Thursday afternoon, January 10, 2019

Mashpi Lodge has a an open-air cable car ride – The Dragonfly, which carries its passengers on a 45 minute ride over the forest canopy, at up to 650’ above the ground. The setup looks similar to a ski lift, with two main stations and six towers. At one point, riders can disembark to hike to a waterfall and enjoy a swim. The ride is about 1.25 miles each way, and the cars move at about 160’ per minute, giving the riders plenty of time to examine the trees and plants below and around them.

As we rode above the canopy, we enjoyed views of the river flowing through the forest, a couple of waterfalls,  and all of the vegetation, including the Mashpi Magnolia tree. We could see our lodge and the Life Center from a distance.

After the Dragonfly ride, we took a hike to one of the waterfalls. It was tough going, down a narrow, twisting and muddy path, but well worth the effort. The return hike back up gave us a workout that we could still feel the next day.