most spectacular of them all. Unfortunately, no photos can do it justice.
Iguassu Falls from a helicopter. This gives you some idea of its expanse. Photo by Melanie Votaw.
The expanse of these Falls is not to be believed unless you see them in person. Iguassu is at least three Niagaras. They are easy to visit, as they’re in a national park in Brazil with concrete walkways, railings, and stairs.
Iguassu Falls. Photo by Melanie Votaw.
There is a bit of climbing stairs up and down in both directions, and if you stop to gawk along the way (as you will), it will take you at least 30 minutes to get to the end in one direction, which is called “Devil’s Throat.” But it still doesn’t take an exceptional amount of exertion.
Devil’s Throat, Iguassu Falls. Photo by Melanie Votaw.
The walkway at Devil’s Throat goes out far enough that you will get wet. It’s a powerful section of the Falls with significant spray. Take a rain poncho and enjoy it!
Iguassu Falls walkway near Devil’s Throat. Photo by Melanie Votaw.
This is a rainforest, so give yourself enough days there to make up for the possibility of a day of hard rain. It can also be slightly buggy, although with some natural repellent, I didn’t get bitten. (Dengue fever is a slight risk these days.) There are numerous gorgeous butterflies along the walkway by the Falls, so be sure to notice them.
Iguassu Falls. Photo by Melanie Votaw.
The town of Iguassu Falls is about 1-1/2 hours by air from Sao Paulo, so if you’re in Brazil, this site is not to be missed. There are a number of hotels where you can stay while in the small city, but read my review of Hotel das Cataratas, the only hotel within the national park and right across the street from the Falls. It’s an expensive property, but if you can afford it, there’s no better place to stay.
One of the most popular ways to see the Falls is via helicopter ride. The heliport is just a short walk from the entrance to the national park. The ride lasts only about ten minutes, but it provides mind-boggling views of the Falls from above.
Iguassu Falls. Photo by Melanie Votaw.
If you’re so inclined, you can also skydive over the Falls. I’m not entirely sure how that works since you wouldn’t want to land in the water, but I’m sure they have it figured out.
Another popular thing to do in Iguassu is the Macuco Safari, which is a boat ride into the Falls. You will be sublimely wet, but it’s an exciting experience.
Parques des Aves. Photo by Melanie Votaw.
The other place people visit while in Iguassu is Parques des Aves – a bird park that has many species of birds that are either in large enclosures or free-flying around you. They also have a lot of tropical plants and a butterfly/hummingbird garden. It’s a highly recommended place to include while you’re in town.
Parques des Aves. Photo by Melanie Votaw.
I have visited both Niagara Falls in New York State and Victoria Falls in southern Africa, and they’re both marvels. But with my apologies to both of them, no waterfall in the world beats Iguassu. It’s the best – bar none. There’s just no comparison.
So I can’t emphasize enough how wonderful it is to visit this place. If you have the opportunity, please do it. You don’t need to be tremendously fit physically, and there’s just no other place in the world like it.
In the late 1990s, I visited Iguassu Falls in Brazil for the first time, and I stayed at Hotel das Cataratas – a sprawling, bright pink, 1950s hacienda-style property right across the street from the Falls. I got a deal back then and paid about $100 a night.
Hotel das Cataratas in Iguassu Falls, Brazil. Photo by Melanie Votaw.
Since then, the hotel has been renovated and taken over by Belmond, making it even fancier with a price tag eight times as high as in the late 1990s. But I have to say it’s worth it. Not only is this the only hotel within the national park where you find the Falls, but it goes beyond five-star service for a luxury-plus experience.
One of the lounge areas in Hotel das Cataratas. Photo by Melanie Votaw.
First of all, staying within the national park means you don’t have to travel 15-30 minutes from your hotel to the Falls. You just cross the street! You also don’t have to pay to enter the park because you’re already there, and you can beat the crowds, visiting the Falls before the park officially opens and after it closes (although they suggest you not walk on the trails after dark).
Iguassu Falls from a helicopter. Even this isn’t the full expanse of these immense falls. Photo by Melanie Votaw.
I arranged with the hotel to have a private car transfer from the airport to the property, which took only about 20 minutes. Once you enter the park, the speed limit is quite low to prevent collisions with animals. I didn’t see any coatimundis (raccoon-like animals) during this visit, but in the 1990s, they were everywhere. So back then, I saw a couple of dead ones that had been hit by cars. Hopefully, this low speed limit makes that less likely to happen.
Iguassu Falls across the street from Hotel das Cataratas. Photo by Melanie Votaw.
My bags were delivered to my traditionally decorated room with a queen-sized bed. I was upgraded to a Deluxe room in the “Garden Wing,” which meant my windows opened to a section of the hotel’s substantial gardens. This also meant my room was occasionally a little buggy (even though I kept the windows closed).
My deluxe Garden Wing room at Hotel das Cataratas. Photo by Melanie Votaw.
But this is a rainforest, so if you absolutely hate bugs, don’t go. (I mean, you might even hear howler monkeys in the distance.) The hotel provided a small bottle of natural repellent spray, which did come in handy, and I managed to avoid even one mosquito bite.
Another part of my deluxe room at Hotel das Cataratas. Photo by Melanie Votaw.
The gardens on the hotel grounds, by the way, are gorgeous. Some of the birds have become quite used to people, including the Southern Lapwing and colorful Plush-crested Jay.
A portion of the gardens at Hotel das Cataratas. Photo by Melanie Votaw.A southern lapwing enjoys the hotel pool. Photo by Melanie Votaw.A plush-crested jay in the gardens at Hotel das Cataratas. Photo by Melanie Votaw.
While I didn’t get a Deluxe room with a view of the Falls, those rooms are available at a higher price if you prefer. I had no complaints about my room, however, which had a large bureau, free minibar, free wifi, table and chairs, television, bathrobe, and slippers. The spacious bathroom was filled with lovely blue and white Portuguese tiles called azulejos.
The bathroom in my room at Hotel das Cataratas. Photo by Melanie Votaw.
Other hotel services include a pillow menu, ATM, babysitting, business center, concierge, shoeshine, laundry, dry cleaning, adapters and converters, and a free shuttle van that runs every 20 minutes to and from the hotel and the entrance to the national park.
The hotel’s shuttle van is easy to spot. Photo by Melanie Votaw.My deluxe room at Hotel das Cataratas. Photo by Melanie Votaw.
I was also impressed by the daycare center on site with all sorts of guided activities for kids. And next to the doors, there were umbrellas available to borrow. These little touches do much to make a hotel stay extra comfortable and special.
Hotel das Cataratas has a heated outdoor pool with a bar as well, where you can have a drink and a nosh, and there’s a restaurant called IPÊ that’s just a few stairs up from the pool and with indoor and outdoor seating. The breakfast there is generous with just about everything you could possibly want, and it also serves lunch and dinner.
The pool at Hotel das Cataratas. Photo by Melanie Votaw.IPÊ Restaurant at Hotel das Cataratas. Photo by Melanie Votaw.A pistachio pastry and a banana/dulce de leche pastry at Hotel das Cataratas breakfast. Yum! Photo by Melanie Votaw.
For fine dining at dinner time, there’s Itaipu Restaurant, serving top-notch Brazilian cuisine such as Amazonian pirarucu fish in beurre blanc sauce with banana crumbs and grilled vegetables with a cherry reduction.
Part of breakfast at Hotel das Cataratas. Photo by Melanie Votaw.
During a hard rain one day (it’s a rainforest, after all), I sat on the terrace of the hotel at Bar Tarobá with a view of the Falls. I ordered bruschetta with parma ham and figs with an apricot bellini made with Moët & Chandon, and they provided a bowl of mixed nuts. My delightful waiter asked my first name and remembered me by name the next day when I ordered a drink at the pool bar.
Bruschetta with parma ham and figs at Bar Tarobá in Hotel das Cataratas. Photo by Melanie Votaw.
The hotel has 187 rooms and suites, a children’s pool, tennis courts, a gym, a spa, luxury shops, meeting rooms, conference facilities, and room service. It also provides guided excursions and adventure sports for guests. Experiences like wine tasting, cachaça tasting (cachaça is a popular liquor in Brazil), sunset with cocktails in the hotel’s tower, afternoon tea, and a garden picnic are all available. It has also received certifications for environmental management and social responsibility.
The lobby at Hotel das Cataratas. Photo by Melanie Votaw.
You can’t go wrong with this grand hotel, which has hosted the Princess of Wales, David Rockefeller, Anthony Hopkins, and Jackie Chan, among others. They say location is everything, and this one has a location like no other. But it goes far beyond its location to provide stellar service and food.
A vegan brownie at Hotel das Cataratas. Photo by Melanie Votaw.
Read my separate article on the town of Iguassu Falls itself, what it’s like to visit this miraculous site, and what else you can do there.
It was a dizzying way to start our trip – especially after a late night landing in Quito and only four hours of sleep. But here we were standing on a mountain more than two miles high. We were on a slope of the Pinchincha Volcano, part of the Yanacocha Reserve in the Ecuadoran Andes. It was our first stop on the way to a week at Tandayapa Bird Lodge, an all-inclusive accommodation built precisely for bird enthusiasts like me and my traveling companion, Jean.
We traveled specifically to see some of the region’s 591 bird species, 75 of which are endemic, meaning they can be found nowhere else on earth.
A female booted racquet-tail hummingbird. Photo by Melanie Votaw.
To my weary eyes, the clouds hovering below us looked like an inviting down coverlet spread out between the peaks. A part of me wanted to just lie down and close my eyes. But as we looked out, there were seemingly infinite layers of mountain ranges, each melting into a lighter shade of blue against the hazy sky.
It didn’t take long to forget all about our sleep and breakfast deprivation. I barely even noticed I was slightly short of breath as I watched the sun scorch holes into the clouds, morphing the mist into new shapes.
The Lodge provided us with our own private bird guide. Although only in his 20s, Steve was already an experienced guide in his native England. We were often oblivious when Steve stopped suddenly, took down the spotting scope and tripod from his shoulder, and focused the lens on something much too far away for the average eye to see. This ability to spot a speck within miles of green blur or to hear a specific bird’s call in a cacophony of birdsong is the hallmark of a good birding guide.
Our driver did his best to navigate the whiplash-inducing roads with appalling potholes and then dozed in the van while we hiked the dirt roads of Yanacocha searching for avian treasure. Only an occasional cottage peeked through the endless trees, the varied shades of green marbled against the sky. With no other humans in sight, it was a shock to suddenly find benches and nectar feeders placed on the mountain by the local lodges. Oddly enough, certain bird species exist only at this elevation, despite the thin air and brisk 50-degree temperatures.
Andean emerald hummingbird with extended tongue. Photo by Melanie Votaw.
One of those species is the sword-billed hummingbird, a remarkable creature with a bill that reaches to 4-1/2”, causing it to tilt its bill upward to keep from tipping over when it perches. I knew it was possible to see this bird during our week’s visit, but I also knew we might not be so lucky.
There were many different species at Yanacocha’s feeders, and the sun moved in and out of view, causing their iridescent feathers to glow one moment and go dull the next. Turning my head rapidly from one feeder to another in an effort not to miss anything, my eye caught something unmistakable, and I gasped. “It’s a …! It’s a …!”
A female sword-billed hummingbird. Photo by Melanie Votaw.
“Sword-billed,” Steve said, completing my sentence.
It was a female, her bill impossibly long and almost needle-thin, her white breast covered with metallic splashes of green. She fed briefly and vanished, but she and her darker male counterpart returned several times before we left. I could have gone home right then and not felt at all cheated.
Of course, if I’d left early, I would have missed the true hummingbird circus on Tandayapa Bird Lodge’s verandah. With ten feeders just outside the Lodge doors, it’s not uncommon to see more than 50 birds buzzing, twittering, fighting, chasing, and scattering in what looks like chaotic choreography on an invisible high wire.
Thirty-one species have visited the feeders, seven of which are endemic, such as the booted racket-tail. His body is no longer than a woman’s little finger, and his tail is twice that long. His so-called boots are disproportionately large fluffs of white feathers hanging down over his tiny white feet. The rackets are two flat, round blue circles of feathers at the end of two thin streamer tails.
A male booted racquet-tail hummingbird. Photo by Melanie Votaw.
When defending territory, he leans back in mid-air, flaring his white boots menacingly as he squeaks like a dog’s chew toy. These displays of bravado are common among hummingbirds, but since they’re the world’s smallest birds, the show is as much a clown act as a trapeze act.
Female sword-billed hummingbird (Photo by Melanie Votaw) – the sword-billed hummingbird must sit with its bill pointing up, or it will fall over. As you can see, its bill is longer than its body.
Other species at the feeders include the purple-throated woodstar, a bird not much larger than a bee which sounds like a miniaturized helicopter or a distant lawn mower.
A scarlet-bellied mountain tanager. Photo by Melanie Votaw.
Hummingbirds are famously unafraid of humans, perhaps because of their ability to instantly lift off and fly in all directions, including backwards and upside down. This gave us the opportunity to stand within inches of the birds as they drank from the feeders, observing the details of their miniature feathers, which resemble the iridescent scales of a fish.
Between the birds and the beautifully landscaped grounds filled with flowers and native plants, I could have easily spent my entire visit on Tandayapa’s verandah. Its location has proven to be perfect for attracting birds.
The Lodge straddles the hemispheres in a remote subtropical cloud forest in the Andes 40 miles northwest of Quito at an elevation of 5,500 feet and just 200 yards from the Southern Hemisphere.
While most eco-travelers to Ecuador visit the Galapagos Islands or the Amazon basin, bird watchers and adventure travelers are beginning to discover the richness of the mountains that tower over the more well-known destinations. In addition to the prolific bird life, there is a fascinating array of flora in the region including 80 species of orchids, as well as opportunities for mountain biking and climbing, horseback riding, and whitewater rafting.
Getting to Tandayapa involves driving up a precarious concrete and gravel track at a sharp incline and then walking up numerous stairs. But once you arrive, the Lodge building is rustic and comfortable with Indian blankets on the walls and couches in a living area made for reviewing the list of birds seen during the day.
The 12 rooms are modest but include comfortable beds, a closet, a small bureau, towels, soap, and, most importantly, a hot shower.
Fawn-breasted brilliant hummingbird. Photo by Melanie Votaw.
The Lodge is the largest employer of the diminutive Tandayapa Village in the valley below, population 22. Among the employees from the Village are the cooks, who prepare traditional Ecuadoran meals for the guests. We had chicken, beef, fish, and pork during our stay, and upon request, dairy products were carefully omitted from my plate.
Soups are an important aspect of Ecuadoran cuisine, and while I’ve never been a great lover of soups, I found our cook’s creations to be a highlight of each lunch and dinner. The soup garnish in the country is often popcorn, which I loved. Dessert was frequently ice cream or a local fruit called the tree tomato served with a topping of sugar.
Since birdwatching is a hobby for early risers, we were usually out of bed by 4:00 or 4:30 a.m. for a 5:00 a.m. breakfast of scrambled eggs and toast. No matter how tempting it was to relax on the verandah, there was much to see on day trips from the Lodge.
One day, we were taken on a 45-minute drive to a town called Mindo, where we visited a thatch-roofed restaurant called Los Colibris. Its owners have discovered they can make as much money from their hummingbird feeders as their food. People pay a few dollars to watch the feeders and enjoy a complimentary glass of wine. You can enjoy traditional Ecuadoran fare on an outdoor terrace and take a walk in the garden.
A glass-winged butterfly. Photo by Melanie Votaw.
The forest near Mindo was filled with bromeliads, giant other-worldly leaves, and an unimaginable variety of ferns that varied in size from the length and width of a pencil to more than ten feet by five feet. From the forest floor to the tops of the trees, delicate flowers occasionally peered out from within the lush greenery.
Butterflies flitted about with pale green cellophane-like wings that looked as if they’d been sketched upon with a fine black felt-tip pen. Noisy flocks of parrots passed overhead, silhouetted against the sky.
A rider on an Andean road. Photo by Melanie Votaw.
Traveling on the bumpy roads to various elevations from 2,600 to 6,500 feet, we were able to see birds that have evolved in virtual isolation in these mountain ranges. We stood on the roads and watched for mixed flocks of flycatchers and tanagers. It was a rainbow of electric green, sunflower yellow, crimson, azure, and periwinkle blue.
The weather in the region is temperate year-round from 75 to 45 degrees, and November to May is the rainy season. On a rainy day, we watched birds through the Lodge windows. Carefully placed lights around the building attract moths, which, in turn, attract birds. We saw several species fly toward the building to pick moths off the outer walls for breakfast.
Another day, we hiked the very narrow and steep trails on the Lodge grounds. These are not for the faint at heart, but certain species are most easily found on these walks, such as the rare cloud-forest pygmy-owl and a pale green miniature toucan called the crimson-rumped toucanet.
A female green-crowned brilliant hummingbird. Photo by Melanie Votaw.
Our last morning, I was glued to the verandah for my final glimpses of the hummers when a new bird suddenly landed on one of the feeders. I searched for Steve, exclaiming that I thought I’d just seen a female green-crowned brilliant. “No, we almost never see those here,” he said.
I took out the Ecuadoran bird identification book but couldn’t find another bird that looked exactly like the one I’d seen. Dejected, I forced myself to my room to pack, only to return to a very excited Steve who had seen my bird. Yes, she was a green-crowned brilliant, the first one recorded at the feeders in a long time. Ah, satisfaction!
We left Steve on the verandah looking out at the mountains and watching the manic activity of the hummingbirds. “Do you ever grow tired of this?” I asked him. “Not a chance,” he answered.
I did the “trifecta” in Ecuador, visiting the Galapagos Islands, the Amazon, and the Andes. It was my second time in the Andes region (the first time was about 13 years before), and it didn’t disappoint.
As you can see, the bird life in particular is special in the Andes.
The Andean Guan. Photo by Melanie Votaw.A female booted racket-tail hummingbird sits on a leaf. Photo by Melanie Votaw.A beautiful fluted flower in the Andes. Photo by Melanie Votaw.A Masked Flowerpiercer. Photo by Melanie Votaw.A scarlet-bellied mountain-tanager enjoys a banana. Photo by Melanie Votaw.A toucan barbet. Photo by Melanie Votaw.In the cloudforest of the Andes, the leaves are often huge and otherworldly. Photo by Melanie Votaw.A white-throated screech owl. Photo by Melanie Votaw.A female white-bellied woodstar hummingbird with her tongue extended. She appears to have a slightly deformed bill. This bird is not much larger than a large bee but makes a very loud buzzing sound. Photo by Melanie Votaw.
