TASTE OF MINDO

MINDO 2 DAYS IN CLOUD FOREST 

ECUADOR MAP

​Mindo is in the middle of a cloud forest with a pleasant weather temperature and few insects/mosquitos thanks to its altitude. It is one of the best places in the world for birdwatching and is only a 2-hour-drive from Quito. 
It is a small town consisting of a central park, 2-3 newly paved streets full of many restaurants and cafes, tour operators, and car rentals. There is one and only ATM in town so bring some cash with you. Most restaurants and shops accept major credit cards. All attractions are situated just a little outside the town centre and can be reached on foot in around 20 min. or by taxi in 5 min. 
Mindo is the favourite weekend destination of Quiteño's, therefore it is better to go during the weekdays. 
It is actually all about the birds, waterfall exploration, and some excitement on Mindo`s unique cableway called tarabita.

HOW TO MOVE IN MINDO

​Walking or taxi. 
The min. taxi ride is 2 dollars. If you need an early morning or a late-night call then you need to calculate the double. 
You will pay around 5-6 USD to reach the major attractions. 

HOW TO GET TO MINDO

There are daily and frequent buses from Carcelen or La Ofelia Terminals.
A taxi ride from Quito is very common. From the North of Quito, it may take 30 USD from the city centre 50 USD. You may want to ask your accommodation in Mindo to get you a private driver/cab. 

Bus Terminal in Mindo

WHERE TO STAY IN MINDO

If you want to stay in a far away lodge in Mindo to get to see the birds and feel the nature, take one not very far from the centre, as taxis are rare, and a quick ride costs 2 USD. Most of the lodges do not offer lunch/dinner.
Staying at the centre can be convenient as you have the restaurants and markets around. Walking in the streets of Mindo is very pleasant as on your way you see different kinds of vigorous plants but most likely you will take a cab all the time. A Lodge just a little outside of the centre can be a good compromise. Even though in the centre you see the same birds and Hummingbirds. ​

Our lovely accomodation

WHAT TO DO IN MINDO

• Cableways:

There are two different cableways in Mindo. The first one is a chairlift called "teleferico". The second one is a little unique, a yellow steel basket called "tarabita". They are open from 08.30 till 16.00.
They can be used as transportation to get to the waterfall routes but you can also take them just to have an enjoyable ride in the cloud forest. The teleferico has a 5 min stop in the middle of the ride so that you can enjoy the view. Neither teleferico nor tarabita is recommendable if you are afraid of heights. If this is the case then to reach the waterfalls you can hike.
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• Waterfall ROUTES:

To reach the waterfall routes you can either hike for 12-15 km. or you can take 2 cableways, first the "teleferico" and then walk for a few minutes to take "tarabita" or you can walk and just take the tarabita. The recommendable option is to take 2 cableways to enjoy the views and reserve some energy to complete the waterfall routes. Once you reach the tarabita station you can choose from the map your route. There are 5 different waterfall routes.
1- Nambillo Waterfall: The easiest and quickest route, just 20 min. from the Tarabita station:
2- Reina (Queen) Waterfall: The biggest waterfall requires a 50 min. hiking one way.
3- Series of Waterfalls Route: A route to see 5 waterfalls, the nearest is 35 min hiking.
The waterfalls are not very big (except for the Reina) but you get the chance to refresh yourself in the little pools. Do not forget to bring your swimming suit. In the afternoon it is likely to rain so bring also a raincoat unless you want to walk in your swimming suit.

• Mariposarios

There are three butterfly farms (mariposarios) in Mindo at the moment and 2 of them have the same name, Mariposario of Mindo, one being inside the town, one outside. The best is the one close to the cableway. As the butterflies fall asleep after 13 you should go in the morning, though not very early if you would like to watch butterflies complete their metamorphosis process. The best is to go at around 9 o'clock when the butterflies are very active, after your tour in the garden to have a coffee or chocolate at the cafe and observe the beautiful colourful birds from the window and go back to the area where the butterflies born. There is no exact hour but certainly every day some butterflies emerge from their cocoons at around 10.30-11.00 it is a process of an hour so you have a good chance to see it.

• Birdwatching:

You will not find many birds when you do the cableway and waterfall tours. Therefore it is better to join a birding tour with Alsavia at the Mindo Ontological Centre for only 15 USD per person. He takes you on a tour of his immense property, provides you with quality equipment and shows birds otherwise you could never see. But if you do not want to do this tour, you can enjoy / it is guaranteed / many colourful birds just after your must-do-visit at the butterfly centre - Mariposaria de Mindo's Caffe in the morning. Their hot chocolate is amazing. While in the evening you can enjoy calibres drinking sugary water before going to sleep at the terrace of El Quetzal while enjoying their artisanal beer with cacao. ​

Unique Tarabita of Mindo

Cableway of Mindo

Butterfly Farm

Waterfall route

Baby hummingbirds in their nest

Cacao beer and hummingbirds on top

Optimal Mindo Adventure: Maximizing Birdwatching, Butterfly Delights, and Scenic Waterfall Trails

2 days in Mindo:
Half-day: 
Birdwatching and butterflies can be done only in the morning so for the half-day, you can choose any activity you like among the various options tour operators offer like tubing, zipline etc. You can join a chocolate tour or hike for the waterfalls to get one route covered before the full day. 
Have your lunch at the Dawn Coffe 
Full day:
Use the full day to get up early and go to birdwatching. 
Then go to the butterfly farm and take the tour
Have your breakfast at the butterfly farm's cafe and wait for the metamorphosis process to complete. 
Walk 2 min. to the cableway 
Take cableway then tarabita and choose the waterfall route you like.
Have your lunch with delicious empanadas at the tarabita station between the routes. 

• Take a taxi to the teleferico 
• Take teleferico and then tarabita
• Do the first waterfall route the big one 
• At the tarabita station, there is a nice cafe making good empanadas.
• When you finish just walk or take a taxi to your hotel/city centre 
• Dinner at the Quetzal's terrace to admire hummingbirds drinking water before going to sleep

Budget

Mindo is not an expensive. You can find many budget friendly accommodation and some restaurants. You have the chance to choose among free options for the attractions. You can choose to hike to the waterfall sanctuary or go on bird watching on your own. You should be careful when you choose your accommodation's location to not to be dependent on the taxis as it is there is no public buses inside the town.

WHERE TO EAT

• Dawn Caffe Lunch at the Park Square - Delicious food cheap price, tables looking at the main square park you can watch birds trespassing. 
• The Quetzal - A little more expensive as an option, a cosier place with fusion food