Full Day Mindo Tour: Nature Trails, Adventure Activities and Birdwatching

Experience the beauty of Mindo with a full day tour filled with nature trails, adventure activities, and birdwatching. Explore the cloud forest, visit butterfly farms and hummingbird feeders, go canopying or hiking to waterfalls, and enjoy a delicious lunch. Book now!

Duration: 8 hours, 30 minutes
Cancellation: 1 day learn more
Highlights
  • Quito Old Town - Pick up at 07:00 am.
  • Mariposas de Mindo - A visit to a butterfly farm and hummingbird feeders. It’s a place for pictures!
  • Mindo Nambillo Cloud Forest Reserve - A trip in a tarabita and followed by a hike to the waterfalls.
  • Mindo Nambillo Cloud Forest Reserve - Canopy over the rainforest.
  • Mindo Nambillo Cloud Forest Reserve - Lunch.
  • Mindo Nambillo Cloud Forest Reserve - Optional visit to the chocolate factory.
  • Quito Old Town - Arrival to Quito at around 17:00 pm.
What's Included
  • Private transportation
  • Bilingual Guide
What's Not Included
  • Alcoholic Beverages
  • Tips
  • Tickets to Activities
  • Lunch
Additional Information

Mindo, a picturesque valley situated two hours to the northwest of Quito on the western confines of the Pichincha volcano, is a must-see destination. With awe-inspiring natural beauty and a plethora of adventurous activities, it is a true escape. Upon reaching the misty forests of Mindo, you will be able to experience a butterfly house and hummingbird feeding stations - remember to bring your camera! The thrill continues with a canopy tour, featuring 13 ziplines varying in length from 20 to 400 meters, each with unique attributes, offering something for all age groups. Alternatively, you could opt for a tarabita ride (a compact cable car) and a walk through the cloud-filled forest to view magnificent waterfalls. After a day of excitement, you will pause for a meal. Post-lunch, there’s one more birdwatching hotspot to explore before leaving Mindo.

The rates are applicable for groups of a minimum of three participants. In the eventuality of not meeting this minimum requirement, an email will be sent to you to propose a new tour date.

  • Infants must not sit on laps
  • Not stroller accessible
  • Not suitable for pets
  • Not wheelchair accessible
  • Transportation arrangements can be discussed for groups of more than four people. The tour has a small extra cost to pick up from your own accommodation
Location
Friends Expeditions
Junín
References: 1.- Next to the Santa Catalina de Siena Monastery. 2.- Close to the Sucre School. 3.- Next to the Manuela Saenz Museum.
Cancellation Policy

For a full refund, cancel at least 24 hours before the scheduled departure time.

Customer Ratings
4.5
(11 Ratings)
5 stars
4 stars
3 stars
2 stars
1 star
Deb04033
Mar 4, 2024
Full Day - Took the full day tour to Mindo with Jonathan and Jimmy as the driver. It's a 2 hour drive from Quito but Jonathan gave lots of information about Quito and the area on the way. Our first stop was the butterfly center, which was very good. I decided not to do ziplining but went with the Cable car option. From there we hiked to another tram to take us further into the forest. Unfortunately my knee was not holding up because of the many steps built into the trail. Jonathan was very patient with my slow speed. I could only make it to the first waterfall. He also took pictures for me climbing over some of the rocks for better pics of the waterfall. We really did not see any wildlife but Jonathan did point out some of the plant life. After heading back down, they suggested a place for lunch which was very good. I invited them to join me. Next stop was the chocolate making facility. Had a chocolate facial and some tastings, and info on chocolate making. Our last stop was the humming bird platform. That was the best part of the day and I believe both Jonathan and Jimmy enjoyed it as much as I did. Long ride back and it was a full day, getting back around 7 pm. Jonathan was a good guide. Jimmy an excellent driver. I was surprised at the cost $250 considering tours from other companies were less expensive. My fault for not checking the price beforehand.
Review provided by Tripadvisor
22marujar
Dec 6, 2023
Mindo City - Hello, the tour to Mindo was wonderful, I thank the Guide and the Driver José, they were very helpful. We visited the butterflies and birds, and we even saw a TUCAN bird. It was wonderful. Thanks for everything!
Review provided by Tripadvisor
Y6315nbnatashat
Dec 2, 2023
Mindo Tour - This tour was an incredible experience! Our guide, Jonathan, was informative, personable, kind, fun, and amazing! He was with us every step on our adventures to the butterfly gardens, hummingbird terrace, up and down mountains, and through a rainforest! Our lunch and food stops were wonderful! Authentic food at its best! We were so very pleased about everything on this tour! Highly recommended!
Review provided by Tripadvisor
Glenn_s
Nov 27, 2023
Perfect tour guide - Johnathon was a tremendous guide and would recommend him highly. If we ever make it back to Quito, we will reach out to him for another tour
Review provided by Viator
Kandidly_kate
Nov 26, 2023
Great tour and even better tour guide! - I wish I could add more stars to this review. I stayed at Friends hotel and joined this tour to Mindo and had an amazing time! Jonatan was a gracious tour guide, kind, helpful and went above and beyond. He pointed out places of interest, shared his culture and kept the conversation up. We had as much time as we wanted in each location- the hummingbird sanctuary was a highlight as was the stop at Pululahua crater for a photo stop. He was our driver, guide and personal photographer! The included lunch was lovely and filling and the chocolate tour was very informative- I’ve done chocolate tours before and this was by far the best. The cable car and waterfall hike were excellent- even if we weren’t quite as fit as Jonatan, he never made us feel as if we were taking too long when we took breaks and never rushed us. Overall, this is one of the best tours I’ve experienced in all of my travels and highly recommend it. Wear good hiking boots if you plan to do the waterfall hike as it is steep and slippery in sections.
Review provided by Tripadvisor
Mrperfectplex
Nov 9, 2023
Mindo Day Trip - Had an amazing day trip tour to Mindo with our tour guide Jonathan. He was very knowledgeable and accompanied us to many different activities within Mindo. It was a seamless experience and I would highly recommend using this tour company.
Review provided by Tripadvisor
Paulcr8856rc
Dec 29, 2022
GR8 - Absolutely wonderful! Oscar was extremely kind and considerate and the tour was paced very well. All of the activities were great, and he even helped to find my friends lodging for later that evening
Review provided by Tripadvisor
Silke110203
Dec 10, 2022
Fun experience - Had an excellent day with the tour to Mindo. The driver Jimmy was very nice and the guide David showed the best spots in Mindo. On the way they also told me interesting facts about each village that we passed. Overall would recommend this experience!!
Review provided by Tripadvisor
Juan_p
Aug 10, 2022
Fun and Beautiful - There was a lot of fun activities that you could do even a chocolate factory . David Our guide was very helpful even took pictures for us throughout our tour .
Review provided by Viator
607kashah
Oct 8, 2023
Decent but not quite the experience I was looking for - It was a decent tour! We were able to see and do a lot and had private transportation to, from, and around Mindo. However, I thought we were going to hike to more than just one waterfall (we didn’t) and experience more of the forest. Additionally, Mindo is known for its variety of bird species and our guides did not seem to know anything about the birds or local flora and fauna. We were able to do a lot still in a day, but I would recommend going with an expert in wildlife.
Review provided by Tripadvisor
Select Date and Tickets
up to 10 guests
1 Adult
September 2024
Sun
Mon
Tue
Wed
Thu
Fri
Sat
Today