Mindo Cloud Forest Full Day

Mindo, Ecuador

GM
Galapagos My World
  • Email address verified
7 reviews
Duration: 1 day
Group size: 2 - 15
Mindo Cloud Forest Full Day
Mindo, Ecuador

Galapagos My World
  • Email address verified
7 reviews

Duration: 1 day
Group size: 2 - 15

About this trip

Admire the ever green forest by the Tandayapa valley. Learn more about this awe-inspiring ecosystem. Cloud Forest is located on the edge of the western Andes. Mindo is 61 miles away from the Quito city. This area is the transition zone between the highlands into the coast. The altitude ranges from 6,000 and 4,400 feet above sea level. Enjoy a sub-tropical weather and walking through the eco-route to observe the most biodiverse and endangered habitats. Mindo was awarded as a Biosphere Reserve by the UNESCO in 2018.    

Mindo a great place for birding

Mindo, being in the middle of several protected forests such as the Tandaya Valley, Alambi, San Tadeo, Hermit Trail reserves, and being part of the Andean Choco has an immense variety of birds. 


If you want to focus more on birdwatching we suggest starting the tour at 4 a.m. from Quito. And bring binoculars, camera with a 300 or 600mm lens. Please, let us know what is your expectations about Mindo. 

What’s included

  • Professional Guide
    Certified English/Spanish-speaking
  • Pick-up
    Pick-up and drop -off from the hotel
  • Activities
    Choose the activities that interest you most
  • Private Transportation
    Comfortable cars for long trips

What’s not included

  • Travel Insurance
    Mandatory
  • Entrance fees
    Humming bird spot $5 pp, Ziplining $10 pp (3-cables), Cable car + Waterfalls $5 pp, Chocolate tasting tour $10 pp
  • Meals
    Vegetarian and vegan options are available
  • Tips
    Customary

Available Packages

Private Full day to Mindo
$110

Itinerary

Day Tour
Exploring Mindo y one full day trip

  

Early departure from the city of Quito to go to the northwest of the city. Leaving the city behind, the first thing we will observe is the town of Calacali, this town is characterized by having been a pre-Hispanic area of

great astronomical, commercial and agricultural importance. Later, we will see how the forest and its vegetation change, becoming denser and greener.

  

Hummingbird watching reserve: 

Our first stop will be, in a private reserve, which has an extension of 247 acres. On this reserve, we will only focus on visiting the garden that is adjacent to the house that also works as a hostel. Depending on the weather season in which we will visit the hummingbird sanctuary, a variety of hummingbirds can be seen such as the White-Neckd Jacobin, Rufous Colored, Purple-throated Woodstar, Fawn-Breasted Brilliant, Booted Racket-tail among others. Also, the reserve is full of tanagers, like the golden and silver one. Occasionally, the garden is visited by Oropendolas, woodpeckers, toucans or birds that are distributed over 5,000 feet.


  

Cable car and waterfall sanctuary

Enjoy the Tarabita from Mindo or cable car, this metal basket powered by a vehicle engine will take you on a journey in the air until you reach the next station. From here, you can take a walk through the vegetation and native trees from this forest. there are several trails to walk, you can choose one of the trails to start the descent and at the end of these, we can see waterfalls of natural origin, where you can take a refreshing swim, or take several selfies with them or simply meditate or admire the natural beauty of the waterfalls.


    

Chocolate tasting tour

Get to know one part of the chocolate route, visiting an artisanal chocolate factory. If you are a chocolate or brownie lover this is the place for you. In this place, you can learn about the history of cocoa plantations in Ecuador. You will know why they called it the golden grain. You will do a tour to see the entire process that takes to make the chocolate bars. You will find out why Ecuadorean chocolate has been awarded with the best honors in several international chocolate fairs. 


  

Choose three of your favorite activities in Mindo and our friendly and knowledge guide with take you to do entertaining and fun activities.


Other activities that can be done in Mindo are: Tubing, Ziplining, Teleferico of Mindo or visiting the butterfly farm. These activities can be exchanged with those that are in the original itinerary and so you can customize your tour.



Your Organizer


GM
Galapagos My World
7 reviews
We are trip organizers, who have traveled on all the roads, villages, lagoons, volcanoes, rivers, reserves and National Parks of Ecuador Mainland and Galapagos Islands to be able to advise with our first-hand experiences to many travelers who visit the wonderful Ecuador. Our experiential knowledge will be at your disposal to help you to create an experience for you, that will optimize your time and budget. If you dare to visit Ecuador, we are ready!!! are you ready?

Reviews

I booked this tour for my parents (early 70s) because it looked like a relaxing tour that had a good mix of culture and nature. They had the best time with Eduardo. Communications pre-trip were good, booking was easy, and Eduardo was super responsive to my questions. He was easily able to accommodate dietary restrictions (my mom is a pescatarian). Eduardo was waiting for my parents with a printed sign at arrivals. It was booked as a group tour, but my parents were the only ones signed up for that week, so they basically got a private tour. Eduardo spoke English and was super knowledgeable. The tour started with a tour of the historic parts of Quito and the Middle of the World. Then, they drove to the Amazon, where my parents stayed in a beautiful Ecolodge that was only accessible by boat. The lodge (Liana Lodge) was the perfect blend of being in rainforest and getting to enjoy nature but without sacrificing comfort. The rooms were individual private wooden cabanas, each with its own large balcony with a hammock. Despite heavy rain at night, there were absolutely no leaks. It was also fully encased with mosquito nets. It also had its own full bathroom and shower that had hot water. The cabana didn’t have electricity (the lodge uses candles, a fire pit, and my parents packed headlamps), but you could safely charge your phone and other devices at the lodge’s reception area (which also had WiFi). Meals were in their communal open dining area where they could see monkeys and other wildlife. My parents raved about the food there. They had 3 course meals, prepared by a professional chef (all meals at the lodge included in the tour price; other days in Quito and Banos included breakfasts). There were lots of activities included at the lodge stay, and my parents stayed busy on side tours such as boat rides, hikes (the lodge provides rain boots), wildlife sanctuary visits, and a chocolate making demonstration and tasting. The lodge provides designated indigenous guides for each guest, so it was nice to have a familiar face for all the tours from the lodge (Eduardo also accompanied them for all activities). Then, Eduardo drove them to Banos. My parents enjoyed the nearby hot springs the first evening and visiting a coffee producer. The next day, Eduardo took them to the main points of interest (Devil’s Caldron waterfall, Bride’s Veil waterfall, and the treehouse at the end of the world). Even though it was not included as part of the tour package, Eduardo drove them back to the Quito airport at the end of the tour. Eduardo went out of his way to make sure they were comfortable and looked after at all times. I’m glad my parents were in such good hands. Eduardo even thoughtfully got me a souvenir (much appreciated)! Thank you, Eduardo for giving them such an enjoyable experience!
By Mimi Y for 7-Day Amazon and Highland Experience on May 04, 2025
Honestly not sure what to expect from Mindo as we only planned to stay a couple days. What can I say? Truly a beautiful and fantastic place to visit. Safe and authentically Ecuadorian. And our visit was made even more special by our guide Eduardo. Not only does he know of all the places to visit but he is a naturalist with so much knowledge of the history, land and wildlife of the area. Eduardo caught on early to our love of birds and made sure we saw as many as he could get an eye on. Our kids loved the places he suggested we visit making this trip exciting for us all. He also paid tribute to the indigenous people of the land. I only wish we had more time to explore this incredible part of Ecuador. Thank you Eduardo! This is a trip we will not soon forget.
By Jamie N for Mindo Cloud Forest Full Day on Mar 29, 2025
Excellent trip. Eduardo customized the trip to what we were looking for. It included feeding the hummingbirds, the cable car ride and waterfall hike, and the Chocolate factory tour. Each place was ready and expecting us. He also suggested a great place for lunch. He is very knowledgeable and passionate about his country and nature. A photographer, he also took pictures and sent them to us! A perfect day!
By Nora F for Mindo Cloud Forest Full Day on Feb 15, 2025
BH
Galapagos My World provided the experience of a lifetime. Eduardo our guide, for both the Mindo Cloud day trip and Antisana Condor Sanctuary, met and exceed my expectations. In coordination with the ranger from the Sanctuary we arrived before dawn and were able to see condors in their nests and patiently waited for them to fly off for the morning. We also saw the Ecuardian Hillstar humming bird, the Andes Ibis, Andes Ducks, Llamas and deers. My photos of these birds are beyond words and I'm thrilled to recommend Galapagos My World tour operatos to all adventure seeking folks, birders, photographers.....for a lifetime experience. Kudos to Eduardo and Galapagos My world.
By Brian H for Antisana Condor Sanctuary, birding and photography on Jan 29, 2025
We had a great time. Eduardo showed us some impressive sights and informed us of what to expect and the activities to participate in.
By Prue D for Middle of the World Half-Day Tour on Jul 11, 2024
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References

Eduardo was full of amazing information! We loved the bizcocha demonstration and it was so yummy! We were sad that we were not told our start time would be an hour later, but todos bien!
By Janci B on 05 Jul, 2024