The Flora and Fauna of SWA's Kayaking Lodge

 Kevin has been Small World's resident horticulturist for the past few weeks and he wanted to post up a blog about some of the things he's seen around the lodge.

Kevin says:

While I’ve been staying at Small World Adventures lodge, I anticipated being in the heart of some of the best Ecuadorian kayaking; however, I didn’t anticipate that one of the best parts of my stay is the lodge and the surroundings themselves. This is really a beautiful and tranquil place. Many of the flowers are blooming in full force.

The flower bordered path from the lodge leads down to the new Yoga Shala. Surrounded by the beautiful subtropical mountain forest with a great view of the Quijos River, the Shala is very peaceful and serene.

The trails are awesome with beautiful bromeliads, feathery cycads, twisting guyaba and towering balsam trees, ginger flowers, and even orchids all around.

 The gardens around the lodge and the trail allows for some great bird watching and as an avid birder, it is quite exciting to have such great birding right out the front door. The Andean Cock-of-the-Rock frequents the property as well as a number of other ornate birds.

The Inca Jay is a frequent visitor

The White-tailed Hillstar frequents the bird feeder and numerous hibiscus flowers on the property

I love the colorful tanagers in Ecuador. The blue-necked tanager is the most frequent and colorful tanager found around Small World Adventures.

Like you escaping the Northern Hemisphere cold winters, many birds are also quite smart and want to enjoy the warmth year round. Don’t be surprised to see some familiar faces, like the Swainson’s Thrush

Or Blackburnian Warblers

Of course, even one of the most common birds in the area has a bright rufous collar (the Rufous-collared Sparrow).

Of course, the birding is just a great bonus to the great kayaking right out the door. I find it also awesome that the take out for the Lower Cosanga and Quijos River run is a stairway and path up to the lodge…with beers waiting! Love this place!