El Monte is a relaxing eco-lodge offering full service. Three meals, personal guides, and a private cabaña isolated in the cloud forest are all included in the price.

Among the efforts that El Monte makes to keep the lodge ecologically friendly are: an organic garden that provides most of the veggies served at mealtime, conservation activism locally and nationally, volunteer work at other eco-lodges in Ecuador, solar panels providing the only electricity in the lodge, and preservation of 44 hectares of cloud forest in the area.

Each cabaña is spacious, comfortable, and cozy. Large windows provide for excellent bird-watching, even from your bed.

One negative aspect is that if you are a group of five (maximum amount for cabañas), you have to climb the ladder/stairs to get to the bathroom. This can be tricky at night, as there is no electricity in the cabañas.

The lodge is reached by crossing a rushing river. To do this, you sit on a wooden plank which pulls you across the river by a pulley system.