Mindo Cloud Forest

Immerse yourself into the thick vegetation of trees and wild flowers. The Cloud Forest is located on the edge of the Andes. Mindo is 60 miles away from the Quito city. Do one of the best day trips from Quito in small groups along with local Guides. Enjoy the subtropical climate in the ever-green forest. This sector is within the 10 most important eco systems on earth. This nature land is a perfect place to watch birds such as the White naked Jacobin, Golden olive Woodpecker, Euphonia, Golden Tanager among others. Have fun in the ziplining station crossing from one mountain to another one above the greenwoods. Walk through narrow paths covered with giant tree ferns, dense vegetation protected by mosses and feel the hot humid wind that comes from the Pacific Ocean. Visit the waterfall route and do swimming in crystalline water.

Itinerary
This is a typical itinerary for this product

Stop At: Quito, Quito, Pichincha Province

Early departure from Quito city will take us to the northwest of the Province. We will cross the northern populated area of Quito. After a 65-minute drive, we will stop in the Alambi reserve. This nature reserve is a premier place for birdwatching, especially to spot hummingbirds. We continue our way towards the cloud forest.

Duration: 2 hours

Stop At: Alambi Reserve, 28J9+6G8, Quito, Ecuador

Alambi is a private reserve full of playful hummingbirds and other bird species. The reserve is located at the lower part of the Tandayapa valley at 4, 900feet. This place is dreamy and perfect for taking pictures or filming the hummingbird flying on a slow-motion video. One of the experiences of this place is that you can feed the hummingbirds by holding a feeder and they will approach you with complete confidence. If you are lucky, we can find other species of birds such as the Crimson-rumped Toucanet, Oropendolas or Tanagers, Quetzals. Occasionally, they visit this place.

Not far from this place, you can see a coffee plantation.

Duration: 45 minutes

Stop At: Mindo Nambillo Cloud Forest Reserve, Mindo Ecuador

Visiting the waterfall sanctuary is the best experience that someone can take from this place. Waterfalls are located within the Mindo-Nambillo protected forest, about a 15-minute drive from the town.

Before arriving at the departure station, we take the "Tarabita" (Cable car powered by a car machine). This cable car will be the beginning of our adventure. We will make a flight from one mountain to another one, covering a distance of approximately 500 meters. From the cable car, we will observe the beautiful cloud forest covered by a dense and green vegetation of trees and plants of different sizes. The Nambillo River can also be spotted from above.

We will start the walk along one of those trails that will lead us to a series of waterfalls, starting from the smallest one until we reach the largest waterfall where visitors can enjoy a swim or dive in the refreshing and clear waters.


Duration: 2 hours

Stop At: Yumbos Chocolate, Calle Sebastian de Benalcazar N 2-26 2nd Floor, In front of Iglesia San Francisco, Quito 170150 Ecuador

Visit Yumbos which is an artisanal chocolate factory located in Mindo Town. Yumbos Chocolate has a passion for Cacao and a vision of creating a chocolate factory of excellent quality for the benefit of the Ecuadorian farmers, workers and the delight of the consumers. Yumbos Chocolate is pure and handmade, without preservatives or artificial flavorings. It is made from Cacao selected from Aromatic Varieties, which in Ecuador are called ‘National, Fine and Aromatic’.

Together, we learn and taste Ecuadorian chocolate. A local expert guide will tell us about the origin of chocolate, the history of the cocoa plantations that are mostly found on the coast of Ecuador. We will see the process of making chocolate from the harvest to its refining to finally reach the tempering stage.

Finally, we will taste the different types of chocolates with their respective purity.

Duration: 1 hour

Stop At: Mindo, Mindo, Pichincha Province

Besides, Mindo offers activities such as: Ziplining which consists in a full tour of 10 cables or just 2 across the cloud forest. Another option, travellers can visit the butterfly spot, where you can observe the butterfly metamorphosis. You can also see the entire process that cocoa takes before becoming chocolate bars and see other derivative products that can be obtained from this fruit. If you love water sports, a great option is tubing. Tubing consists of getting on a series of inner tubes tied together and descending 3 km on the river. The suggested activities will be coordinated by our Guide, according to the available time or passengers' expectations. Finally, Transfer back to Quito.

Duration: 2 hours

You can present either a paper or an electronic voucher for this activity.

For a full refund, cancel at least 24 hours in advance of the start time of the experience.