Private Full-Day Mindo Cloud Forest,Butterfly Farm, Chocolate Tour bird watching
Recommended by 95% of travelers
Badge of Excellence
Quito, Ecuador
- 9 to 10 hours (approx.)
- Pickup offered
- Group discounts
- Mobile ticket
- Offered in: English
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Overview
Mindo, just two hours from Quito, is in a biodiverse cloud forest that's home to hundreds of species of birds and butterflies. This full-day tour with a private driver and guide stops at a butterfly farm and a tour of a chocolate factory, plus a cable car ride to access beautiful waterfalls. Note: all entrance fees and the cable car ride are at your own expense.
- See Ecuador's famous Mindo cloud forest
- Great for nature lovers and adventure seekers
- Enjoy round-trip transport from your Quito hotel
- A private tour means a more personalized experience
What's Included
- Hotel pickup and drop-off from/to centrally located hotels in Quito
- Professional bilingual Guide
- Bottle of purified water
- Food and drinks
- Tips
- Hotel pick-off and drop-off outside of the city. The extra cost can range from $30 till $70 depending on the number of passengers and location
- Entrance fee - Mindo Butterfly Farm:$8.50 per person
- Entrance fee - Chocolate Tour Yumbos Chocolate$10.00 per person
- Tarabita (cable car)$5.00 per person
- Admission Fee - San Tadeo Birding$5.00 per person
Meeting and Pickup
Pickup points
Select a pickup point
Pickup details
the pick up Will be from your hotel and at the end of the tour we drop you off at your hotel
Operating hours.8:00 am
Itinerary
Mitad Del Mundo (Pass By)
Mindo Nambillo Cloud Forest Reserve (Pass By)
1
San Tadeo Birding
45 minutes • Admission Ticket Not Included
2
Tarabita y Santuario de Cascadas Mindo
1 hour • Admission Ticket Not Included
3
Mariposas de Mindo
30 minutes • Admission Ticket Not Included
4
Mindo
1 hour • Admission Ticket Free
5
Yumbos Chocolate
45 minutes • Admission Ticket Not Included
Additional Info
- Confirmation will be received at time of booking
- Not wheelchair accessible
- Stroller accessible
- Service animals allowed
- Near public transportation
- Infant seats available
- Most travelers can participate
- Children must be accompanied by an adult
- The amount of walking depends on the chosen activities
- A current valid passport is required on the day of travel
- Operates in all weather conditions, weather may vary please dress appropriately
- You are allowed to bring your own food and drinks. We can recommend you a good place to have lunch
- At the time of booking, please inform the name of your hotel, or the name of the hotel near your location
- This is a private tour/activity. Only your group will participate
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Cancellation Policy
You can cancel up to 24 hours in advance of the experience for a full refund.
Traveler Photos
Featured review
Julie_V
We had an amazing day with Francesco as our guide in Mindo. We saw some very nice birds and butterflies, the humming birds in particular were very impressive to us. But also our visit to the forest en the chocolate making process was excellent. Francesco was a great guide, sociable and happy to provide a lot of background information on Quito, Mindo, and anything else. Definitely recommend this as a day trip from Quito!
Reviews
4.8
based on 62 reviews
Ellen_W, Dec 2025
We had the mst amazing day and experiences with Franscico. He was knowlegeable, friendly, fun, and made sure we were well taken care of. The activites were well planned and so fun. The hummingbird experiance was beyond amazing as they landed right on our hands and there were so many of them. The butterfield were beautiful and the zip lining was so much fun zipping through the clour forest. Learning how chocolate is made and tasting all the different kinds, including getting a chocolate mask on our faces, was interesting and fun. Francisco stopped numerous times during the day to get us little surprise tastes of Ecuadorian delights. It was a fantastic day that we will not forget.
Response from Host, Dec 2025
What a joy to read this! 🌿 We are thrilled to know that the hummingbird experience and the chocolate tour were unforgettable moments for you. Francisco is an exceptional guide and he will be so happy to hear that you enjoyed his recommendations so much. Thank you for choosing us and for experiencing the magic of Ecuador with us!
Doreen_S, Oct 2025
On time, flexible, helpful, and knowledgeable! Danny, our guide, and Jeff, our driver were outstanding
Response from Host, Oct 2025
Thank you for the wonderful review!
We're delighted to hear that you had an outstanding day trip to Mindo.
It's great to know that Danny, your guide, and Jeff, your driver, were on time, flexible, helpful, and knowledgeable throughout the Private Full-Day tour.
We appreciate your kind words and look forward to welcoming you back for another adventure!
Diane_H, Oct 2025
Great day from feeding birds by hand to chocolate tour to zip lining and more. Francisco was knowledgeable, willing to make the day ours and never rushed us.
Response from Host, Oct 2025
Thank you for sharing your great review!
We're delighted to hear that you had an excellent day on the Mindo Tour, enjoying everything from the bird feeding to the zip lining. It's wonderful that Francisco was so knowledgeable and willing to customize the experience, ensuring you were never rushed.
We truly appreciate your high recommendation!
Amanda_L, Jul 2025
The tour was excellent- our guide Daniel was really informative & flexible to our needs. The tour met all our expectations
Response from Host, Jul 2025
Thanks to you, It was a pleasure show the Mindo Ecuador nature. The private tour it's the better option to have a flexible program at time and discover all things that you expect of Ecuador. We hope to see you again in the future to any other tour
Rachel_R, Jun 2025
Great tour! Christian was an excellent guide. Very friendly and knowledgeable. He was able to tailor the tour to the things I was most interested in seeing -- a beautiful volcanic crater, a chocolate factory (complete with delicious tasting!), a butterfly farm, a birding center where I was able to hand-feed hummingbirds, and a delicious Ecuadorian lunch. It was a wonderful day!
Response from Host, Jul 2025
Dear Rachel thank you very much for your comment, Christian is one of our best guides and we are joyful that your experience with us has been very positive, we hope that in the future you will visit us again and allow us to be part of your experience.
Polly_T, Sep 2024
We enjoyed visiting the cloud forest and hummingbirds, butterflies, chocolate tour very much. Rick also found a good lunch place.
Response from Host, Jul 2025
Dear Polly thank you very much for your review, I hope your tour has been a very joyful experience and that in the future you can visit Ecuador again and enjoy more beautiful places in the country.
Olivia_K, May 2024
Francisco my guide/driver was awesome he was kind, funny and extremely knowledgeable about the area. The Mindo Cloud Forest is an absolutely gorgeous place with kind and welcoming locals. The entire expirence was fantastic had a lot of fun and never felt unsafe especially being a young solo female traveller. I would definitely recommend to this tour for anyone of all ages.
Response from Host, Jul 2024
Olivia what a pleasure to have enjoyed your experience here in Ecuador with us, we are pleased to have had your reservation and we are very happy to read this kind of comments, thank you.
Keith_A, May 2024
Marco was out tour guide. He is very good and speaks good English. However was able to practice my Spanish with him. He collected us right outside our hotel on time. He explained the days activities and set us on an adventure. The car was clean and comfortable.
We firstly stopped at a bird watching attraction, which was very good. Small entrance fee $10 for 2. Coffee etc is available free at the bird watching area. Very interesting.
We then drove onto and through Mindo up through the tree cloud forest to reach the cable car and forest walking centre. We got the cable car across the gauge, great views and then did the good walking trail down to the waterfall, then back up the other side to come out by the cable car start. Great views. Marco explaining various local items. The cable car costs $10 for 2.
We then headed to the butterfly attraction, again very good. Entrance $12 for 2.
We then stopped in the town of Mindo for lunch, with Marco offering various options to eat. Loads of choice.
After lunch we then walked through the town to the chocolate factory. Entrance $20 for 2. At the chocolate factory the run a fully lead tour and talk. Very interesting and informative.
We then headed back to Quito.
A great day out and Marco was very good, and helped make the day.
Well recommended.
Charlotte_H, May 2024
A very beautiful place to visit and a great tour with a very knowledgeable guide. Some beautiful scenery and birds and butterflies.
Brent_C, Apr 2024
Francisco was our guide and driver. He was very accommodating with our departure time, and arrived promptly. His English is very good, he is patient, and we felt safe with his driving. We visited a dormant volcano, an amazing hummingbird garden, butterflies, and a chocolate factory. We never felt rushed and he was thoughtful of our every need. He even treated us to yucca bread and cacao water. Overall a great experience. Highly recommend.
Larry_A, Feb 2024
Francisco our guide was very personable and informative. Enjoyed our entire day. Made a couple of stops before activities in Mindo... seeing butterflies and hummingbirds, finding out about chocolate production and ziplineing.
Dan_E, Jan 2024
Our guide Francisco was very knowledgeable and accommodating. He is a very good driver.
The hummingbird sanctuary was amazing, zip lining was fun and allowed us to see the forest differently, we even saw toucans. The chocolate tour was awesome and the chocolate is so tasty. The butterfly farm was expensive for what we saw. We vould have skipped it.
Highly recommend this tour
Michele_T, Dec 2023
A beautiful day, with a great and super friendly driver that has been a great companion all day: Francisco! We have done many different activities, which were very well distributed along the way (so you won't spend too much in the car, maybe only in the way back). Really funny and satisfying. Thank you again Francisco, we will always recommend you. 🙌🏻
Elizabeth_M, Dec 2023
This was a great day trip with Francisco. Basically everything was great. Our 9 year old especially enjoyed the ziplining. It was a real treat to get to feed the hummingbirds. The chocolate tour was actually very interesting and educational in addition to being tasty. We always love a good butterfly garden, but one advantage of this one was there were LOTS of blue moros.
Kevin_M, Dec 2023
Marco Herrera was an amazing and fun guide to be with. He let us tailor the tour to our liking. He showed lots of hummingbirds an incredible waterfall, butterflies and even made time for chocolate factory tour. Thank you for this great experience.
Jane_M, Dec 2023
A great day out from Quito. We visited a variety of places with no time pressure. It was a relaxing drive and the whole experience was excellent.
James_H, Dec 2023
We loved the encounter with the hummingbirds and the zip lining. We did not have time for the butterflies. The chocolate tour was the best we ever experienced. Sergio was an amazing guide. Francisco did a wonderful job tailoring the tour to meet our needs.
ElizabethR, Nov 2023
My mom and I had the most fabulous tour of Mindo with our guide Israel! He was absolutely wonderful - everything you'd want in a guide. He was full of incredibly informative information, and he really made the tour fun! I would recommend this tour anytime, especially with Israel!
Charles_B, Nov 2023
Christian was knowledgeable about all things Mindo and beyond. He provided options on places to see, eat, hike such as, Yumbos artisanal chocolate factory, falls. Best guide we ever had. Very comfortable to be around: like a long time. Friend.
Connor_F, Jun 2023
Dani was a fantastic guide! He was so knowledgeable about both Mindo and Ecuador as a whole. He showed us why Mindo is such a special place and was very kind to us. ¡Te quiero amigo!
Teresa_G, Apr 2023
What a fabulous day! Fransisco is an wonderful guide, his English is excellent, he is very knowledgeable and anything he didn't know, he found out for us. He listened to what we wanted to do and made sure we weren't disappointed. We really enjoyed his company and felt safe and well taken care of. The bird stop was better than expected, I could have spent hours there. The butterflies were fascinating, and the chocolate tour w as informative and delicious, I will probably never look at a chocolate bar the same way again. We waned to go ziplining and the experience did not disappoint! An amazing day!
SooJi_J, Jan 2023
Francisco is an amazing tour guide and I highly recommend using him. We went to the equator line, a hummingbird sanctuary, a butterfly garden, ziplining, waterfall hike, and a chocolate factory. Note, you do have to pay for the excursions. It’s about $5-$7 each and ziplining is $20 for 10 lines. He tailors the tour to suit your needs and whatever you want to see so I never felt rushed from one place to the next. He’s a great driver as the roads are quite tricky. Highly recommend Francisco!
Benjamin_P, Jan 2023
Francisco was an exceptional guide - very friendly, was really interesting and tailored the day to our interests. The hummingbirds, butterflies and chocolate tours were all good fun, and we had time for zip lining and a trip to a nearby valley.
Thanks for taking such good care of us!
Allison_M, Dec 2022
Our guide Marco was incredible! We learned so much about Ecuador and Quito on the way to and from Mundo. He was so accommodating of everything and made the day absolutely perfect! We all had a blast and got to do everything we wanted. Absolutely perfect day!
Julie_V, Dec 2022
We had an amazing day with Francesco as our guide in Mindo. We saw some very nice birds and butterflies, the humming birds in particular were very impressive to us. But also our visit to the forest en the chocolate making process was excellent. Francesco was a great guide, sociable and happy to provide a lot of background information on Quito, Mindo, and anything else. Definitely recommend this as a day trip from Quito!
Alice_A, Sep 2022
My friend and I had a wonderful experience with Francisco (of Andrean Roots company). He's an excellent guide (and driver, we felt very safe with his driving). We only have good feedback about him. He explained places we visited. He took the time to answer all our questions. He has a good sense of humor too. If you do this tour and can request to have him as your guide, pls do. :) Lastly, of course, the tour was excellent too. We enjoyed it.
cherylbaldwin2015, Jun 2022
Francisco and Marco were my guides and I highly recommend them. They took very good care of me on the private tour and helped me select the things that I would like to do in Mindo. Francisco speaks excellent English and is great a great communicator. These guys made the day light hearted and fun. They took me to all of the things that I wanted to do in Mindo. I’ve traveled a lot, but never have done a private tour. I highly recommend it! Ask for Francisco and Marco!
Response from Host, Jul 2022
Dear cheryl:
We are very happy that you enjoyed the company of our guides. Always count on us for your trips in Ecuador.
We send you greetings
helen_m, Aug 2021
Great day to learn about the what Ecuador has to offer! We went to the center of the world, a hummingbird garden, a butterfly garden, chocolate factory, drove through a cloud forest, and zip lining. One thing that surprised us and was not disclosed (at least we didn't see it) was we needed to bring cash to pay for all the places he brought us. It was not expensive, but we used all the cash we had on this excursion.
Response from Host, Jun 2022
Excellent
Collin_A, Feb 2020
We had a wonderful day on our tour. Our guide, Patricio, was absolutely top-notch and went out of his way to ensure that we had a great time. Patricio is Ecuadorian, born in Ecuador, and raised in the Toronto area so he speaks perfect Spanish and English. We enjoyed the very informative tour of the Yumbos Chocolate artisan factory, that produces incredible chocolate and supports local women's coops. We then toured up the Mindo river to watch the rafters. It was then off to the Marioposario Nathaly to photograph hummingbirds, orchids, and butterflies. After delicious lunch, we started back towards Quito with a stop in the town of Calacali at one of the Equator monuments. It was off to Inti Nan Museum, referred to as the "real equator", where we had fun balancing eggs on the head of a nail and experimenting with draining tubs on each side of the equator and watching the direction of the water as it drained. Patricio then took us back to our hotel at the end of the tour.
Response from Host, Jun 2022
Excellent
Gillian_R, Sep 2019
We skipped the humming birds, as had seen them on our tour, but the butterfly area was nice, with plenty of varied butterflies.
The chocolate factory was my real draw, and it was excellent. We were shown from start to finish how the choc. bar was made, given a plate of fruit and thick choc in which to dip it, a shot glass of choc. liqueur, and finally, a tray of samples of the various kinds of bars they made. I was positively high on chocolate when we finally left!
Marcus was an excellent guide for this. He answered questions when asked, and also took us to see the original Mitad al Mundo monument, as he said we might not see it if not. Very nice man.
Response from Host, Jun 2022
Excellent
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