Mindo Cloud Forest Day Trip from Quito – Birdwatching & Adventure
Description
Exploring Mindo Cloud Forest is a good opportunity to be in touch with nature and is so close to Quito City (2 hours). Mindo Cloud Forest creates the best environment for birdwatching and hiking in the Nambillo Reserve. Enjoy Butterflies Farm, taste the best chocolate of Ecuador, and experience the adrenaline on the Zipline. Itinerary: - Quito - Ecuador -Visit Ornithological Point -Visit Butterflies Farm - Walk to the Nambillo waterfall -Chocolate Factory -Return to Quito
Tour Options
Itinerary
This is an amazing spot for the hummingbirds in the cloud forest of Mindo, we can feed them in the meantime, we enjoy the valley of Mindo which is surrounded by amazing mountains.
This is a Beautiful area where we will take the cable car in the mountains to connect to the Mindo Nambillo waterfall
Visit one of the butterfly farms in the Mindo cloud forest where you can observe a wide variety of butterflies of all sizes and colors.
Try the best chocolate in Ecuador in the Mindo Cloud Forest and learn more about the Ecuadorian chocolate-making process
Highlights
What's included
Pickup Locations & Times
- We pick up all our passengers from their address in Quito. - Pick up outside the Metropolitan Area of Quito has a cost of USD 35 per person.
Traveller Ratings
Important Information
- Not recommended for travelers with spinal injuries
- Not recommended for pregnant travelers
- Not recommended for travelers with poor cardiovascular health
- Suitable for all physical fitness levels
Reviews(43)
My wife and I did the Mindo Cloud Forest day trip in July 2026.We have been fortunate to traveled through out Central and South America and our trip to the Mindo Cloud Forest was one of the best if not the best guided trip we have ever taken. Our guide Andres and driver Jimmy make a great team.Andres was very informative in the Mindo Cloud Forest.
Hummingbird viewing, butterflies viewing were amazing! Our guide Pedro did an excellent job of guiding us through activities our entire group could enjoy! Driver David was also excellent as we drove through some very challenging roads from Quito to Mindo.
Dear Wendy, Thank you so much for taking the time to share your experience! We’re very happy to hear you enjoyed the hummingbirds and butterflies in Mindo and that Pedro provided excellent guidance throughout the activities. We’re also glad David made the journey safe and comfortable despite the challenging road from Quito. We truly appreciate your kind words and hope to welcome you back to Ecuador again soon. Best regards, Real Dreams Team
Just a few hours from Quito we took a full day private tour with Pedro to Mindo cloud forest. It was amazing to see a variety of birds including Toucans and a special treat to have humming birds eating from the palm of your hand. Visit included walk to waterfalls, 🦋 sanctuary and also chocolate factory. Great fay with a very knowledgeable and friendly guide.
Thank you so much for your kind review! We’re delighted to hear that you enjoyed your day in Mindo with Pedro. The cloud forest is truly a special place, and we’re glad you had the chance to see toucans, interact with the hummingbirds, visit the waterfalls, butterfly sanctuary, and chocolate factory. We’ll be sure to share your lovely comments with Pedro he’ll be thrilled to know he helped make your experience memorable. We hope to welcome you back to Ecuador for another adventure soon!! :)
Ayrton is awesome, would recommend 10/10!
Thank you so much for your kind words! 😊 We’re really happy to hear you had an awesome time with Ayrton. It means a lot to us that you enjoyed the Mindo Cloud Forest tour. We hope to welcome you again on another adventure in Ecuador soon.
The Mindo Cloud Forest Day Trip from Quito was an absolutely wonderful way to spend the day. Our first stop on this Trip was at a Humingbird garden located in Mindo which is about a 2-hr. drive from Quito. We were fortunate to see many varieties of Hummingbirds at the location that we had visited - very nice. Next, we traveled to a nearby waterfall after a scenic cable car ride and a short hike on a trail leading down from the parking area. After the waterfall, we traveled a short distance to a nearby butterfly garden where we saw many species of butterflies - beautiful. Next, we entered the small, quaint town of Mindo where we had a traditional Ecuador lunch at a local restaurant - delicious! Afterwards, we walked a couple of block to the local Chocolate Factory - nice! Overall, the schedule was full of interesting activities.
Hi Tom, Thank you so much for your wonderful review of our Mindo Cloud Forest Day Trip from Quito! We’re thrilled to hear you enjoyed the hummingbird garden, waterfall adventure, butterfly sanctuary, and the delicious traditional Ecuadorian lunch. It’s great to know the chocolate factory visit and the charming town of Mindo made the day even more special. We truly appreciate you taking the time to share your experience. We hope to welcome you back to Ecuador for another adventure soon!
The itinerary was fantastic. The hummingbird sanctuary and view were phenomenal and mindo is so very quaint. And the butterfly farm was the best we have ever experienced. Pedro was the icing on the cake and we highly recommend this for a personalized experience!!
Thank you so much for your wonderful review! We’re thrilled to hear that you enjoyed the hummingbird sanctuary, the breathtaking views, and the charm of Mindo, it truly is a special place. We're especially happy that the butterfly farm stood out as the best you've experienced! Pedro will be delighted to know he made such a positive impact on your trip he’s definitely a gem. We truly appreciate your recommendation and hope to welcome you back for more unforgettable experiences in the future! :)
I could not have planned a more perfect day with my guide Andres and driver Jimmy. Andres provided interesting facts with humour to keep it fun on the drive to Mindo. The stops to see the hummingbirds were amazing. The hike to the waterfall was beautiful. Add in the butterfly farm and chocolate. Perfect. Special mention to Jimmy for spotting numerous birds in the trees and would stop for photos. 3 Toucan in a tree... Would recommend 💯
Thank you so much Niki, for sharing your experience! We're really glad to hear you had such a great day in Mindo with Andrés and Jimmy. Sounds like the perfect mix hummingbirds, a beautiful hike to the waterfall, butterflies, chocolate, and even toucans! We'll definitely pass your kind words along to both Andrés and Jimmy they'll be happy to know they helped make your day special. Hope to see you again sometime! :)
Andres made the day! We have hired many many different guides in many many different countries and Andres was one of the best we have had. He perfectly split the difference between information and giving us our space. He was attentive to our 10 year old…especially important on such a very long day. Keeping the little one going made for a successful day for all of us. He and the driver spotted a toucan along a road and halted everything, hustled us out of the car and made sure we all saw it and got pictures. Well done! We combined this tour with visits to both equator exhibits and while this was no fault of the tour company (they had informed us of road closures and we were not upset) it took us much longer to get back than planned and we nearly ran out of time. We got the photos we wanted so no harm no foul, but we cut it very close. I’m thankful for the good driver we had!
Hi friends, Thank you so much for your detailed and positive review! We’re thrilled to hear that Andres and Jorge made your experience so special. It’s wonderful to know that Andrés was able to connect with your son during such a long day. And how exciting that you got to see a toucan in the wild! Those are the kinds of magical moments that make a trip truly unforgettable. We’re also glad to hear that, despite the delay, you were still able to visit everything you had planned and capture those special photos. Thank you for trusting us with your adventure—we hope to welcome you back to Ecuador very soon!
David (guide) and Robert (driver) were both amazing. They both provided a great experience with local insights. The tour was customizable to what we wanted to do and we were able to experience everything we wanted with insights and local touches. Each place we went to all were local places and David was familiar with many employees at each. David's English was perfect and gave us a ton of information of the history, culture and background of the areas, flora, and fauna we encountered. We were brough to a local spot for Dinner where David consulted on what we should have. Robert knew the roads well and we always felt safe. Additionally, Katty who helped book the tour was super helpful and worked with us since we had a later start and were booking it with only 1 day notice. Communication was prompt and clear with good instructions on what to bring and what the plans were. It was a great experience and would recommend to anyone who wants an personal experience. Activities done (entry fees and meal costs not included) Hummingbird Sanctuary Visit Waterfall hike Cable Car ride over a valley Ziplining (spotted a toucan whil waiting) Butterfly Sanctuary visit Coffee Factory tour and tasting Dinner at a local Ecuadorian restaurant
Thank you so much for taking the time to share your experience! We’re thrilled that David and Robert made your tour memorable with their local knowledge, professionalism, and warm hospitality. It’s great to know you felt safe, well-informed, and immersed in the local culture, from the hummingbird sanctuary to the coffee factory tour and delicious dinner. We're also glad Katty was able to assist with your last-minute booking and ensure everything went smoothly. Your kind words mean a lot to our team, and we’re so happy we could help create such a personalized and enriching experience for you. We hope to welcome you again on another adventure soon! :) Best Regards, Real Dreams Team
Our tour guide Pedro was amazing, knowledgeable and friendly. He took us where we wanted to go and recommended some good things. Everywhere we went we enjoyed. The nature, the chocolate tour and the lunch place all 10/10. Highly recommend to book this tour, we had a pretty unique adventure with the nature.
Thank you for sharing your fantastic experience! We're thrilled to hear that Pedro made your tour special and that you enjoyed the nature, chocolate tour, and lunch. We truly appreciate your recommendation and hope to welcome you back for more unique adventures!
