MINDO CLOUD FOREST - Nature & Birds - Personalized Experience
Quito, Ecuador
- 10 hours (approx.)
- Pickup offered
- Group discounts
- Mobile ticket
- Offered in: English
Explore our promoted experiences
Overview
Discover the amazingly diverse wildlife and scenic beauty of the cloud forests of Mindo during this full-day trip from Quito. This unique ecological area is known for having one of the highest concentrations of biodiversity anywhere on earth, including numerous exotic species of birds. During your excursion, stop by the Hummingbird Garden and walk into the forest to admire the beauty of this natural reserve before proceeding to Mindo. Choose from among a range of optional activities (at your own expense), including a visit to a chocolate factory, an orchid garden tour, ziplining, a bird-watching trip with a local expert, and much more.
- Explore the cloud forests of Mindo during this day trip from Quito
- Stop on the way to Mindo to admire the beauty of the nature by visiting a Hummingbird Garden and going for a walk in the primary forest
- Discover the amazing biodiversity of the area
- A small group means more attention from your guide
What's Included
- Pick-up and drop-off centrally hotels in Quito
- Certified English / Spanish speaking guide
- Private transportation
- Chocolate tasting
- Waterfall´s hike and tarabita
- Hummingbird´s Garden
- LunchIncluded only in private service
- Canopy USD $20
- Orchids & butterflies USD $5
- Tubing USD $8
- Tips
Meeting and Pickup
Pickup points
Select a pickup point
Pickup details
Hotels pick up / drop off outside of the city has an extra charge
Itinerary
1
Quito
2 hours • Admission Ticket Free
2
Mindo
3 hours • Admission Ticket Free
3
Mindo Nambillo Cloud Forest Reserve
2 hours • Admission Ticket Included
4
Mindo
2 hours • Admission Ticket Free
Additional Info
- Confirmation will be received at time of booking
- Children must be accompanied by an adult
- Not wheelchair accessible
- Vegetarian option is available, please advise at time of booking if required
- Operates in all weather conditions, please dress appropriately
- Most travelers can participate
- This tour/activity will have a maximum of 12 travelers
Supplied by
Cancellation Policy
You can cancel up to 24 hours in advance of the experience for a full refund.
Traveler Photos
Featured review
Tracy_L
My husband, 8-year-old daughter and I had a private tour, and all had a wonderful time. Our tour guide Fabián was extremely knowledgeable and engaging. On the ride to Mindo he shared lots of interesting history, and the views were beautiful, so the time passed quickly.
The hummingbird sanctuary was a nice stop - my daughter was entranced by the hummingbirds and tanagers.
Next we stopped at the Nambillo Cloud Forest Reserve, where we had a beautiful hike down to the Nambillo waterfall, and back up to the canopy on the other side of the Nambillo River, where we took a cable car back across the canopy. Fabián spotted a toucan during the hike, and we were able to observe it for several minutes.
Next we stopped at a butterfly farm for a brief tour and lunch. My daughter loved the butterflies, and the setting for our meal was lovely, but I probably would have preferred to skip this and have lunch in Mindo town.
Next we went into town to tour Yumbos, an artisanal chocolatier. We tasted some absolutely delicious chocolate made from the beans of the relatively rare “arriba” cacao tree, and learned about the chocolate making process.
On the ride back to Quito, the clouds rolled in and it started raining, which made for a peaceful trip back to the hotel.
I highly recommend this tour, and especially our guide Fabián.
Reviews
4.2
based on 46 reviews
Omar_A, Oct 2021
Everything was amazing but our guide was incredible! Very knowledgeable, spoke great English to make it easier for us to understand, was really amazing.
joann_k, Sep 2021
Fabulous tour with knowledgeable guide I highly suggest Rodrigo. He know a lot of nature and their environment …so nice he is a Diamond for your tour! Beautiful humming birds so many varietals. Gorgeous hike in cloud forest with waterfalls. Ending with chocolate tasting and learning how they make these chocolates as they make it right there YUM. Fab !
Sara_J, Sep 2021
Spectacular day outside of Quito. We started off going to the hummingbirds which are so fun to watch as there are a ton of them. We did the zip-lining which is always a favorite of our kids. There is definitely some walking with the zip lines. We also hiked the waterfall which is a fun little hike. Last we stopped for lunch and the food was excellent. The guide and drive were excellent and knowledgeable about the area.
Tracy_L, Aug 2021
My husband, 8-year-old daughter and I had a private tour, and all had a wonderful time. Our tour guide Fabián was extremely knowledgeable and engaging. On the ride to Mindo he shared lots of interesting history, and the views were beautiful, so the time passed quickly.
The hummingbird sanctuary was a nice stop - my daughter was entranced by the hummingbirds and tanagers.
Next we stopped at the Nambillo Cloud Forest Reserve, where we had a beautiful hike down to the Nambillo waterfall, and back up to the canopy on the other side of the Nambillo River, where we took a cable car back across the canopy. Fabián spotted a toucan during the hike, and we were able to observe it for several minutes.
Next we stopped at a butterfly farm for a brief tour and lunch. My daughter loved the butterflies, and the setting for our meal was lovely, but I probably would have preferred to skip this and have lunch in Mindo town.
Next we went into town to tour Yumbos, an artisanal chocolatier. We tasted some absolutely delicious chocolate made from the beans of the relatively rare “arriba” cacao tree, and learned about the chocolate making process.
On the ride back to Quito, the clouds rolled in and it started raining, which made for a peaceful trip back to the hotel.
I highly recommend this tour, and especially our guide Fabián.
RichardSiu, Jun 2019
The trip was great, it covered many places in Mindo and had good options for extra activities. We paid extra for a family bicycle activity and a chocolate factory tour. The guide and driver were very friendly and helpful. The paid extra attention and care to our young children.
dzimmerm, Oct 2018
We were supposed to be picked from our hotel at 8:00. We tried calling the tour company, but their phone only had a message saying they did not accept messages. A driver, not our guide, finally showed at 8:30. We then proceeded to pick up the third member of our tour at a different hotel. The person was not registered at this other hotel, so the driver drove the two us to meet our guide at the outskirts of Quito. Once we met our guide, he informed us we had to drive back into Quito, since our missing group member was waiting at another hotel. We finally picked her up at 10:15. She showed me emails from the tour company confirming her hotel pickup. I estimate the late driver and mix up with pickup cost us 3 hours.
The guide put us in phone contact with the tour company manager, who promised free admissions and lunch us compensation. Neither promise was completely kept. A very low maximum was placed on lunch,we were informed after eating we owed an extra 10. We also were required to pay admission to a tour of a chocolate company. Much of this situation could have been rectified if the tour company answered their phone before 9:00am.
We finally arrived back at our hotel at 8:15pm. I wonder what we didnt get to see? The very minuscule compensation did not even come close to what should have been offered.
I would never use this tour company again.
Karen P, Aug 2018
The Mindo Cloud Forest day trip was a really fun day. We were able to focus on our interests -- hummingbirds, butterflies, and hike in the cloud forest. All parts were great! Our guide Diego was informative and personable. Definitely a worthwhile trip from Quito if you are there for a few days. Nice to get out of the city and see some of the countryside of Ecuador. A must do!
nfedorenko, Jun 2018
I felt like it was rushed, we were suppose to do all the over falls but only did one. We were suppose to pick what ever activity we wanted, but only one was allowed. We were suppose to go the the middle of the earth, the tour giluide didn’t want to until we all complained. We went to the middle of the earth and didn’t even go in, and the time was rushed. We made all these random stops to buy more stuff, which nobody wanted to do. Our tour guide and driver were really nice. But the whole experience wasn’t what was in the description. When we went to the middle of the earth, we took some pics from the outside and then left, thought there would be more explanation about everything, I saw online all these cool things that they do, like if you lift both arms, you can feel different weight or wind. Nothing like that was done. And all my pics are of me standing by the entrance by the guards. Description was not what we got.
Samantha C, Apr 2018
Just a 2 hour drive out of Quito, this trip is well worth the effort. Our day in Mindo included zip lining and a visit to a butterfly garden, a hummingbird garden and a chocolate producing site. The drive to Mindo itself is stunning as the road snakes through the forest. Anna-Maria our guide was fab.
Dwayne T, Apr 2018
Guide was very nice and personable, and van was comfortable. But that's the end of the positives. I booked late the day before, and was told the 95/pp was all that was available. Agreed, paid for it, and gave them the place we were staying in North Quito for pick-up. Got an email late Friday night saying it would cost an additional 20/pp for the pick-up. Since there was no cancellation possible I had to pay it.
On the tour, we stopped at the middle of the world monument Which is part of the 95 tour... for 5 minutes. The guide said it wasn't part of this tour. We stopped for 10 minutes at the hummingbird place The admission price was the only fee included, then onto Mindo. They dropped us and another guest off for zip lining a lot of fun, but it was a separate charge at lunch time, so we had to wait. They picked us up afterwards and we stopped for lunch. Then 15 minutes of walking around Mindo before leaving. That was it. HUGELY overpriced 220 for 100 worth of Uber, and I really didn't appreciate the extortion on the additional charge. I would recommend avoiding Viator AT ALL COSTS!!!!
Laura G, Apr 2018
The Cloud Forest is beautiful from the hummingbirds to tasting organic rainforest coffee and street food - on the way there to a hike to a waterfall and gondola ride over the rainforest to an Ecuadorian lunch and tour of the cacao farm. Brownies so yummy! The guide was informative and fun!
Donald K, Apr 2018
PIck up and drop off was great. Drive was good and views were great. The stop at the hummingbird sanctu8ary was great. The hike down the forest was exhausting. The rest was just ok. The description of tour said it included the Middle of the World, but the guide did not mention going there. When I asked, he said we could stop, but only for a picture. We did not get to go inside or really see anything. Disappointed in that. We had to go back later by taxi to see the Middle of the World. The Middle of the World was the best part and they left it out of the Tour. Very disappointed. My advice, take a taxi to Middle of the World for 45 round trip and spend 4 - 5 hours there. Skip the tour.
Elizabeth P, Mar 2018
This tour was wonderful! Diego, our guide, was very knowledgeable and made the day wonderful. The open top cable car across the river was one of my favorite things!! We saw hummingbirds, butterflies, orchids, and did a chocolate tour. The landscape in this area of Ecuador is beautiful and this was our favorite tour while we were in Quito. Just two notes. First, the tour details state you stop at the Middle of the World complex, but that is not true. We drove by it, but did not stop. It should be removed from the description. Another person on the tour made the same comment. Second, things were presented to us as though we could choose what to do and that we didn't all have to do the same activities. We each made choices and said what we wanted to do while in Mindo. Then we ended up having to wait for others and we could not do different things from each other. We were still able to complete everything we wanted to do, but had some down time waiting for a few who wanted to do a hike. All in all, it's a great trip!
Peter S, Mar 2018
avoid the butterfly farm. Spent 150 on food and chocolate at the chocolate factory and still had to pay 10 for the tour. Doesn't make sense.
CAROLINE_W, Jan 2018
Daniel was a phenomenal tour guide! We had a great time on this day trip to Mindo Cloud Forest. We were given tons of options for activities-- the hummingbird garden, chocolate tour, and zipline were my favorite parts. Mindo is beautiful and I would highly recommend this tour!
Alice M, Jan 2018
I had a great time on this tour, I was in a group of five with a tour guide who spoke good English. We had various choices of activities in Mindo, so I went on a tour of an artisanal chocolate factory with one other member of the group while the others went ziplining, then we all met up to go for a hike down to a waterfall and back up- I had to go a bit slowly as I'm pretty unfit, but it was well within my capabilities. The chocolate factory tour was great, really interesting and of course great to taste all the chocolate afterwards! The trip from Quito to Mindo and back was great, with stunning scenery and a very knowledgeable tour guide. We stopped at the Mitad del Mundo, but sadly as it was January 1st it wasn't open. We also stopped at a Hummingbird Garden en route to Mindo, which was fantastic, really overwhelming. I was very pleased to find a tour running on the 1st Jan, as I was only in Quito a couple of days. I would definitely recommend this as a day trip- the great thing is that there are various options for activities, so if you're a bit more or a bit less adventurous, there'll be something for you. It was clearly stated in the information page, and the guide also highlighted this, but worth budgeting for two or three activities, some of which cost a bit more than others, which you pay for when you're there. I managed to spend about 30 on presents in the chocolate factory shop too! Well worth it though, that's my presents sorted! Great day out, would recommend.
maria e, Dec 2017
This would be a nice place to spend more time. Book a bird watcher locally. Bring water clothes if you are choosing canyoning or tubing.
Gregory H, Dec 2017
This is a massively expensive tour for what is essentially just a van ride to/from Mindo. You have to pay extra for 90 of the activities at the destination including lunch, each of which has their own guide, so it isn't worth it. You'd save a ton of money by negotiating with a taxi driver to take you there for the day, especially if there are 2 or 3 of you.
Not that our guide was bad, he was great, it just isn't worth the cost.
The location itself is gorgeous, and the tour options are great, there are just better/cheaper ways of doing it.
Chris M, Nov 2017
Freddie was our guide and he was super and very knowledgeable. It was great because we could cater the trip to whatever we wanted to do that day. He steered us into activities that we enjoyed. I would definitely take a trip with Freddie again.
Claire P, Oct 2017
The guide was really friendly, knowledgeable and spoke great English. However, the hike to the waterfall was disappointing, and the tour of the chocolate factory was overpriced for what it was particularly as we then felt forced to eat there. The hummingbirds and canopying were both really good.
Robin W, Oct 2017
Our guide /driver was excellent. Very flexible and accomodating
Karen M, Jun 2016
This was an amazing way to spend the day in Quito! Francisco was our tour guide and he was amazing! He as very knowledgable and took us to see humming birds then we hiked through the rain forest to an amazing waterfall. We had our family of 8 and everyone had a fantastic time! Highly recommended
John D, May 2016
Great trip and a very good tour guide. I would highly recommend this day trip.
David J, May 2016
If you want to see countryside and a nature park, then this trip is okay. Unfortunately, it was a rainy day but we all made best of it. Driver was at hotel on schedule. We did pickup our guide enroute to the rain forest. There we got more information about tour. Wish we could have stopped at the other Equatorial facility. Major attraction was a hike to see partial view of waterfall. Tour personnel were informative about flora and fauna we encountered. Was taken to restaurant and chocolate factory. Meal was not included in tour, but food was good. Lot of pressure to pay and see the chocolate being made and purchase a product. Butterfly farm and hummingbirds were tranquil, but no different than any others.
Catharine D, Jan 2016
The trip to the museum at the Equator was very fun! There are a lot of options for things to do in the cloud forest. It was raining a bit, but we enjoyed the hike to the waterfall and the tour of the chocolate factory. We were traveling on New Years Eve, and on our way back into Quito our guide took us to the busiest road in Quito to participate in some of the New Years Eve traditions. He went out of his way to show us this experience. I would recommend this day trip for anyone wanting to see the Equator museum and the different landscape in the cloud forest.
mer, Nov 2015
Diego our tour guide was excellent!
Full of knowledge, eager to answer any questions, helpful and patient!
The drive to the cloud forest is long from Quito.
When we arrived we first stopped at the Butterfly Farm- Wow! So many beautiful butterflies!
Then off to the Cloud Forest hike. They said that there were falls at the end of of 75 minute hike.
We found out that you would have to climb down on ropes to see the falls. We opted not to do it as it had been raining and the trails were a bit slippery already.
Unfortunately, the culmination of the hike ends up in an area that has been visited by many. Trash was on the ground, and the facilities had bricks, pipes and other construction junk laying about.
Ecuador should be ashamed and clean it up!
Visit to the chocolate factory and tour Handmade Chocolate start to finish was amazing and delicious.
Then to the Orchid Garden which was very close to the Chocolate Factory.
Hugo , the owner guided us around the full Garden, pointing out so many different and beautiful Orchids for us to see. He held a magnifying glass for us to see all of the tiny details and to take pictures.
Hummingbirds of different types swarmed the area feeding on the feeders located within the garden.
We returned to Quito late in the afternoon after a very nice day.
Diego was absolutely incredible throughout the day, was a very safe driver, and took very good care of us. He is an expert guide, and pointed out animals everywhere throughout the day.
Thank you to Diego, for a memorable day in Ecuador!
Juergen S, Feb 2018
Wir hatten einen wundervollen Tag in Mindo. Natürlich lag es auch an den Mitreisenden sowie dem tollen Führer. Hat alles wunderbar geklappt, auch die Abholung im Hotel war pünktlich. Individuelle Wünsche wurden berücksichtigt. Wir können den Trip nur empfehlen.
From $125.00
per personup to 24 hours before the experience starts (local time)
Compare Similar Experiences
Current
MINDO CLOUD FOREST - Nature & Birds - Personalized Experience
46
10 hours
Free Cancellation
From
$125.00
Customers Who Bought This Tour Also Bought
Attractions in Quito, Ecuador
- Independence Plaza (Plaza de la Independencia) Tours & Tickets
- Cotopaxi Volcano Tours & Tickets
- El Altar Mountain Tours & Tickets
- City Museum of Quito (Museo de la Ciudad) Tours & Tickets
- Avenue of the Volcanoes Tours & Tickets
- Mindo Cloud Forest Tours & Tickets
- Limpiopungo Lagoon Tours & Tickets
- Termas de Papallacta Spa Tours & Tickets
- Intiñan Solar Museum Tours & Tickets
- Otavalo Market Tours & Tickets
- Mariscal Tours & Tickets
- El Panecillo Tours & Tickets
- Cayambe Volcano Tours & Tickets
- Archbishop's Palace (Palacio Arzobispal) Tours & Tickets
- Church of the Society of Jesus (Iglesia La Compañía de Jesús) Tours & Tickets
- El Sagrario Church Tours & Tickets
More attractions near Quito, Ecuador
- Cotopaxi National Park Tours & Tickets
- Mindo Cloud Forest Tours & Tickets
- Middle of the World Monument (La Mitad del Mundo) Tours & Tickets
- Basilica of the National Vow (La Basílica del Voto Nacional) Tours & Tickets
- Cotopaxi Volcano Tours & Tickets
- Quilotoa Lagoon Tours & Tickets
- Intiñan Solar Museum Tours & Tickets