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Mindo Cloud Forest Tour: A day of Butterflies, Chocolate, and Bird Watching from Quito
4.8
62 Ratings
Mindo
Embark on a private tour from Quito to Mindo Cloud Forest, a paradise for nature lovers and birdwatchers. Explore the Butterfly Farm, Chocolate Factory, and choose from activities like canopy tours and orchid farm visits.
Embark on a private tour from Quito to Mindo Cloud Forest, a paradise for nature lovers and birdwatchers. Explore the Butterfly Farm, Chocolate Factory, and choose from activities like canopy tours and orchid farm visits.
Duration:
10 hours
Cancellation:
24 hours
Highlights
- Mindo Nambillo Cloud Forest Reserve - As the journey descends from the Andes towards Mindo, the climate noticeably shifts, and the landscape transforms into a cloud forest, a lush paradise. This unique ecosystem hosts an incredible variety of colorful birds, mammals, and wildlife. Enjoy this enchanting area through guided hikes and breathtaking…
- Mindo Nambillo Cloud Forest Reserve - As the journey descends from the Andes towards Mindo, the climate noticeably shifts, and the landscape transforms into a cloud forest, a lush paradise. This unique ecosystem hosts an incredible variety of colorful birds, mammals, and wildlife. Enjoy this enchanting area through guided hikes and breathtaking views.
- San Tadeo Birding - San Tadeo Birding is an essential stop on any trip to Mindo. Visitors are invited to explore natural trails designed to showcase vibrant hummingbirds, tanagers, toucans, and many other cloud forest species.
- Tarabita y Santuario de Cascadas Mindo - (OPTIONAL ACTIVITIES) Cross the Mindo River on a rustic cable car to access trails and additional waterfalls (cable car cost not included, approx. $5). This offers a unique perspective of the forest.
The adventure continues with the Tarabita (cable car), providing the best aerial views of the forest. After crossing, visitors will find the Sanctuary of Waterfalls, where they can walk along the trail to reach one of the waterfalls, perfect for cooling off and recharging.
- Mariposas de Mindo - A world of color and elegance. Visitors can walk among hundreds of butterflies as they flutter around, offering close-up encounters and unique photo opportunities. Learn about the fascinating process of metamorphosis, making the visit an interactive lesson in the cool, fresh air of the cloud forest.
- Mindo - LUNCH TIME: Enjoy a delicious lunch featuring fresh, local ingredients at a cozy Mindo restaurant, with options to suit all tastes.
- Yumbos Chocolate - Enjoy a delightful tour through the museum for an immersive and delicious experience. Learn the entire process of making Ecuador’s fine-flavor chocolate, from the cacao tree to the chocolate bar.
What's Included
- Hotel pickup and drop-off from/to centrally located hotels in Quito
- Bottle of purified water
- Professional bilingual Guide
- Hotel pickup and drop-off from/to centrally located hotels in Quito
- Bottle of purified water
- Professional bilingual Guide
What's Not Included
- 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 fees: San Tadeo Birding (5USD per person), Tarabita(cable car) (5 USD per person).
- Entrance fees: Butterfly Garden (8.50 USD per person), Yumbo Chocolate (10 USD per person).
- 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 fees: San Tadeo Birding (5USD per person), Tarabita(cable car) (5 USD per person).
- Entrance fees: Butterfly Garden (8.50 USD per person), Yumbo Chocolate (10 USD per person).
Additional Information
Discover the wonders of Mindo, a richly diverse cloud forest located just two hours from Quito. This full-day excursion with a dedicated guide-driver presents an ideal itinerary: Glide above the treetops on a cable car to reach stunning waterfalls, admire the vast array of species in the butterfly garden, and end your day with a tour of a chocolate…
Discover the wonders of Mindo, a richly diverse cloud forest located just two hours from Quito. This full-day excursion with a dedicated guide-driver presents an ideal itinerary: Glide above the treetops on a cable car to reach stunning waterfalls, admire the vast array of species in the butterfly garden, and end your day with a tour of a chocolate factory, featuring a delightful tasting of premium fine-aroma cacao.
- 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
Location
Mindo Nambillo Cloud Forest Reserve
Cancellation Policy
For a full refund, cancel at least 24 hours before the scheduled departure time.
For a full refund, cancel at least 24 hours before the scheduled departure time.
Customer Ratings
4.8
(62 Ratings)
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Ellen_w
Dec 29, 2025
Fantastic Day in the Mindo Cloud Forest - 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.
Review provided by Viator
Gregsq8182hl
Dec 10, 2025
A great day out of the city to complement our day in the city! - It was a great day out of the city. We saw the various climates around Quito, spent time in Mindo, explored the butterfly farm, did some hiking (which was the highlight) - and added in a cute little Orchid place instead of the chocolate tour. The guides were really great, attuned to what we wanted to do, and the only thing we'd do differently is hike for longer and see more waterfalls.
Review provided by Tripadvisor
Doreen_s
Oct 10, 2025
Wonderful day trip to Mindo - On time, flexible, helpful, and knowledgeable! Danny, our guide, and Jeff, our driver were outstanding
Review provided by Viator
Diane_h
Oct 9, 2025
Mindo Tour is a Must - 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.
Review provided by Viator
Uticax
Sep 15, 2025
Michael was great!! AKA Cisco - We had the best time touring with Cisco! He guided us on a private tour that included visiting the Pululahua dormant volcano and the Cultural Village next to the Middle of the World, followed by exotic bird watching and hummingbird feeding at San Tadeo. We enjoyed a wonderful lunch stop at Serenity Mindo Lounge Bar before zip lining through the forest at Mindo Canopy, and finished with the delicious and educational chocolate tour at Yumbos. On the way out if Mindo he stopped so we could take photos at the famous Mindo sgn and tge actual Mitad monument lit up with neon lighs.
Cisco made every moment fun while sharing his deep knowledge of Ecuador’s history, culture, and nature. He kept us engaged, safe, and entertained the entire time. His energy, humor, and expertise turned an already amazing itinerary into an unforgettable adventure.
Cisco is truly an excellent guide, and we highly recommend him to anyone looking for a private tour that is both fun and informative. He went above and beyond to make our experience special, and we hope his manager sees the tremendous value he brings to every guest. Cisco is the kind of guide who makes a company shine. We took this tour 9/14/25 at $110 p.p.
Review provided by Tripadvisor
Butchy10
Aug 15, 2025
Great day in Mindo - Francisco was a fantastic guide. Very patients with our Young kids. He ido very knowledgable and shared that with us. We spent a full and then some It was quite a trip. We enjoyed It immensely.
Review provided by Tripadvisor
Amanda_l
Jul 6, 2025
Great tour - would recommend - The tour was excellent- our guide Daniel was really informative & flexible to our needs. The tour met all our expectations
Review provided by Viator
Rachel_r
Jun 20, 2025
Great tour! Christian... - 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!
Review provided by Viator
Emilyyrd
Jun 6, 2025
Would recommend - Awesome trip, great guide, flexible programme. Picked up on time, could go at our own pace for the day. The guide Marco Herrera was kind and well informed.
Review provided by Tripadvisor
Pedro
Dec 30, 2025
I expected to see more birds - Guide Juliana and driver Jeferson were very attentive and guided us around the different places with great dedication.
However, something that left me a little disappointed was the fact that I had observed few birds besides hummingbirds; I expected to see a greater variety.
As for the chocolate and coffee museums, I think it was excessive to charge a visit fee, considering that we bought coffee or chocolate. If this fee had not been charged, you would probably have purchased more products.
However, this point does not affect the evaluation of the ride itself, as these institutions have no relationship with the tour organizer.
Review provided by Tripadvisor
