RFI: Bears in Papallacta, Ecuador
I’m planning on spending a month in Mindo in December and January and will be working during the week. I planned a couple of nights at the San Isidro Lodge over Christmas to look for Mountain Tapir and Black Agouti. I was going to stop in Papallacta for a night on the way back to Quito to look for Spectacled Bear. For those that have seen bears in this area, is it possible without a guide and without a 4×4 vehicle? Culpeo is also high on my list. Since it would be December 26/27, I’m not sure how many guides would be available. Any other tips for the Mindo area would be appreciated. I know there is Kinkajou, Olingo, a few primates, porcupines, and opossum on the property I’m staying at. I’ve also heard Olinguito is possible at Bellavista.
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9 Comments
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Yonathan Perez
Hi Tina,
I was in this area of Ecuador in December 2025 (Christmas week), so the info in my report should be relatively up-to-date: https://www.mammalwatching.com/community-post/ecuador-2025/
Bears in Papallacta: I tried looking for bears independently along the cliffs by the Papallacta-Pifo road where others have seen bears, but it is quite hard. I eventually hired Mario and Patricio for a day at a very short notice and Patricio was able to find me a female bear with two cubs after about 6 hours of searching. We were using my rental car for searching (an SUV – not 4×4). Driving the Papallacta-Pifo road and the very entrance to Cayambe-Coca Reserve can be done with a regular car. Going deeper into the reserve would probably require a 4×4 and a guide.
Bears in Bellavista: Bellavista tends to attract juvenile bears that supplement their diet at the compost dump early in their independent lives and they typically move on after some time. I was very lucky to have multiple close encounters there, but its a matter of luck and the bear I saw is likely no longer there. You could check with them if there is a bear sticking around before you go. But its a place I’d recommend visiting regardless – besides bears I saw Olinguito and abundance of bird life.
As for Mindo: Las Cotingas reserve there has Tayras and Mountain Coatis visiting on an almost daily basis. I saw a mother Tayra with two cubs. I didn’t wait for the coati as I saw one in Mashpi-Amagusa which is another highly recommended spot but a bit far from Mindo.
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benbalmford
I saw bear (2022) with Mario and Patricio but found them a bit odd. My parents went in 2024 (I think they didn’t get the guides) and didn’t see them there but did at Bear Canyon. It’s a site run by South Wild, who are a seriously decent south American outfit. See here: https://southwild.com/ecuador/spectacled-bear-guaranteed/
San Isidro is an amazing lodge (also great food) and you should get black agouti and also lemurine night monkey there. Mountain tapir is hit and miss there (we missed, parents saw) but also pretty reliable at papallacta – in the cow field that is on the left as you go up the road to the NP. At papallacta there’s also stump tailed porcupine in the hotel grounds/stream area above the hotel – most easily found with a thermal (again no guide needed).
For a driver, I’d highly recommend Santiago, he’s on +593 99 838 3881. Would also suggest trying to get out to Tiputini if at all possible. It’s basic accommodation (certainly not rough, though!) and simply fantastic mammal-ing
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Yonathan Perez
The tapir in the cow pastures in Papallacta is no longer there unfortunately – its been gone since early 2024 according to local herders. So San Isidro is your best bet for Mountain Tapir outside Colombia – but its far from guaranteed.
Stump-tailed porcupines are indeed at Thermals de Papallacta and no guide is needed for them – but not that easily found. I spend around 4 hours across two nights with a thermal and enlisted most of the on-site security staff for the task but we were unable to find one.
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Tad Owen
Hi Tina. We had good views of bear on the aptly named “Sendero el Oso” in 2025. This took 3 days of searching. If you need a guide Nelson Apolo is a fantastic guide who has a knack for spotting bears. Freddy Perez is also excellent. (These are both primarily bird guides, sorry!)
Feel free to ask for more info and happy to provide
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John Rogers
Hi Tina,
Spectacled bear (and Culpeo) are quite reliable at Jocotoco’s Chakana reserve (think it is seen on about 70 per cent of visits) – a day trip from Quito.
https://jocotoursecuador.com/ Can arrange guides, and any other Ecuador travel for you.
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Michael Kessler
Hi Tina, at least a few months ago a bear was regularly visiting the rubbish dump at Bellavista lodge and could be viewed at close distance. So maybe you can see it there when you are at Mindo.