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The lodge and reserve are 100% owned and managed by members of the local community and you will be offered a warm Ecuadorian welcome when you arrive at Santa Lucía.Home to the endangered Andean Spectacled Bear, in a biodiversity ‘hotspot,’ Santa Lucía reserve offers a wide range of attractions such as hiking through primary forest to mountain waterfalls on trails used by the Yumbo people; first class birding with over 394 species of birds including a dawn visit to the Andean Cock-of-the-Rock lek; taking part in making panela (sugar) the traditional way; finding out about our reforestation and other conservation and community projects or simply relaxing in the hammocks and taking in the spectacular panoramic views over the cloud forest.
Conservation and Community Projects
Scientific Investigations
Santa Lucía has hosted eight teams of Earthwatch scientists and volunteers during 2008 and 2009 and is looking forward to working with the Earthwatch teams again this summer. Earthwatch are trialing research methods in remote areas and collecting data about the forest's flora and fauna through: camera 'traps' to monitor large mammals including the endangered Andean Spectacled Bear (Tremarctos ornatus;) bird, frog, lizard and snake surveys; and research of the canopies and climate change.
In conjunction with Sussex University and Rainforest Concern UK, Santa Lucía is continuing the camera trapping project on an ongoing basis. Click here to view the images of mammals captured by the cameras.
Santa Lucía has created an orchid garden to help us learn more about the 300 plus species of orchids in the reserve and is currently looking for a botanist interested in a medium to long term placement to help us further identify orchids.
Training and Environmental Education
Santa Lucia and Earthwatch provided intensive study placements for eight young people from the local community and a further thirteen secondary students spent a day at Santa Lucia, starting at 5am (at their request) birdwatching and learning about conservation and community ecotourism. Thank you to Rainforest Concern for funding these projects.
Local Children
During 2009, Santa Lucia volunteers have worked in Nanegal's Under-Fives' Centre, helping with the children's daily activities, starting up a reading project and creating a vegetable garden as well as running a very successful after-school club for older children in Barrio La Delicia-Nanegal. During the fiestas of Nanegal in May, volunteers provided hours of face-painting for children, and at Christmas, staff and volunteers presented a show with an environmental theme in the local towns of Nanegal, Santa Marianita and Palmitopamba.
