The Reserve's goal is to educate the public about the significance of biodiversity in tropical cloud forests and the ever increasing importance of protecting these unique ecosystems. Bellavista and the Tandayapa Valley boasts over 330 recorded species of birds...and the list continues to grow! The Tanager-finch, Giant Antpitta, Swallow-tailed Nightjar, Plush-capped Finch, Beautiful Jay, and White-faced Nunbird are all found here.

Birders and nature lovers alike thrill to the sight of brightly colored tanagers and the Plate-billed Mountain-Toucan, and everybody loves to simply sit in our four-story dome and admire the multitude of hummingbirds hovering around our feeders.

Bellavista's resident mammals include the endangered Spectacled Bear, (rarely seen but protected by the reserve), as well as the puma, Andean coati and tayra, to name a few.

Bellavista Reserve, a founding member of the Network of Private Protected Forests of Ecuador, collaborates with local conservation organizations, working to preserve the cloud forest of Northwestern Ecuador for the unique and fascinating species that live there, and for educational, recreational and scientific purposes. The wonderful news is that many Ecuadorians are becoming more aware of the importance of their unique natural heritage and are increasingly concerned about its conservation.

At Bellavista, we strive to operate a lodge and reserve that obeys the rules of sustainability and low environmental impact as demanded by internationally accepted standards of ECOTOURISM. What does this easy buzzword mean? Basically, there are a few main areas that need to be considered:
RESOURCE USE
EDUCATION
PRESERVATION OF THE NATURAL ENVIRONMENT AND ITS BIODIVERSITY: Among the most satisfying parts of our work is the knowledge that the Reserve is protecting a meaningful piece of land, with exceptionally high biodiversity, and that our ideas of forest conservation and ecotourism are now seen locally as pioneering and valid.
COMMUNITY INVOLVEMENT
COMMITTED CONSERVATIONISTS OF ECUADOR FOUNDATION
Forest preservation and education for conservation - our work is ongoing. Bellavista as a project grows with the creative ideas of many. Please SHARE YOUR IDEAS with us - thanks!

THE ECOROUTE PASEO DEL QUINDE is not an initiative of Bellavista itself, but is an initiative in which we are actively participating. This new initiative aims to be as model for other areas of the country, and indeed beyond Ecuador, to become a tool for the conservation of roads in rural areas with areas of ecological interest (reserves, areas worth protecting, threatened species, etc) – in the case of the Ecoroute Paseo del Quinde, with particular interest in the very high diversity of birds. Local inhabitants may receive training in conservation, in guiding visitors (such a programme has already taken place in the Ecoroute), in artisan creativity, and in road maintenance, as well as creation of new visitor points, etc.

We also support with community tourism through posting interesting links to other wonderful places in Ecuador.