Magical Mindo - Our Mindo tour was wonderful. Santiago Salazar is an outstanding birdwatching guide, and his local knowledge really made the tour exceptional. I recommend this full day tour and the cock-of the rock add-on option for any birdwatchers coming through the Mindo or Quito area. Great day!

A perfect day in the rainforest - This was my second trip with Neotropical Nature and Birding trips. On short notice, I approached them for a day trip to the Chocó rainforest, and they orchestrated a splendid experience. They organized a wonderful day trip with an early pickup and and a drop off at the airport. Santiago expertly guided me through remarkable locations, highlighting the rich diversity of tropical bird species. I highly recommend booking a trip with them.

Amazing experience, doesn't disappoint! - We took the Mashpi-Amagusa Nature and Birding Full Day Trip with the Andean Cock of the Rock Lek add on. The tour started with our guide, Lelis picking us up at our hotel at 4:30 in the morning. We drove to the Mashpi reserve where we spent the morning observing birds from the beautiful grounds. There were different observation points which were set up well in case it rained (and it did rain for some time). We saw countless species of beautiful birds. Our guide, Lelis was amazing, he was able to spot and very clearly explain where to look to find them. He was also patient in us learning the species, repeating the names several times. There were also many vantage points where the birds came pretty close and where you could just sit and watch. The land owner Sergio setup natural feeders placing bananas for the birds to enjoy. Highlighted species include the glistening-green tanager, flame-rumped tanager, rufus-throated tanager, golden-naped (blue) tanager, moss-backed tanager, toucan barbet, honey creeper, and so much more. There was also an area where several species of hummingbirds, coronets and sylphs were spotted, a highlight being where you could hold a bunch of flowers and have the hummingbirds eat off of them! After a very tasty lunch made by Sergio's wife, we headed off to our next adventure. We ended the day going to Reserva la Victoriana to see the interesting Cock of the Rock species. The walk to the observation platform was breathtaking and the observation platform was really well done. We did get to see the species, but a bit off in the distance. We brought 8x42 binoculars and a DSLR camera with a 80-400mm lens which worked out very well. The drive back to the hotel provided great views as well. Lelis was a fantastic guide and great company, we had an amazing experience with this private tour!

Birds, Butterflies, & Beauty! - Sebastian was great and customized our trip to perfection. After seeing the hummingbirds, we went to the butterfly farm and too see orchids. He let us pick lunch and stopped for ice cream. The best for last: we saw nine cock of the rocks!

If you like seeing exotic... - If you like seeing exotic birds in the wild and cloud forest flora and fauna, this is the tour for you. It was fascinating to be surrounded by many species of hummingbirds, and the walk in the forest and the view of brilliant birds were very interesting. Our tour guide was quite knowledgeable, and his photography skills helped us to get the best photos. We really enjoyed lunch at a scenic location.

Perhaps the best day trip I’ve ever enjoyed! - Our guide Santiago, and Driver Vladimir took us high up into the Andes mountains cloud forest to Remote preserves where few other people were present. We met the families who run the preserves and saw 79 species of birds. Santiago was very patient with Photography, and had a vast knowledge of the flora and fauna of the cloud forests of Ecuador. We even had lunch at a small outdoor café, where we could continue to observe the inhabitants of the forest. Perhaps the best day trip I’ve ever enjoyed!

We saw an amazing number of bird species up close. - We brought our 2 adult daughters & daughter-in-law on this trip because they have always been animal & bird fanatics. (One daughter is a biologist who did her masters thesis on hummingbirds.) No one was disappointed in this trip! We saw a large percentage of the huge number of hummingbird species, which Ecuador is home to. The birds came so close we could feel their wing beats and they sometimes landed on our hands while we held feeders. Our guide Santiago Salazar was exceptional and his enthusiasm was infectious. We didn't get to see the courtship dances of the cock-of the-rock, but we did get fleeting glimpses of quite a few males, while they hopefully searched for mates.

Fantastic Birdwatching - Many of the tours to Mindo stop at tourist spots along the way, and we wanted to focus on bird watching and enjoyment of the cloud forest. This tour with Neotropical was perfect for that. Our guide, Santiago, is an avid birdwatcher, and he was able to help us identify the hummingbirds and other birds that we saw. He is also extremely knowledgeable about the ecology and environment of Ecuador, and we had great discussions with him during the trip. If you want to focus on nature instead of tourist stops, this is the tour that you should sign up for.

This trip is a must for anyone interested in seeing birds. As a bonus, the scenery is gorgeous. - The guide was a genius in spotting birds and helping you to see them on the telescope. The tour company was very professional and responsive to my requests. In addition to seeing so many birds, you also get to travel through gorgeous scenery. A great bonus! I highly recommend this trip.

Fantastic day birding! - What an exciting birding day through Mindo with the add-on of the Andean Cock-of-the-Rock Lek! Santiago was a wonderful guide knowledgeable about everything from the birds to the volcanoes, and much more. We saw so many species on our list and the spots offered excellent photography opportunities as well. If you can only choose one day trip with Neotropical- this is the trip! Thank you Neotropical for a wonderful trip!