Your health care specialist should be able to provide you with appropriate information. Standard precautions for Ecuador would pertain, i.e., tetanus, hepatitis A and B, and diphtheria. Yellow fever is only necessary if you are going down the other side of the Andes into the Amazon basin. Malaria prevention (usually a daily pill started before you arrive) is recommended however. Have fun!

Hi Karen, We went to Bellavista as part of our Honeymoon trip in June. In short it is a brilliant place if you are content with nature and being off the techno radar. Experiencing the humming birds in such close quarters is fantastic, if you go, stand with your head next to the feeders, don't be worried, see them hover literally in front of your eyes is amazing. the variety is also great. Things to consider: 1) It gets cold at night, they have some electric heaters for rooms but as they are all about sustainability take warm night wear with you if you can to save the electric. 2) Depending where you are travelling from it is a long trip, 3 hours from the airport (each way) and the road is VERY bumpy, you will leave your seat a few times, there is NO alternative route. 3) We stayed in a room which was on it's own, up small metal winding staircase, brilliant immersive room with floor to ceiling glass windows looking out.. we spotted many amazing birds just from our room. 4) 3 or 4 nights is enough unless you are really into bird watching (i.e. ticking specific species off of lists). If you are not that into birds but just enjoy nature this is long enough without it getting samey. 5) The food was basic but very nice, lunch and dinner were both 3 courses and at set times. 6) Staying there you have the choice of guide led trips at all different set times of the day or you can walk any of the trails yourself. The guides we had were very knowledgeable and had a passion for what they knew (not just booksmart). 7) I don't mean to be overly critical of their information but be aware that even the 'easy' trails are fairly demanding. This is important to note because yes they were fairly easy for us (an average couple in our 30s), but for older; slightly injured / overweight people the easy routes were a struggle. We did some of the difficult routes also.. wow.. hard but if you are ok with steep / uneven trails they are worth doing and really make you appreciate the meals. Hope the info helps, if you have any specific questions let me know. Regards, Richard

You can ask a taxi to take you there from Quito, but it is a 2 hour drive so I wouldn't recommend it. Also the last 30 mins of the drive is down a dirt track. It is also in the middle of nowhere! You are best to book an organised trip which includes being picked up from your hotel/hostel in Quito, a 2 hour guided hike through the forest, lunch and then a return transfer back to your hotel. Everyone there was doing it that way. Some did it as a day trip and some were staying the night. We booked ours through our tour company, but it was the same price as booking it through the Bellavista website. Saving a few dollars by trying to get there yourself really isn't worth the hassle.