Mindo Cloud Forest
It’s very rare to find a capital city located so close to so many diverse ecosystems. But Quito, Ecuador has them all… or at least that’s what it feels like.
As you take the meandering and scenic northwestern drive away from Quito town center you find yourself becoming more immersed in thick vegetation and lush greenery. The landscape shifts, the plantlife transforms with the winding roads exposing deep ravines and looming volcanic silhouettes.
We’ll come to the mountains and volcanoes in a later blog post, but first, let’s say hello to Mindo Cloud Forest!
Located about a two hours drive from the capital, Mindo is a small town situated in the Andean mountains and is famed for its surrounding rain forests, nature and biodiversity. The elevation and rivers here create the optimum environment for all manner of plant and animal life to flourish, which is how the Mindo Cloud Forest got its name.
This protected area is a haven for anyone looking to get up-close and personal with all the birds, butterflies and animals who reside in the cloud forest’s wet and warm weather conditions.
The Cloud Forest is an absolute must visit, and here’s why…
El Pahuma Reserve Waterfall Hike
An early start, we set off on our journey around 7am from our hostel in Quito’s Centro Histórico, followed by a quick breakfast pit-stop at El Cafe De Juliana (would highly recommend!).
At first we stopped off at the El Pahuma Orchid Reserve to learn about the flora and fauna of the area, hike into the forest and see the waterfall at the end of the trail.
Along the way we saw some impressive views, lots of bugs, a frog, butterflies and countless species of plant life such as orchids.
A very worthy stop-off and warm-up for the rest of the day’s exploration!
Toucans
We really lucked out by spotting numerous wild toucans throughout our day exploring the Cloud Forest. There is a reason this species of bird is so iconic in this part of the world; their colourful appearance and characterful personalities make them such a joy to watch!
Our tip for catching sight of a toucan is to follow the fruit. They’ll often be found eating berries, bananas and whatever the locals have left out in their gardens.
Hummingbird Garden
Almost half of the world’s hummingbird species reside in Ecuador, making it the perfect place to catch these iridescent and speedy birds in their natural habitat. We were inundated with hummingbird sightings throughout our day exploring various parts of the Cloud Forest and were particularly grateful to our guide for taking us to one gorgeous little hideaway spot in particular.
We were taken to a local resident’s back garden in San Miguel de Los Bancos, which just so happened to be the single most beautiful garden I’ve ever stepped foot in. The foliage was dense and there was a winding pathway that led you through several ‘stages’, all the way down to an incredible open Cloud Forest viewing platform.
Here we saw toucans, squirrels, birds and hummingbirds left, right and center! We were lucky enough to meet the woman who owned the garden and were able to observe how she took care of the birds and plants. She was more than happy to share her magical back garden with anyone who stopped by and made us feel instantly at home.
This is, without question, one of the most beautiful places I have ever visited on earth!
Stop Off In Mindo Town For Lunch
Hiking and exploring the Cloud Forest made us ravenous, so we stopped off at a El Chef in Mindo town for a traditional-style lunch consisting of quinoa soup followed by fish served with rice, plantain and tomatoes.
I also stopped off to purchase fresh coconut from a street-vendor for $1.00 – there was no way I could miss out on drinking fresh coconut water when the opportunity presents itself!
Mariposas De Mindo Butterfly Reserve
If you’re interested in butterflies then be sure to check out Mariposas De Mindo. This gorgeous little butterfly sanctuary allows you to interact with lots of different and incredibly colourful species of butterflies that live in a protected space.
You get to witness the life cycle of the butterfly from here too which is fascinating to see as there is a section of the reserve showcasing how butterflies hatch from their cocoon.
Mitad del Mundo
When researching Quito, ‘Mitad del Mundo’ is more than likely to be one of the first spots you’ll be recommended to visit. It is often marketed as the place where the equinoctial line is marked and is a pretty park with numerous attractions built within.
However, it is not truly where the exact equinoctial line lies. We used a mobile app to locate the true 0° of the earth’s arc and it was actually down a side road nearby to the monument!
We thought it was a good idea to do both – visit the true equator line and also pop into Mitad del Mundo because we are tourists after all! There are also some fun things to see there for a $5 entrance fee, so it’s worth an hour or so of your time.
Our Guide, Richard Hernandez
We wouldn’t have seen and learnt as much as we had had it not been for our local guide Richard Hernandez.
We opted to hire a guide for the day for several reasons. Firstly, we wanted to tailor our trip into the Cloud Forest to ensure that we got the most out of the experience. Richard was born and raised in the surrounding area and is a highly knowledgeable and accredited individual with decades of experience with wildlife in the forest.
Secondly, we wanted to be safe. We respect nature and know the importance of safety when it comes to exploring it, having done other adventure activities around the world.
And finally, we wanted to go off the beaten track a little – Richard knew lots of secluded spots for seeing plants and watching birds with no one else around, having done his job for years. He was also on close terms with the people who owned the land where we would be stopping to see said wildlife.
Although we started the day as strangers with shared interests in wildlife exploration, by the end of our trip, having spent the day getting to know each other, we became good friends! Book Richard via Tripadvisor here and be sure to tell him we said hello!
Our trip to Mindo’s Cloud Forest just touched the surface of what this spectacular place has to offer visitors. We would highly recommend visiting and tailoring your trip to suit the sorts of things you want to see and types of activities you want to do. From the adrenaline inducing ziplines to impressive hikes and quiet wildlife observation – it has it all!
Until next time,
Lica xoxo
