Fun Facts About Mindo, Ecuador
- Mindo is a rural area located about 2 hours outside Quito known for its growing ecotourism industry
- Mindo has one of the biggest concentrations of bird species in the world with more than 500 specimens, as well as 40 species of butterflies, and more than 170 species of orchids (Yes, it’s as beautiful as it sounds!)
- Average temperatures range from 15 – 24 degrees celsius (60 – 75 degrees Fahrenheit) year round – the climate is driest from May – Sept
- July – October are the busiest months for overseas tourists.
- Important! – There is only one ATM in the whole town and it doesn’t accept foreign debit or credit cards. Transversely, most businesses in and around town only accept cash – so bring enough! (Otherwise, it is a 25 minute taxi ride each way to the closest town which has an ATM that accepts foreign cards. The taxi will cost $15.00 round trip.
MINDO IS A HIDDEN GEM!
Mindo is about 2 hours east of Quito. We booked an Uber SUV to bring us here and it cost $69.00 for the trip. We’d seen YouTube videos of Mindo before we came, but it’s far exceeded our expectations! First of all, Mindo is at an elevation of about 4200 feet (about 1280 meters), and the temperature is perfect! Within 15 minutes of our arrival, we shed our jeans and warmer clothes and put on shorts and t-shirts (and even sandals!) and filled our lungs with the sweet smelling aroma of trees, flowers, and just the right amount of humidity. We’d been at high altitude for a few months, so coming down to this lower felt wonderful!
On our first full day we visited “Mariposario Nathaly Mindo” (The Butterfly House) where one particular butterfly fell in love with Michelle’s hair!
The Butterfly House also had hummingbirds and other types of beautiful birds!
On our 2nd full day in Mindo, we went to “Minjoy Park”, which was a short 1 mile walk from our hotel. Minjoy Park contains two cable car rides, and then a hike to some waterfalls. The first cable car takes riders up the mountain, to the peak, and then over a gorge to connect to another mountain. This expanse, which took a good 10 minutes to cross was both breathtaking, and terrifying! The cable car did not look sturdy enough, nor did it seem built to make this type of extreme trip. It was completely open, and looked like one of those cable cars meant to take people up a ski slope, never going above 30 feet high. This cable car however was hundreds of feet high as it made its way across the gorge…and that’s where it stopped…so that people who showed up at the loading station back on the bottom of the mountain could get on! So we were stopped, swaying, and overlooking certain death should any part of this contraption fail in any one of hundreds of ways! I really tried to take pictures, but I couldn’t make my arms move! I was frozen, and had a death grip on the little hand rail in front of me. Here is the best I could do.
After surviving the first cable car, we got off and walked a few hundred meters to the next cable car, which was a much shorter ride that took us over a river gorge to the next mountain where there were hikes to several waterfalls. This hike was the reason we risked our lives to get here, and it was epic!
It did however mean that after the hike was over, we needed to come back down on the cable cars. 🚠😬
The next day we went to “San Tadeo Birding”, which is a place that’s famous for hummingbirds. There were hundreds to see and they were fearless enough to drink from our hands! I’d consider this a once in a lifetime experience, and one not to be missed if you come to Mindo.
While we were here, we stayed at a hotel that was in a great location, just on the outskirts of the main part of Mindo. (It was only a 5 minute walk to the Main Street, but just far enough out to be quiet and serene. The name of the hotel is Toucan Platinum Holiday Suites and it was fantastic, with a balcony and full kitchen, king size bed and very comfortable. The cost for 5 nights was $388.00. Click the button below for a link.
To put it simply, Mindo might be the prettiest area we’ve ever seen! If you are ever in Ecuador, this is a place that shouldn’t be missed. It’s….MAGICAL!
Have a great day everyone and SAFE TRAVELS!