If you’re looking for time to relax, hike and bird watch, there’s no better place to fulfill your dreams than at the Reserva Biologica Maquipucuna. This reserve is 50 kilometres north-west of Quito and you can arrange a private vehicle from the city. The 14,000-hectare reserve is home to some of the most precious portions of the Choco-Andean bio-region and preserves the habitats of more than 330 bird species, 240 butterfly species, 45 species of mammal and literally thousands of plant species. You can stay at the lodge there and also eat at the in-house restaurant.