Ecuador, as a whole, surprised us by quickly becoming one of our favorite countries in the world. And one of the reasons for it is Mindo. We didn’t expect much from Mindo when we first started planning our trip to mainland Ecuador. We had big plans for our time in the more popular Baños and Quito rather than small little Mindo. But we were pleasantly surprised by the beauty of this part of Ecuador. Plus, it’s still a relatively unknown area to travel, making it all the more special.
If you are planning a trip around mainland Ecuador, you can’t skip out on Mindo! Here is our ultimate Mindo Ecuador travel guide to help make your trip to this town all the more special. From getting to this town to figuring out what to do and where to stay, we’ve got you covered!
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Mindo and the Cloud Forest
Ecuador is one of the most biodiverse countries in the world, which is surprising, considering how relatively small of a country it is! The country is home to a wide variety of climates spanning from high mountains, tropical rainforests, and coastal areas. Mindo is located in a cloud forest, which is a unique biome similar to rainforests found at high altitudes in tropical regions.
Cloud forests are found at elevations between 1,000 and 2,500 meters (3,280 to 8,200 feet) and are characterized by heavy rainfall, mild temperatures, and extremely high biodiversity.
Mindo’s climate provides the perfect conditions for a cloud forest, as it is situated just south of the equator and sits at around 1,300 (4,200 feet) meters of elevation. This is one of the best places in the country for wildlife spotting, and since the area is relatively unknown to foreign tourists, it is the perfect opportunity to get off the beaten path. This cute little town was easily one of our favorite places in Ecuador. The nature is fantastic, the locals are extremely friendly, and the food is fresh and delicious.
How to Get to Mindo
One of the first things you’ll notice about traveling around Ecuador is that it is a pretty small country, especially when compared to other destinations in South America, like Peru. Most of the main tourist destinations in mainland Ecuador are close to each other and pretty easy to get to. Mindo is very easy to get to from Quito, taking just under 2 hours. But, once you arrive in Mindo, you’ll feel completely disconnected from Quito’s bustling chaos.
We highly recommend staying in Quito for a few days before heading to Mindo, so make sure to check out our list of the best things to do in Quito!
Here are a few different ways to get to Mindo from Quito:
Bus/Colectivo
This is the option we chose as it was pretty simple and affordable. First, you’ll need to get to Terminal la Ofelia, Quito’s northern bus station. Your best bet is to take an Uber or a taxi from your accommodation in Quito, which shouldn’t cost more than $5 or $6 USD. You can also take a city bus, which costs 25 cents.
Once you arrive at the bus station, look for the company Flor de Valle, which is located at the regional bus terminal. The bus costs $3.60 per ticket and runs three times per day during the week (8 am, 9 am, and 4 pm) or four times per day on weekends (8 am, 9 am, 1 pm, and 4 pm).
Bus journeys in Ecuador are a true local experience, and we had such a fun time taking buses around the country. While Ecuadorian buses are relatively safe, there have been instances of theft. So, make sure the bus driver stows your bag underneath the bus and hands you a luggage ticket. On the bus, keep your personal belongings close, and do NOT put them underneath your seat.
One of our favorite parts about traveling by bus in Ecuador was the food vendors. The bus driver will stop every so often to let local food vendors on. These vendors make their money by selling snacks and drinks to bus travelers. The snacks are delicious, low cost, and a great way to support hardworking locals.
Taxi
If you want to skip the hassle of taking the bus to Mindo, another option is to take a taxi. This is a MUCH less budget-friendly choice, but it is definitely quicker and more comfortable than taking the bus. You can take a taxi or hire a private driver from Quito for around $80 to $100 USD.
Rental Car
If you want the ultimate freedom and are a confident driver with experience driving in Latin America or on mountain roads, you can also consider renting a car to get to Mindo. Some travelers to Ecuador rent a car to travel around the country.
We recommend going with a reputable car rental company such as Enterprise, Avis, or Europcar.
Where to Stay In Mindo
So, once you get to Mindo, where should you stay? Lucky for you, Mindo has some amazing accommodation options, ranging from budget-friendly hostels to really well-priced lodges to luxury stays. Here are Mindo accommodation options we would recommend depending on your budget.
Terrabambu Lodge (Best Overall)
We stayed at Terrabambu Lodge during our visit to Mindo, which was truly a special experience. We couldn’t recommend staying at this lodge enough. Here, you get to stay in a luxurious bungalow-type accommodation that has all the amenities you could ask for, including a super comfortable bed and a relaxing private spa bath. The spa bath is located outdoors on a private balcony overlooking the cloud forest so that you can relax and have a lovely evening while listening to the birds. The lodge itself features a couple of shared swimming pools and a lovely spot for (included) breakfast as well. The hotel also offers a free zip-line and nature swing, which we 100% took advantage of, of course!
Plus, it’s incredibly good value for money. For this luxury experience, staying in the middle of a forest in what seems like complete privacy, a room costs around $150 USD a night! A total steal if you ask us!
La Casa de Cecilia (Best Budget Option)
This is the best choice for solo or budget travelers. La Casa de Cecilia is a backpacker hostel that offers a truly immersive forest experience. Rooms range from private rooms to mixed dorm beds, so you can pick the option that best suits you.
If you want to relax outside of your room, there are plenty of hammocks to lay in and read a book or listen to the nearby river. You really can’t beat the location of this hostel, which is just a few minutes walk away from the center of Mindo, where you can find plenty of cafes and restaurants. One of the advantages of staying in a hostel is the activities you can book. And La Casa de Cecilia does not disappoint, helping to arrange activities from chocolate and butterfly tours to canyoning and more.
Saguamby Mindo Lodge (Best Midrange Option)
Saguamby Mindo Lodge is the perfect midrange option, particularly for couples and solo travelers. This lodge is located right on a riverbank, with private access to the river. Just a few minutes walk from the city center of Mindo, Saguamby is super well located. This lodge boasts a rustic look and a wide range of rooms. The cheaper options are more basic (but still very nice!), but the more deluxe rooms and suites offer spa baths overlooking a private river view. You’ll even find hammocks to relax in dotted across the property.
Las Terrazas de Dana Boutique Lodge & Spa (Best High-End Choice)
You’ve got to stay in one of the luxury bungalows or king suites at the Las Terrazas de Dana Boutique Lodge & Spa if you’re looking to treat yourself to a nice stay. All bungalows in this lodge offer stunning views of the mountain and garden. And at your private terrace, you can get meals served, offering a true luxury experience in the middle of the forest. Of course, as with the best lodges in the area, Las Terrazas de Dana bungalows have hot tubs from which you can look out the large window to the forest below, watching birds fly to and fro.
Mashpi Lodge (Special Mention)
While not technically in Mindo, Mashpi Lodge deserves a shoutout. Mashpi is the place to be for luxury travelers wanting to be at one with nature in the middle of a cloud forest. Located within the Mashpi Natural Reserve, you will be completely immersed in the forest at this one-of-a-kind all-inclusive. Yep – all-inclusive. That means all meals and activities are included in your stay. Some of the activities you can enjoy include night-time walks, where you can check out bio-luminescent fungus, swimming in waterfalls, getting a relaxing massage, and riding a sky bike.
Things to Do in Mindo, Ecuador
Mindo is just a small village, but there are quite a few things to do to fill your time here. This was easily one of our favorite destinations in Ecuador (if not in all of South America!). Let’s take a look at the best things to do in Mindo.
Go Birdwatching
Mindo is world famous for its birding due to its location in the cloud forest. The unique climate makes it one of the best places in the country to spot endemic and rare bird species. During our stay in Mindo, we saw tons of amazing birds, including toucans, various tanagers, woodpeckers, and the famous cock of the rock.
While you can certainly see bird species just by walking around the area or even from the balcony of your accommodation, we highly recommend booking a birding tour as the guide will point out and identify different species for you.
We booked a morning tour with Punto Ornitológico Mindo, which set us back $20. During the tour, we saw more than 20 different bird species, as well as an agouti (a large rodent species).
Ride the “Tarabita” Cable Car
If the idea of going above the canopy of the trees to view the forest below sounds appealing to you, you’ve got to ride the Tarabita! The tiny cable car takes you 150 meters above the ground to the other side of the river, allowing you to really take in the gorgeous scenery.
To get to the start of the cable car, you’ll need to grab a taxi from town, which shouldn’t cost you more than $5. The fee to ride the cable car is also around $5, which includes the entrance to the park. This is one of the main attractions in Mindo and something you cannot miss out on!
Search for Waterfalls in Santuario de Cascadas
The cable car will take you closer to the Santuario de Cascadas, a wonderful hike in the middle of the forest that takes you to several waterfalls. You can decide which waterfall (there are 7 in the area) you want to visit and the trail you want to take.
One trail takes you to the largest waterfall, Reina, which is around a half-hour walk away.
Alternatively, you can take another trail that takes you to 6 different waterfalls, the first one, Nambillo, located just a 15-minute walk away. Altogether, this route will take around 4 hours (minus any swimming). If taking this route, we highly recommend trying to hit all the waterfalls, as the first couple will generally be a lot more crowded with tourists, while you may have a more serene experience at the others.
If you feel up for it, you can backtrack from the Reina waterfall route to do all 7!
Hike at Casa Amarilla (Yellow House)
Another great place to walk around is Casa Amarilla. While this is primarily an accommodation, but they have 6 marked trails within their 200 hectares of private cloud forest. On trail #3, in particular, you’ll find some gorgeous views of the valley. This is a great place to walk around and see the diverse flora and fauna of Mindo for hours on end.
We recommend heading here early in the morning for a better chance of seeing the cock-of-the-rock and various hummingbirds. You’ll also find more than 300 orchid species around the area.
Head to the Mariposario
In the mornings to early afternoons, you’ve got to visit the Mariposario. Here, you’ll see more than 1,000 butterflies of every color and shade. This butterfly farm is dedicated to the reproduction and conservation of the butterflies of the Mindo cloud forest, and this is the best place to go to get up close and personal with these delicate creatures.
After you pay a $8.50 fee, you’ll enter the Mariposario and be surrounded by butterflies. You’ll find very ripe fruit that you can dip your fingers in, which will attract butterflies to come sit on your finger to feast on the sweetness of the fruit! At this center, you’ll see every part of the butterfly’s life cycle. If you’re lucky, you’ll even see some butterflies hatching from their chrysalis!
Search for Frogs at Dusk
Most activities to do in Mindo take place in the morning. But if you’re looking for a nighttime activity, there’s no better thing to do than to go on a night walk. On a night walk, you’ll encounter very different creatures than the singing birds of the morning (though you may still see some birds at night!). Instead, you’re more likely to come across frogs, reptiles, and insects! The frogs in particular are pretty magnificent, offering songs of their own. This “frog concert” tour costs $6 and includes a glass of wine.
Zipline Through the Cloud Forest
Who doesn’t enjoy ziplining? If you want a bit of a thrill while enjoying the canopy of the trees and birds flying above, you’ve got to do a Mindo zipline tour! With this tour, you zipline through 3,600 meters on 10 different zip lines. Plus, the tour includes some walking in the forest so that you can familiarize yourself with the local flora and fauna.
If you’re lucky, your accommodation might have ziplines of their own set up on their land. For example, our hotel, Terrabambu Lodge, had a zipline we could ride for free as guests of the hotel!
Learn About Ecuadorian Chocolate
If you are in Ecuador, you already know that Ecuadorian chocolate is among the best in the world. And surprise, surprise! One of the best places to learn all about chocolate is none other than Mindo. There are two main places to go to do a chocolate tour: El Quetzal and Yumbos.
We personally went to Yumbos (which we LOVED), but wherever you choose to go, the tour should go through the entire process of making chocolate from start to finish, including taste testing the cocoa bean (which surprisingly tastes like Starbursts more than chocolate!). Of course, you also taste test A LOT of chocolate. Leaving the chocolate tour without buying some chocolate bars is definitely a test of your self-control!
Feed Hummingbirds By Hand
One of our favorite experiences during our time in Mindo was interacting with hummingbirds. At the Punto Ornitológico Mindo, you can pay a small fee to feed hummingbirds that will come whizzing to you and hover above your hand as they feed on the sugar syrup hidden in the handheld hummingbird feeders. This makes for an excellent photo op and video op, though you’re definitely going to have a hard time capturing those super fast wings!
If you opt to do a birding tour with the Punto Ornitológico Mindo, the hummingbird feeding is included at the end of the tour.
Best Restaurants and Bars in Mindo
Surprisingly enough, when we first chatted with locals in Quito regarding our plans to visit Mindo, one of the first things they said was that some of the best food in Ecuador can be found in Mindo. “Really? In tiny Mindo?” we thought. But the locals were right. Here are some of the standout restaurants and bars you’ve got to visit while in Mindo!
- Mishqi Quinde: The absolute perfect restaurant serving vegetarian Ecuadorian food. A must-try!
- Persian House: If you’re craving something non-Ecuadorian, this is the place to go. This tiny family-owned restaurant serves deliciously spiced Persian food.
- Motmot Oasis: A Greek-inspired restaurant with a lovely and welcoming atmosphere.
- Restaurante A Lo Original: You can’t miss this restaurant when you’re walking down the street, as the delicious smells of the charcoal grill will beckon you!
- La Sazon De Marcelo: This restaurant was recommended to us by a local. Yummy Ecuadorian food with huge portions. Get the set menu for lunch!
- Guarumo Mindo Bar: The place to go to try some locally-made craft beers.
When to Visit Mindo
There’s really no best or worst time to visit Mindo, Ecuador. No matter what time of year you go, it will be humid and wet. It is a cloud forest, after all! And no matter whether you go during the “wet” or “dry” season, you will see birds. With that said, if you’d rather visit Mindo during the drier months (which are still rather wet, mind you!), June to September is your best bet. However, if you go during the wet season, you may be blessed with better birdwatching conditions, as the highest number of migratory birds arrive between October and May, in particular from December to April.
Tips for Visiting Mindo, Ecuador
Here are some of our top tips for visiting Mindo in Ecuador. Make sure to keep these tips in mind before you head to this hidden gem so that you are well-prepared for anything that may come your way.
1. ATMs Don’t Always Accept Foreign Cards
When we went to Mindo, there wasn’t really a lot of travel information for visiting this part of Ecuador. So, while we decided to take some extra cash out before Quito, we didn’t realize we’d need cash for literally everything! While some restaurants may accept cards, most won’t, and many of your activities will be cash-only as well. So, when we ran out of cash after the first day and a half, we headed to the only ATM in town. But imagine our panic when we discovered that the ATM does not accept foreign cards. Trust us; we tried 5 different debit and credit cards before we admitted defeat. And we watched plenty of other tourists give it a go as well.
So, learn from our mistake, and take enough cash to last you your entire stay! And assume you will be paying cash for everything, just in case.
We were lucky enough that our hotel allowed us to cash out with a small fee, but your hotel may not be able to help you in this manner.
If you do find yourself in the unfortunate situation where you need cash, you’ll need to grab a taxi and ask them to take you to an ATM in San Miguel de los Bancos, around a half-hour drive away. But even this ATM is not guaranteed to work all the time.
2. Prepare for Rain
Mindo is located smack dab in the middle of a cloud forest. And as you might be able to guess from the name of the type of forest, you can expect a lot of rain and humidity—even in the dry season. But don’t worry; this doesn’t mean it will rain all day. In fact, the rain is pretty predictable, manifesting in a downpour for an hour or two every afternoon rather than a consistent rain all day. Just make sure to bring a sturdy rain jacket with you to brave the weather.
3. Locals Flock Here on the Weekend
Mindo is a rather popular destination for locals. So, while the weekdays may be very quiet and serene, the streets, restaurants, and hotels may feel a lot more crowded on the weekends. But don’t worry; even if you might experience larger crowds on the weekend, it is definitely much less crowded than the more popular Baños. Just be prepared to make reservations for activities and accommodation beforehand if you are heading to Mindo on a weekend.
4. Don’t Drink the Tap Water
This is the case for all of Ecuador, but do not drink the tap water in Mindo. You’ll need to buy bottled water to quench your thirst.
Luckily, our hotel, Terrabambu Lodge, filled up our drinking water whenever we asked. But if your accommodation does not offer this service, we recommend getting the Sawyer Water Filter, which filters even the dirtiest tap water. We used this water filter with no issues all across Ecuador and South America.
5. Invest in Travel Insurance
In Mindo and much of Ecuador, you will be participating in fun activities like canyoning, swimming, and ziplining. Even a seemingly safe activity like birding can be dangerous if you accidentally slip on some mud! To protect yourself, you will need to get travel health insurance. Even if you are careful, you never know what may happen, so it’s always better to get health insurance just in case. We personally use Safetywing, which we highly recommend if you’re looking for something budget-friendly and easy to use.
What to Pack for Mindo, Ecuador
Packing can be a very personal topic. But if you’re not sure how to get started on packing for your trip to Mindo, Ecuador, we’ve got you! Here are some must-have items that you simply can’t forget:
- Rainjacket
- Clothes (up to 8 tops and 3 bottoms)
- Workout clothes
- Hiking pants
- Trail runners
- Underwear
- Fleece/sweatshirt
- Bathing suit
- Flashlight
- Insect repellent
Check out our full packing guide for women and for men if you’d like a more in-depth look at the essentials to pack for your trip. If you are a digital nomad, we also have a digital nomad packing guide and list of digital nomad essentials.
Is Mindo Worth Visiting?
100%! Mindo is one of our favorite places in South America, and for good reason. This small town is a haven for nature lovers who want to explore a cloud forest. From birdwatching and hanging out with butterflies to ziplining and canyoning, there’s a myriad of activities to keep you occupied while you also enjoy the many amazing restaurants and cafes in town. If you are planning a trip to mainland Ecuador and happen to be around the Quito area with a spare day or two at the very least, you CANNOT miss out on a trip to Mindo. You won’t regret it!
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