Mindo

The Mindo Valley lies not too far from Quito, and has been gaining popularity with travellers in recent years. Locals deliberately build upon this chance and try to showcase the natural beauty that surrounds Mindo in clever ways. Let’s take a look at why it’s so worth visiting the region!

Things to do

Before we jump right in, a short service announcement: make sure to bring the most important accessory you will need in Mindo – binoculars. We cannot emphasise enough how much they improve your experience, because wildlife is, well, usually quite far away. There is nothing more frustrating than spotting an exciting rare species and not being able take a proper look. You don’t need to make a big investment right away, even reasonably priced ones like these Bresser binoculars or these Hawke binoculars (Amazon) will make a big difference.

Guided birdwatching tour

This was surely the highlight of our stay in Mindo! The town is a true heaven for bird enthusiasts and is one of the few places where you can see the cock-of-the-rock, an extremely rare and impressive Andean bird species, in its natural habitat. They are mainly active in the early morning hours, and you can observe them sing, mate, fight, and look for food in the cloud forest.

There are also multiple toucan species living in the area – Choco and yellow toucans, which are some of Isi’s favorite birds! They are very hard to spot, and you have to listen to their song carefully to be able to locate them. After our seasoned tour guide showed us where to look, we managed to find some on our own the next day!

There are quite a few tour companies around town where you can book excursions. We met a nice guide by chance while having breakfast in a small café, and after a friendly chat, we got her friend’s number and booked a tour with him for the next morning. His name is Neicer Arias, and he was super kind and professional with great equipment and a lot of patience to look for birds, even in suboptimal rainy conditions. You can take a look at his Instagram and contact him, we can definitely recommend his tours!

We were offered two different tours. On the “regular tour“, you can spot toucans, tanagers, hummingbirds, and other local species. It costs $35 per person and runs from 6 a.m. to 9:30 a.m.

The “special tour”, however, takes you to a nature reserve where you can see the rare cock-of-the-rock, besides the other species! It costs $45 per person and runs from 5 a.m. to 9:30 a.m. We definitely recommend booking this one, despite the early hour!

Both tours include transportation, a professional naturalist guide, binoculars, a telescope, rainproof gear, and we even stopped at a local family’s home for a coffee and some breakfast snacks.

Alternatively, you can also book a group tour via GetYourGuide. We would recommend this one, which is the “special tour” that we also did.

Visit a hummingbird sanctuary

Hummingbirds are so cute! The facility we visited is run by a local family, and they lure the hummingbirds to the lodge with a sugary liquid birds like to drink. They fly really close to visitors and might even land on your hand! It was incredible to observe them sipping the water with their long tongue. The wings sound like a motor, kind of like a tiny helicopter hovering – it’s a perfect opportunity to test your phone’s slow-motion video! 😉

There are a couple of places around the city you can visit. This is the one we went to near the town’s border: Punto Ornitológico Mindo. It can be conveniently reached on foot, and the entry costs $5.

Indulge in exquisite chocolate

Mindo is famous for chocolate, more specifically for artisanal chocolate. While cocoa is not directly cultivated in Mindo, but rather in the surrounding lower-lying fields, the town has become a stronghold for artisanal chocolate production. Fun fact: Ecuador has some of the highest-quality cocoa beans in the world, and the most expensive chocolate brand also uses Ecuadorian cocoa. One single bar costs around $300!

You can overdose on chocolate and try different types at one of the many stores around town and pick up some bars as souvenirs. We had plenty of cups of hot chocolate too, and even a crêpe with artisanal chocolate topping. Some notable brands with local showrooms are Mindo Maya, Yumbos Chocolate, El Quetzal Chocolate Makers, and Paccari. We ditched our desire for a healthy lifestyle and simply tried them all – and while there are notable differences in flavour, they were all excellent!

We definitely recommend booking a chocolate-making workshop while in town! There are a couple of places offering these kind of tours and workshops. We chose Quetzal de Mindo Chocolate Makers based on recommendations and had an amazing time! We booked a tour on-site for $10 per person. You can read more about their offerings on their official website.

They have excellent facilities to demonstrate all facets of chocolate making. We took a long walk through their garden, where our guide explained everything about cocoa bean cultivation, harvesting, and fermentation. After that, we took a look at how the beans are processed by hand and turned into silky-creamy chocolate. We then took turns roasting and grinding our own cocoa beans and experimented with adding different ingredients to the chocolate mixture. We tried different types of ready-made chocolate products, brownies and beverages made from cocoa beans. Isi even tried a chocolate face mask, rich in cocoa butter! Our group was quite intimate (only 4 people including us) and there was no other group after us, so our extremely enthusiastic guide went all-in and answered all our questions – the tour took over two hours instead of the scheduled one hour in the end. Lucky us! They also sell their home-made chocolate and carved cocoa bean shells, which are a great souvenir.

Visit a butterfly sanctuary

The cloud forest is home to many butterflies, and you will definitely spot them all around once you step outside the town centre. There is a place where you can observe them even more closely though! Jardin de las Mariposas is tucked away by a stream surrounded by lush greenery. The entry ticket costs $7, and a guide will lead you through the facilities, explaining the lifecycle of the butterflies. You can see the typical flora they prefer and visit a hatchery where the metamorphosis takes place, turning the insects into beautiful butterflies. At the end of the trail, you can freely enjoy a closed indoor garden where you are surrounded by hundreds of butterflies!

We took a one-way taxi for $4 to the sanctuary and walked back through the forest, trying to put our new bird-spotting skills into action.

Other acitivities

• Mindo Hermit Trail: If you can’t get enough of birds, walk this popular birdwatching path and be on the lookout for some rare species! We recommend going very early in the morning, because chances of interesting sightings are much higher in the early hours. Location
• Quad adventure: this seemed to be a popular activity, we saw many groups leave town and drive through the forest on dirt roads. It’s not a race though, quads drove quite slowly, probably due to safety reasons. You can book this kind of tour at almost any tour company in the town centre.

We stumbled across a small shop selling traditional handmade jewellery and beautiful handmade pottery! It’s not marked on Google Maps, but the location is somewhere around here. We couldn’t go crazy with shopping, given our limited luggage, but picked up a couple of tiny planters for our cacti back home.

How to get to & around Mindo

Take the bus from Quito

Buses depart from La Ofelia bus station and are run by the Flor del Valle cooperative. You can check the current schedule on the official website here. There is no need to purchase tickets in advance, you can do it at the counter at the station. A one-way ticket costs $3,60, and make sure to bring enough cash, as card payment was not possible when we were there. The buses were very comfortable, and there were only a handful of passengers (mostly tourists).

Keep an eye on your belongings at the station and while on the road, as petty theft is supposed to be common at larger stations and on buses in Ecuador. We did not have any issues, luckily.

Rent a car

This is also a popular option, and it allows you to be a little more flexible and explore farther-lying parts of the region. This way, you can also opt for more remote and tranquil accommodation far from the town centre. Roads seemed to be well maintained on the way from Quito to Mindo.

Getting around in Mindo

Many sights (like the hummingbird viewpoint) can easily be reached on foot. There are taxis that operate at a fixed rate, depending on your destination. You can find them stationed in the city centre at the main square. You can also let them know if you need a ride back, and they will either wait for you at your destination or return to pick you up at the arranged time.

There is no public transport service in the village, except for the intercity buses.

Accommodation

There are plenty of hotels in Mindo, despite the town’s size! You can either stay in the centre for the convenience of restaurants and being able to walk to the local sights, or you can opt for a more remote but also more tranquil location. In this case, you will need to arrange transportation or arrive by car.

For options in the centre, we recommend Cinnamon House ($), and Guayabo Hostal ($), a nice central hotel with rustic wooden charm. We stayed at Hostal Casa Cultural Mindo ($), which was a fine budget option for our needs. The interior is nicely decorated, but amenities are basic.

If you would like to stay closer to nature, Casa de Vista Alta ($$) is a perfect choice – we visited this place during our birdwatching tour and would love to stay there next time. You can spot toucans, tanagers, and hummingbirds just from the terrace of the hotel!

Day trip or overnight stay?

You can find many day trips from Quito online, so you might be wondering if it’s worth staying overnight at all. We would recommend staying at least one night in Mindo – the main reason is that birdwatching is best done in the early morning hours around 6-7 a.m., which means that you would have to set off from Quito for a 2-hour drive during the night. It’s surely doable, but far from a nice relaxed experience. The other activities also take a couple of hours each, which is worth keeping in mind.

Great spots to eat

• Mindo Obansi: this was hands down our favourite find in the town centre! They offer typical local cuisine and also have some breakfast options. We recommend trying the arepas, they were super delicious. Location
• Persian House: a tiny restaurant run by a kind couple, a nice place if you are looking for a break from local cuisine. We tried the falafel, and they were delicious. Location
• Las Tongas: this restaurant was conveniently located right across the street from our hotel. They have a nice atmosphere and simple local cuisine. Location
• Toucanet: a very nice café and also a perfect spot for breakfast. They offer sandwiches, pancakes, and very delicious coffee drinks. Funnily enough, this is also where we met a kind local tour guide and ended up booking a superb tour with her friend. Location
• Crepes-Art: a restaurant/café with super delicious crêpes. They have an amazing artisanal chocolate sauce made from locally grown cocoa beans. Location
• Bakeries: there are many nice local bakeries where you can buy pastries for breakfast, or just for a snack in between. Jerico Panaderia was our favourite one!