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The Amazon Rainforest is unsurprisingly on many people’s bucket lists, it is the lungs of the world, a riot of colour and endangered animals.
That is until they are confronted with the costs to enter the Amazon, which as such a remote environment is without the independent travelling that enable you to cut costs elsewhere.
This is where Mindo comes in. It is a village in the cloud forest, just 2 hours from Quito, which contains much of the jungle experiences at a fraction of the cost.
Why visit Mindo?
Ecuador contains just 2% of the entire Amazon Rainforest, but its little corner is among the most biodiverse sections, especially for bird life.
Another draw for why to visit the Ecuadorean Amazon in particular is its relative accessibility. Its wildlife reserves are far closer to typical destinations than those in other jungle nations like Colombia or Brazil. The Amazon region is known as El Oriente, the East, and the primary reserves are Cuyabeno and Yasuni.
I enjoyed a brilliant stay in the Cuyabeno wildlife reserve, but I felt that I got most of the experience a week earlier in a village called Mindo. Mindo is located three hours from Quito in the cloud forest – the region found as the Andes slide into the jungle.
Mindo, a cloud-forest town northwest of Quito alive with birds, waterfalls, and endless green (SL_Photography/iStock)Like Cuyabeno, the forests teemed with life, I saw vistas of a green carpet of trees extending to the horizon and sampled tropical produce like cacao and chocolate. The difference however, is that I spent a fraction of the cost of Cuyabeno, the journey was much shorter and I could travel independently instead of on a tour.
Price and accessibility comparison
| Distance from Quito | 3 hours | 15 hours |
| Typical 3-day cost | $120 | $280 (cheapest accommodation option) |
| Expected notable species to see | Cock of the Rock, hummingbirds, monkeys, tarantulas, parrots | Anacondas, river dolphins, monkeys, caimans, sloths |
| Available accommodation options | Hostels and hotels | Jungle lodges ranging from basic to luxury |
Comparison of experiences in Cuyabeno and Mindo
Night tours
I went on night walks in both the Amazon and Mindo and they were very comparable. In the Amazon, the walk began with a boat trip to spot nocturnal caiman out and about. We did not find any. We then entered the forest to find some nocturnal critters.
Walking through the jungle at night is an almost terrifying experience. The sky above is utterly blackened by the canopy of vegetation, while the air around you ripples with the wings of unseen creatures and the trees rustle with mystery. I saw animals such as tree frogs, poisonous millipedes and glow-in-the-dark scorpions.
It was a wonderful evening out, but I had an almost identical experience a week or so earlier when I did a night tour in Mindo for a fraction of the cost. I likewise saw luminous insects, felt the beat of batwings overhead and flowers blooming in the darkness. You can even experience the utter blackness of the forest in Mindo.
Join a night tour with a naturalist
Hiking
I likewise hiked in both Mindo and the Amazon. The Amazon was incredibly hard to walk through. The ground underfoot was boggy, fallen trees abounded and the heat and humidity were such that I could not get the sweat stains out of my shirt after a two-hour walk.
There are no landscape vistas, just the tangle of vegetation and constant life. Though, you will be more likely to spot wildlife hiking through the Amazon than Mindo. A girl in my group stepped on a baby anaconda! And we saw many monkey families too.
Trekking across a flooded lagoon in the Amazon rainforest near the Pastasa River (aelinscott/DepositPhotos)The hiking in Mindo benefits a lot from its higher altitude than the Amazon, which cools everything down and lowers the humidity to reduce the volume of sweat pouring out of you. Its hikes also have vistas over the cloud forest and the village, giving an idea of the scale of Amazonia.
In Mindo, you are less likely to encounter monkeys and snakes, but birds are more abundant. I saw species like toucans, oropendolas and hummingbirds. Hikes also include features like waterfalls that are absent in the Amazon.
Birding
The bird life in the Amazon was brilliant. There were toucans, many different types of parrots, kingfishers and oropendolas among others. However, Mindo has even more diversity and is widely recognised as Ecuador’s premier bird watching destination.
I saw the famous Andean cock of the rock, three different toucan species, many different parrots, the bright blue tanager bird and dozens of hummingbirds on a four hour long bird watching tour. Many of these are only found in cloud forest biomes.
Chocolate experiences
I encountered the building blocks of chocolate and coffee in both the Amazon and Mindo. My lodge in Cuyabeno, Tucan Lodge, has its own cacao plantation and Mindo has a chocolate factory.
I was able to roast my own cacao beans, grind them down, resist the temptation to eat the delicious pure cacao, and stir it into boiling water to make hot chocolate. This was an entire afternoon activity during my tour, and I had just as much fun in Mindo for a bargain price.
book a chocolate tour for $8.6
Overall comparison
It would be disingenuous to say that you can experience 100% of the Amazon Rainforest in Mindo. Mindo lacks the indigenous culture which was a highlight on my Cuyabeno trip. I visited an indigenous Taino village, met its shaman who gave me a sip of ayahuasca, observed traditional patterns of village life and played with their capybaras.
There are also no boat trips available in Mindo. The experience of speeding down the river, living walls of trees on each side and occasionally stopping when an animal was sighted was absolutely brilliant. As were trips to a lake where we could swim during the sunset, and encounter river dolphins.
The biodiversity in the Amazon is also off the charts, you will see far less monkeys in Mindo, fewer snakes, less chances to see sloths and no caiman or river dolphins.
However, Mindo offers perhaps 80% of the total experience at less than half the price. If you are looking to dip your toe into the Amazon, but are unwilling to pay top dollar for what is an occasionally uncomfortable experience, Mindo is a fantastic option.
The bird life is astounding, the jungle hums with surreal looking insects and frogs, monkeys and ocelots are present and views of waterfalls and the jungled mountains are fantastic.
It has the added benefit of being a more hospitable place. The climate is cooler, humidity lower and far less insects harass you. There are plenty of restaurant options, there is no chance of a steak alongside curated wines followed by a cheesecake in the Amazon. It also has many adventure activities like tubing on offer.
What to do in Mindo
1. Hike the Ruta de las Cascadas
La Ruta de las Cascadas was my highlight of Mindo. This is a hike between seven waterfalls in the cloud forest of the nearby Nambillo Ecological Reserve. The trees abound with wildlife and it is possible to swim in many of the waterfalls. It also includes a slightly scary ride in a home made cable car!
The trailhead of this hike is seven kilometres from town. I walked and it took me about an hour, but taxis are available from the plaza, just ask to be dropped at the Tarabita Cable Car.
When you reach this contraption, you will understandably feel a hint of nervousness – it runs on a car engine and there are no walls to the car, you are effectively travelling across in a crate. I loved the wind on my face as I gazed on the views of innumerable trees tapering off into the horizon.
Cable car “Tarabita Mindo” (KarelStipek/iStock)From stepping out of the cable car, and paying the $2 entry fee, you can choose two routes. The first is the Cascada Nambillo Route, which encompasses six waterfalls. Not all are terribly large, but the final and biggest, Nambillo, is an incredible sight and includes good swimming opportunities in the river that follows beyond the falls. The water is freezing cold and very refreshing after a two-hour walk through the steamy cloud forest.
The second route is to Cascada Reina, the largest waterfall in Mindo. There are no other waterfalls on the trail, but the cloud forest hums with life, and it is possible to spot hummingbirds and parrots if you pay attention. It is about an hour’s walk to Cascada Reina.
I woke up early to do this hike, which had two advantages: firstly, I had enough time to comfortably do both trails, which took five hours including swim breaks. Secondly, the weather in Mindo normally worsens by mid-afternoon when rain falls. I managed to avoid the showers and hitch a lift back to Mindo with an Argentine family I met on the trail! Make sure to bring bug spray.
2. Bird watching
For me, as well as countless others, getting older has involved taking an increasing interest in birds, and Mindo only accelerated this further.
Little Ecuador contains 16% of all bird species on Earth and Mindo is a bird hotspot within it. Guided and self-guided bird watching options are available. (This Viator tour takes you inside the birdwatcher’s paradise of San Lorenzo)
(KarelStipek/iStock)Just 2km from town is La Casa Amarilla. This is a hotel, but has a rambling estate with marked trails through the cloud forest. Entry costs $6 and includes a map of the trails and a guide to the most common species which include the Andean Cock of the Rock, Toucans, Quetzelets and Barbets.
In my four hours on the trail, I saw a bronze parrot, many toucans and lots of other birds that I could not identify! I also saw columns of army ants, orchids draped from trees and tapirs. To spot Cock of the Rocks, an early start is necessary as they hide for much of the day.
Another self guided option is San Tadeo. This is just outside of Mindo, and simplifies the bird watching experience as feeders are hung outside of a blind (a shelter from which to view the birds). The feeders attract all manner of tropical birds and allow you to bird watch without having to move around much if you do not fancy a four-hour romp through Casa Amarilla.
I was so captivated by walking around Casa Amarilla, that I booked a “Cock of the Rock Tour” for $45. Images of these birds are plastered around Ecuador and are the national bird of Peru.
Andean Cock of the Rock spotted along the trail to AguasThey are extremely strange-looking creatures, with just an eye protruding from their almost luminous orange plumage, which makes their heads look even more weirdly proportioned. They are not just quirky looking, but have lots of personality too.
Every morning, the male birds will sing their mating calls and dance in a group called a lek before spending much of the day hiding in the canopy. I was fortunate to see one of these, which was well worth the 5:30AM wake up. Their song sounds like a squealing pig! I also saw giant butterflies, toucans, barbets and quetzals on the three hour long tour through the cloud forest.
3. Take a night jungle tour
This is the experience in Mindo that I felt was most interchangeable with my experience in Cuyabeno. I paid $10 to walk around the jungle with a local expert called Bryan. When I saw the darkened outlines of trees, he discerned giant crickets, venomous millipedes, scorpions and medicinal plants among many other creatures.
The walk lasted for an hour and a half, and Bryan even surprised us with a venomous snake he had found injured and was nursing back to health! This walk was as good as my walk through the Amazon.
Bryan’s number is +593991483823 and his Instagram, @royersea, gives a good idea of what you will experience on the tour.
4. Explore the butterfly sanctuary
I distinctly remember the moment when I first saw a tropical butterfly here in Mindo. It fluttered about the plaza looking exactly like the emoji had come to life.
I was absolutely in rapture when I learnt about Hosteria Mariposas de Mindo, a butterfly sanctuary a kilometre from town. Its gardens resound with the beating wings of thousands of butterflies bred here for conservation purposes.
They look like the work of a mad artist, some marked with owls’ eyes as a disguise, others with surreal zigzag patterns and some practically glowing with colour.
Entry to the sanctuary is $8.50.
5. Visit Mindo’s chocolate factory
I satiated my sweet tooth by visiting Mindo’s Quetzel chocolate factory. This is just five minutes from the plaza and gives a demonstration of how cacao beans become a chocolate bar over the course of the hour-long tour.
It has its own mini cacao plantation, so you can see the massive yellow pods that house the beans that become our favourite treats, and even taste the raw cacao beans. They taste similar to mangos.
The slow grind behind a chocolate bar (tupungato/iStock)The rest of the tour consists of watching as the beans are roasted, ground and processed into chocolate. The expert guides discuss aspects of chocolate making like how white chocolate is made and the difference between the native Ecuadorean cacao bean and the more common African one. There is also of course plenty of chocolate to eat! I paid $8 for the tour, and spent more than that in their chocolate shop.
There are a number of other chocolate factories in Mindo, Yumbo is highly reviewed and from tasting their product in Quito, they know their way around a chocolate bar.
6. Feed hummingbirds
There are 43 species of hummingbirds present in Mindo, and it never ceases to amaze me to see one in flight, its wings invisible and making such impossibly quick movements. If you venture into the cloud forest either on a hike or a bird watching tour you are practically guaranteed to see these incredible creatures. Though, this is not strictly necessary.
Many hostels, including Cinnamon House where I stayed, had abundant bird feeders and pots of sugar water that the birds love. I could feed the hummingbirds by hand with a pot of water, or just lie in a hammock and watch them hover about. Magical.
Cinnamon House, designed like a treehouse tucked into the cloud forest7. See a Frog Concert
I bet you did not know that frogs gave concerts. Think again. Every evening, the hundreds of frogs at Lago Mindo will break into song. The cacophony of ribbits is pretty extraordinary, and the $5 fee goes towards their conservation. A guide in the know about frogs, will talk you through their life cycle, predators and conservation challenges.
8. Take part in adventure activities
Mindo is for the most part a relaxed destination – a place to unwind and immerse oneself in the bountiful nature. Yet, for those adrenaline junkies among you, ziplines and tubing are available. This Mindo canopy and zipline tour on Viator let you soar above the forest canopy.
Los Tucanes offers tubing adventures down Mindo’s three rivers, which range from semi-rapid to white water. Tubing is effectively white water rafting, but attached to a giant rubber ring.
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