Mindo, in the cloud forest

When we left Cuenca we flew to Quito and then took a bus to Mindo, which is a small community west of Quito. Mindo is in the cloud forest on the western slopes of the Andes and receives rain almost daily. There are a number of natural reserves on this side of the Andes, and the bird population there is large. Many birders go to Mindo because the community caters to them with guided birding tours. They also have two zip line companies and a tubing company that provide wet river thrills for the adrenaline addicted. We spent 4 days in Mindo hiking and bird watching and were able to see many new species of birds.

Cultivated area in a cloud forest valley

We stayed at a small hotel run by an American woman and her Ecuadorian husband. They have their own coffee plantation and served their own very good coffee, as well as very good meals.

Kathy and another guest, Brenda in the outdoor area of the hotel cafe

One day we went to a demonstration of how chocolate is made and met Brenda from Edmonton. We were served melted chocolate with strawberries and pineapple pieces to dip in it.

Victor cooking the cocoa beans

We also went birdwatching with a local guide who spoke English, we visited a butterfly sanctuary, and we rode the Tarabita, a rustic cable car, across a deep valley to hike to a waterfall on the other side.

We always carried our rain jackets as you never knew when a shower would occur

 

The bird watching group. Sandra, on the far right, was our guide.

 

A Pale-mandible Aracana, a type of toucan. We saw three types of toucans but only managed to get a fairly good picture of this one.

 

One of the many gorgeous humming birds we saw around Mindo

 

 

On our way to the butterfly sanctuary. We hiked on roads like this in search of birds.

 

At the butterfly sanctuary

 

One of the Mindo cafes, with unusual swings for seats.

 

The Tarabita cable car. Those are very large trees below it.

 

On the trail to the waterfall

 

The lower part of the waterfall