Mindo, Ecuador : Complete Travel Guide for 2024

The Mindo Cloud Forest is what people travel North West from Quito to see. Here, you will see hummingbirds outside of your hotel window. And Toucans and Monkeys in the trees. Everything is very green, but there are minimal mosquitos because of the elevation. (or so they say, we still got bit A LOT by the river!) You can visit the waterfalls after taking the ‘Tarabita Cable Car’ 🚡 over the cloud forest. You can go on a chocolate tour 🍫 in Ecuador’s ‘cacao region’. And you can visit a butterfly sanctuary. 🦋

Coming from Quito where we didn’t feel comfortable walking the streets even in daylight (1 Day in Quito), we immediately took a liking to this small and charming little Ecuadorian town that’s immersed in nature.

Mindo, Ecuador – Complete Travel Guide

Things to Do in Mindo

Here are our top things to do in Mindo … bird-watching heaven! It’s also very common to come to Mindo with a day-tour from Quito. Mindo is definitely a quiet little town with not much to do at night, so we actually recommend coming here with a tour!

💡 Headed to Colombia? Checkout our 2 Week and 3 Week Colombia Itineraries! 🇨🇴

1 – Mindo Waterfall Hike

Take the Tarabita Cable Car across the forest (breath-taking!) and visit the seven waterfalls. The Cable Car is $5 per person for a round-trip. Once you cross the valley, one of the workers will show you the map of all the different places you can walk. There are multiple trails which will take you by a series of different waterfalls.

To get to the Tarabita Cable Car you’re looking at a 60 minute walk up a gravel road, or a 5 minute taxi ride. (from the center of Mindo) We paid $5 for our taxi ride up to the Tarabita. To get back to town, you can either walk, or save the number of your taxi driver and call him up. We started walking and half-way through we saw a taxi going down the hill. Walking the whole way down is definitely possible and not too strenuous.

🛌 Here are all your hotel options in Mindo

2 – Bird Watching

Mindo is the place in Ecuador to go bird-watching. There are dozens of species of Hummingbirds and also the famous Andean Cock of the Rock. (also in Jardin – our favorite place in Colombia!)

Since Bird Watching is the marquee activity in Mindo, there are tons of people willing to take you on tours. Expect to pay around $40 for a full tour, which will include transportation and lunch. (this tour is only $25!)

➡️ Read: Secret Garden Cotopaxi – Ecuador’s Most Famous Hostel 🦙

3 – Take a Chocolate Tour

There are two famous chocolate tours in town. El Quetzal is right near the center and charges $10 for an hour long tour.

In the tour you will see how the fruit is harvested from the Cacao tree, and you’ll end with some taste testing. Highly recommend! (La Leyenda de Chocolate tour here is $15!)

☕️ Book your chocolate tour HERE!

4 – Go Zip-Lining or Tubing

We did not do this in Mindo, as we have been traveling around Colombia and Ecuador for the last 2 months, and these kind of activities are offered in a lot of places. But f you haven’t done zip-lining or tubing yet, Mindo would be a great place to try! (this is the top ziplining tour in Mindo for $20 per person)

➡️ Read: Ultimate 2 Week Colombia Itinerary 🇨🇴

5 – Bonus Activity: Learn how to make latte art!

We stumbled across this small cafe in town called Café Bristol run by a local and his wife from England. Not only do they have really delicious coffee and breakfast, but for around $10-$15 USD you can take a espresso latte art private class! You’ll learn how to use the fancy espresso machine and live our your barista dreams. Kelsey did this and it was a great way to learn about the coffee around the area while also learning more about the local community. If you’re looking for something to do and you are all chocolated out, we highly recommend you visit Cafe Bristol and take their latte art class!

➡️ Read: Top 8 Things to Do in Banos 🌊

How to Get to Mindo Cloud Forest in 2024

First off, you need to know that there are not that many buses to Mindo. In March of 2024, the bus to Mindo leaves at 8 AM, 9 AM, 11 AM, and 4 PM. That’s it. You need to go to the station to get your ticket, you can’t buy it online. The bus doesn’t sell out so you don’t have to worry about not being able to get a ticket for the one you want.

From Quito, you need to take the bus from Terminal La Ofelia. This is way up North and about a 30 minute taxi ride from the center of Quito. We took a taxi from Secret Garden Quito to the terminal which was $10. 

The bus to Mindo was $3.50 per person. 

💡 BEWARE! We heard plenty of stories of people getting their things stolen on this exact bus ride. There were tons of signs on the bus warning passengers to watch their things, not to use the overhead bins, put your backpack on your lap, etc. We rode the bus at 9 AM on a Monday and had no problems. The bus was very calm and only 15% occupied. Once you get to Mindo, you will be able to walk to where you are staying. Mindo is a beautiful, safe, and small town. Once you arrive here you will not have to worry about your safety. 🦜

🏨 Where to Stay in Mindo

Mindo is a very small and quiet town so it doesn’t matter too much where you stay. You will be able to walk everywhere as long as you stay somewhere near the town.

Budget/Hostel: Cinnamon House

Mix of private rooms and dorms. This is the premier spot for backpackers. Beautiful common area to hang out in. Very modern.

Mid-Range : Margarit Boutique Hotel

We stayed here for $65 per night. The rooms are modern and spacious. Staff is super friendly and helpful. Hotel is right along the river and you can hear it from your room all day and night. 5 minutes walk from the center but in a very quiet location so you don’t have to worry about noise. Delicious breakfast included. We can’t recommend this place enough.

Luxury : Las Terrazas de Dana Boutique Lodge & Spa

This place has the same owners as Margarit Boutique Hotel (above). Just more luxury. Hot tub & beautiful pool included. Rooms start at $124 per night.

🍱 Where to Eat in Mindo

Cheap Lunch – El Buen Comer

$3 for the ‘Menu del Dia’ which includes soup, rice and beans, and meat. A lot of the local construction workers come here for lunch. Staff is very friendly. Food is decent. For $3 you can’t beat this value in Mindo.

Good Lunch – El Cheff de Mindo

This place serves really good lunch with large portion sizes. Prices are about $7 – $8 per meal. We recommend their fresh trout and/or steak.

Mindo Cloud Forest – Other Things to Know

1 – There are multiple gyms in Mindo, and they are very nice. There is one near the soccer stadium, which costs $2 per day to use (very new and modern equipment, I still don’t understand how they got this equipment to Mindo). There is also one called ‘Ecofit‘ across the bridge from town which costs $3 per day to use.

2 – Mindo is very small and safe. We sat outside on our Macbooks and didn’t have any worries. We would never do this in Quito.

3 – It rains most afternoons in Mindo. If you are going to do something outside, you should do it in the morning.

4 – Be careful on the bus from Quito. A lot of people are robbed on this bus.

➡️ Read: Is Ecuador Safe to Visit in 2024? 🇪🇨

Summary – Things to Do in Mindo Cloud Forest

When you come to Mindo, we would honestly recommend you just come with a day-tour from Quito. Since there are only a few highlights in Mindo, you can easily do them all in a day. Also, there’s not much going on in the town of Mindo, and since it’s only 2 hours from Quito, we would say this is best!

This tour from Quito has birding, waterfalls, zip-lining, and a chocolate tour included for $99 total.

We hope you enjoyed this guide to Mindo.