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Mindo Rainforest: Explore Quito's Hidden Gem
4.9
510 Ratings
Quito
Embark on a customizable private day tour to Mindo Cloud Forest, a beautiful subtropical rainforest near Quito. Discover exotic wildlife, photograph hummingbirds, and enjoy breathtaking views from a cable car.
Embark on a customizable private day tour to Mindo Cloud Forest, a beautiful subtropical rainforest near Quito. Discover exotic wildlife, photograph hummingbirds, and enjoy breathtaking views from a cable car.
Duration:
9 hours
Cancellation:
24 hours
Highlights
- Quito - Mindo – Nambillo is an ecological reserve encompassing around 22,000 hectares of pristine forest. Within this protected area, there is a stunning collection of 15 waterfalls, each unique in height and beauty! The guide will pick up guests at 8:00 a.m. from their hotel in Quito to explore this captivating wildlife haven.
- Alambi Reserve…
- Quito - Mindo – Nambillo is an ecological reserve encompassing around 22,000 hectares of pristine forest. Within this protected area, there is a stunning collection of 15 waterfalls, each unique in height and beauty! The guide will pick up guests at 8:00 a.m. from their hotel in Quito to explore this captivating wildlife haven.
- Alambi Reserve - At an elevation of 1,900 meters above sea level (6,233 ft), visitors will be captivated by hummingbirds, air plants, orchids, and other exotic species! After navigating the winding road, there will be a stop at a Hummingbird farm to enjoy breathtaking encounters with these tiny creatures and the stunning scenery.
- Mindo Nambillo Cloud Forest Reserve - After capturing numerous photos and slow-motion videos, guests can unwind with a cup of coffee at a local coffee plantation. Then, they will travel to Mindo village, situated at the southern edge of the Choco/Andean biodiversity hotspots, extending from southwestern Colombia to northwestern Ecuador. The Mindo area holds international significance for birds, recognized as the first area in South America by Birdlife International in 1997. In this enchanting green realm, a wealth of life awaits discovery! Guests will take a cable car ride across a 530-meter-long cable to enjoy the landscapes on the other side of the mountains!
- Mindo Nambillo Cloud Forest Reserve - Following the memorable cable car ride, guests can embark on a hike of about 1 hour, depending on their physical condition, to visit the stunning “Nambillo” waterfall, where a refreshing dip is possible! The private guided tour will introduce guests to the lush vegetation of the cloud forest, its birdlife, and the fascinating adaptations to life in this unique environment.
- Mindo - There will be time for lunch if desired. Following that, guests can enjoy an unforgettable and educational dessert on a chocolate-tasting tour!
- Quito - If time permits, a visit to an orchid and butterfly farm is possible. By approximately 5:30 p.m., guests will return to their hotel in Quito, concluding this fantastic day filled with wonderful discoveries!
What's Included
- Certified English speaking guide
- Private transportation
- Certified English speaking guide
- Private transportation
What's Not Included
- Lunch
- Hummingbirds’ Farm
- Cable Car Ride
- Lunch
- Hummingbirds’ Farm
- Cable Car Ride
Additional Information
Mindo, a stunning destination near Quito, is ready to welcome visitors! Experience the allure of a lesser-known subtropical rainforest with the convenience of a customizable and flexible private day tour. Capture photos of countless hummingbirds landing on your hands, along with toucans and other exotic wildlife up close! Take in the breathtaking “cloud…
Mindo, a stunning destination near Quito, is ready to welcome visitors! Experience the allure of a lesser-known subtropical rainforest with the convenience of a customizable and flexible private day tour. Capture photos of countless hummingbirds landing on your hands, along with toucans and other exotic wildlife up close! Take in the breathtaking “cloud forest” views from a cable car and embark on a hike through a delightful waterfall sanctuary.
- Our guides and drivers will follow vehicle cleaning and personal care protocols, with disinfectant products during the tour.
Location
Quito
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
4.9
(510 Ratings)
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K4mcpher
Jun 1, 2026
Great day in Mindo! - Ivan was prompt and professional. He tailored our trip what we wanted to see and do. We saw and did some amazing things. But the highlight was by far the birds and humming birds. He gave us the option of 2 farms and it was well worth going to the more exclusive one! I could have sat there all day. Ivan was a wealth of knowledge and I would highly recommend!
Review provided by Tripadvisor
Peter_w
Jun 1, 2026
Highly recommend - Amazing off road adventure filled with kindness and safety felt all around, flowers birds and waterfalls
Review provided by Viator
June_f
May 31, 2026
Outstanding experiences chosen by you - The trip to Mindo was fantastic. We were able to choose from several activities presented by our guide to fill in our day. We chose; a walk to a waterfall, viewing hummingbirds, riding a zip line bicycle, taking a gondola ride and having a chocolate tasting activities. Note that most activities have a small fee associated with them outside of booking the guide. From $5 -&10 dollars. Our favorites were the bird watching where we were surrounded by incredibly diverse and beautiful hummingbirds and chocolate tasting where we were walked through all of the steps required to make chocolate from cocao beans then we tasted various flavors of chocolate as well as other chocolate products. Ximena, our guide led us through all activities and provided tons of insight on the culture and history of the place.
Review provided by Viator
Meg
May 29, 2026
Favorite day trip! - This was our favorite individual day in the Quito area. Our guide Ximena was so knowledgeable and friendly. She helped us customize our day to fit in everything we wanted and made recommendations to make the experiences the best possible. She readily helped take photos for us and kept us on time. This is a fantastic day trip for families, individuals, or couples!
Review provided by Tripadvisor
Matthew_j
May 27, 2026
Gracias Miriam - Absolutely awesome experience. I would really recommend that you go to the second hummingbird place ($10 entry), it is hidden away but it is SO worth it.
Our guide Miriam was informative, friendly, funny and relaxed. The pacing and the activities were perfect, enjoyed every moment.
Thanks so much!
Review provided by Viator
Stuart_b
May 25, 2026
Fantastic day out - This was a fantastic trip. Our guide arranged to pick us up 30 minutes early due to public holiday traffic, so the whole trip was 7.30am to 6pm. Our guide (Ximena) asked us exactly which places we wanted to visit when we got in the car so we customised the trip. The drive from Quito to Mindo takes about 2 hours each way and we chatted with our very knowledgeable guide about the wildlife, the plants, and about life in Quito. She spoke very good English which made it easy for us.
We opted to go to and see Hummingbirds first, but also saw Toucans and Tanagers (YMMV).
Next stop was a walk through the cloud forest, with lots of explanation about the plants and the environment, with a return trip via a cable car.
We stopped at a butterfly sanctuary where we also had a good value lunch, and finished at a local coffee artisan where we had the whole coffee production process explained to us by a super confident and knowledgeable 18 year old local girl. We roasted, ground and tasted our own coffee before the drive back to Quito.
TL/DR: Would 100% recommend!
Review provided by Viator
M5232ilrichardp
May 25, 2026
Interesting, fun and safe tour - My wife and I enjoyed a great tour with Hugo. On time pick up from the hotel and then we quickly established a tour to suit our interests and timeframe. We saw and fed hummingbirds, took a cable car ride, visited a butterfly farm, had a lovely lunch then visited a chocolate factory. We were then safely driven back to our hotel. A full and great day out.
Review provided by Tripadvisor
Steve_s
May 24, 2026
Once in a lifetime experience - Freddy was out tour tour guide and companion. He was phenomenal. He knows Mindo like the back of his hand. The road to Mindo is windy, so be ready if you're prone to car sickness. The birds are out of this world. DONT SKIP
Review provided by Viator
Leslie_s
May 23, 2026
Excellent day, excellent tour, excellent guide - Our guide Diana was perfect and made our day wonderful. We enjoyed the hummingbird/bird sanctuary, butterfly sanctuary and chocolate tasting.
Review provided by Viator
Karenk715
May 21, 2026
Amazing Day in Nature- Waterfalls, Butterflies &Birds - My husband and I booked a private day tour to the Mindo Cloud Forest. Carlos, our guide was an excellent driver, very knowledgeable and catered our day to our interests. Our first stop was the Tarabita Mindo Waterfall sanctuary in the Mindo Nambillo Cloud Forest reserve. Admission was $5 including the cable car ride. We prefer to hike and did not want to get in the water so we opted for the longest hike to Reina Falls. We took longer than expected but managed to squeeze in a short visit to a Butterfly Farm (Admission $8.50). Included an informative video then time to walk around. Note: It closes at 2 on Tuesdays. So go their first or take a shorter hike. We then had a quick lunch at a local restaurant. Very affordable, delicious, and satisfying. Our final and perhaps favorite stop was at a hummingbird sanctuary. It had started to rain and there were no other people. The rain kept the bees away from the nectar but the hummingbirds were extremely active. We stayed for a long time enjoying the 100 or so hummingbirds (many varieties) up close and personal. The finale was a toucan flying in as we were turning to leave. Our first! What a special day! Thank you Carlos! We highly recommend.
Review provided by Tripadvisor
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