# Ecuador: Mindo, little heaven full of butterflies and waterfalls

Before setting off on our round-the-world trip to discover more about [Ecuador](https://www.novo-monde.com/en/backpacking-ecuador/), we took one last **excursion from Quito** to the famous little village of **Mindo**! Located just 2 hours by bus from the Ecuadorian capital, it's a guaranteed change of scenery, and the least we can say is that we didn't regret a thing about this little tour. Well, we did! Our only regret: we wish we could have stayed longer! Follow the guide to find out all about Mindo!

![Fabienne and a butterfly in Mindo, Ecuador](https://www.novo-monde.com/app/uploads/2023/10/mindo-equateur-1-1024x680.jpg)

Table of contents

1. [Introduction to Mindo, a small oasis 2 hours from Quito](#mindo-ecuador)
2. [The butterfly farm in Mindo](#mindo-butterfly-farm)
3. [Mindo Waterfall Sanctuary](#santuario-de-cascadas-mindo-ecuador)
4. [Mindo, bird paradise](#mindo-bird-watching)
5. [Chocolate and coffee in all their forms](#mindo-chocolate-tour)
6. [Adventure activities for thrill-seekers](#zipline)
7. [How to get to Mindo](#how-to-get-to-mindo)
8. [Hotels in Mindo](#hotels)
9. [Mindo review](#mindo-review)

 Update 2023We took this trip in 2014, but the article was completely revised and updated in November 2023. If you see any price changes or have additional information that might be relevant, please feel free to leave us a comment!

## Introduction to Mindo, a small oasis 2 hours from Quito

Just imagine, you're in [Quito](https://www.novo-monde.com/en/things-to-do-quito-ecuador/), a magnificent city to be sure, but amid dreariness and bus exhaust fumes. And in just 2.5 hours by bus, you find yourself propelled into the heart of a **tropical forest**! Mindo is a super-cute little village that has retained its charm despite the large number of foreign tourists and Ecuadorians who come here to spend the summer.

The region is best known for its Mindo Nambillo ecological reserve, home to one of **Ecuador's greatest diversity of birds**, and it's no surprise that many enthusiasts come here to discover the fauna of the rainforest! We're not really birdies specialists, and that's not why we came to Mindo in the first place. But frankly, it's pretty damn classy to come across as many **hummingbirds** as pigeons in a European city!

![map of Mindo, Ecuador](https://www.novo-monde.com/app/uploads/2023/11/carte-mindo-equateur-1024x640.jpg)

As for **the map of Mindo**, we hadn't found anything before leaving, so we posted a small photo of the village's presentation board. However, their map isn't quite to scale, and the waterfalls are much further away than the butterflies. We'll let you guess who's been fooled…

## The butterfly farm in Mindo

The village is famous for its birdwatching, but not only! Mindo is also home to over **25 species of butterfly**, each more impressive than the last. Naturally, many places have tapped the market and started operating butterfly farms. The best-known and most beautiful is **Mariposario Mariposas de Mindo**.

![a butterfly in Mariposario Mariposas](https://www.novo-monde.com/app/uploads/2023/11/Mariposario-Mariposas-de-Mindo-papillon-1024x680.jpg)

### Mariposario Mariposas

I'm not usually a big fan of these tourist attractions, but I have to say that the **Mariposario Mariposas** has done a great job, and the place is absolutely splendid! This huge greenhouse is home to over **1,000 butterflies**, each as colorful as the next. But I think the pictures speak for themselves.

![un papillon de la ferme aux papillons Mariposario Mariposas de Mindo](https://www.novo-monde.com/app/uploads/2023/11/papillon-Mindo-equateur-1024x576.jpg)![un papillon de la ferme aux papillons Mariposario Mariposas de Mindo](https://www.novo-monde.com/app/uploads/2023/11/papillon-Mindo-equateur-1-1024x680.jpg)![un papillon de la ferme aux papillons Mariposario Mariposas de Mindo](https://www.novo-monde.com/app/uploads/2023/11/Mariposario-Mariposas-de-Mindo-butterfly-1-680x1024.jpg)![un papillon de la ferme aux papillons Mariposario Mariposas de Mindo](https://www.novo-monde.com/app/uploads/2023/11/Mariposario-Mariposas-de-Mindo-butterfly-2-680x1024.jpg)![un papillon de la ferme aux papillons Mariposario Mariposas de Mindo](https://www.novo-monde.com/app/uploads/2023/11/Mariposario-Mariposas-de-Mindo-butterfly-680x1024.jpg)

In several places, there are little plates with bananas, and if you put a little on your fingers, the multicolored butterflies come and feed delicately on you. It's a unique opportunity to **observe these magnificent animals up close**!

Another special feature of the site is the **nursery**. Every day, they select the cocoons ready to hatch and place them on a wooden stand. And if you stand in front of it long enough, there's every chance in the world of **seeing a butterfly emerge from its cocoon live**! In the space of 10 minutes, we were lucky enough to witness this absolutely incredible spectacle twice! By the way, did you know that cocoons contain a kind of amniotic fluid? We didn't! In short, we came away a little less dumb, but above all completely amazed by so much beauty!

![cocoons in the nursery of a butterfly farm in Ecuador](https://www.novo-monde.com/app/uploads/2023/11/Mariposario-Mariposas-de-Mindo-1024x680.jpg)

### Practical information on Mariposario Mariposas de Mindo

The price is **$7.5 per person** and includes a short **guided tour** with explanations of the butterfly life cycle (in English or Spanish), followed by **access to the butterfly greenhouse** itself.

Getting there is easy. Located **2.5 km from the village**, it's an easy 30-minute **walk**. When you leave the bus, go straight on for about 500 m, then turn right (follow the signs for the waterfalls sanctuary). Cross the first small bridge and continue for approx. 500 m. When the road splits, a concrete bridge leads to the waterfalls on your right. To reach Mariposario Mariposas de Mindo, turn left. Then straight on for another 1 km or so! In 30 minutes from the bus station, you're there. If you don't fancy this little stroll, the **taxi** option is still available, costing around $3 each way.

## Mindo Waterfall Sanctuary

What's called the **Mindo Waterfall Sanctuary** (*santuario de cascadas*) should really be called the Waterfall Trail - nothing to do with the [Baños Waterfall Route](https://www.novo-monde.com/en/things-to-do-in-banos-ecuador/#ruta-de-las-cascadas)! Located 7 km from the village of Mindo, the adventure begins with a rather special crossing of the valley…

![carte de la tarabita et du sanctuaire des cascades à Mindo](https://www.novo-monde.com/app/uploads/2023/11/tarabita-waterfalls-mindo-map-1024x922.jpg)![la tarabita au dessus de la forêt tropicale à Mindo](https://www.novo-monde.com/app/uploads/2023/11/tarabita-mindo-1-680x1024.jpg)

### Tarabita crossing

When I say special, it's a roundabout way of saying that I really thought we wouldn't survive! To give you an idea: take **a cable car cable** (so far, so good), then hook up a sort of **cart** to it. In fact, to be perfectly honest, it looked like a supermarket cart! Make yourself comfortable (or not) in the cart. Where it gets interesting, though, is that the whole thing is masterfully steered by a guy on a stool, driving a pickup truck engine! Yes, he does! A good old-fashioned car engine to get a supermarket cart across a valley on a wire! In short, this state-of-the-art technology is called **a tarabita**, and it will cost you $5 to make the round trip and have access to the waterfalls.

![in the basket of the tarabita in Mindo](https://www.novo-monde.com/app/uploads/2023/11/tarabita-mindo-1024x680.jpg)

### Waterfall Sanctuary trails

The good news is that the Ecuadorian DIY system held up and we made it to the other side without a hitch. Here, **several small paths** await us, leading to **the valley's 7 waterfalls** (all well-signposted):

- trail to **La Reina waterfall**, 1 hr 40 min round trip;
- trail to **Nambillo waterfall**, 40 min round trip;
- and the trail to **the 5 waterfalls** (Ondinam Guarùmos, Colibries, Madre and Maderos), 2 h round trip.

We didn't have much time and could only do the Nambillo waterfall and the trail to the 5 waterfalls, but they were magnificent! If you feel like it, you can swim at the foot of the waterfalls. We recommend that you take a little more time than we did, as we really would have liked to discover more! 1 day in Mindo is definitely too short!

![une des cascades du sanctuaire des cascades à Mindo](https://www.novo-monde.com/app/uploads/2023/11/waterfalls-mindo-1-680x1024.jpg)![sur le pont devant la cascade Nambillo à Mindo, Équateur](https://www.novo-monde.com/app/uploads/2023/11/nambillo-mindo-680x1024.jpg)![sur le sentier dans le sanctuaire des cascades à Mindo, Équateur](https://www.novo-monde.com/app/uploads/2023/11/sanctuaire-cascades-mindo-680x1024.jpg)

### How to get to the Mindo waterfalls

You're spoilt for choice when it comes to **getting to the Waterfalls Sanctuary**:

- **[an organized tour](https://www.novo-monde.com/go/getyourguide/quito-mindo-tour/)**: the simplest option, but also the most expensive, so not for us!;
- **on foot**: a 7-km climb from the village of Mindo is quite doable, but we really didn't have enough time, unfortunately;
- **by chiva**: we'd taken one in [Baños](https://www.novo-monde.com/en/things-to-do-in-banos-ecuador/) and had a mixed experience. For this time, *finito* the disco music and the stripper pole. You'll find one that leaves at least once an hour from Mindo's main street and from the sanctuary;
- **by taxi**: 8 dollars to take you to the waterfalls. For the return trip, arrange with the driver to pick you up at a certain time for the same fare, walk back down, or take a van (between 3 and 5 dollars, depending on your bargaining power).

## Mindo, bird paradise

During the day, it was impossible for us to take [a guided tour](https://www.novo-monde.com/go/getyourguide/quito-mindo-tour/) of the **cloud forest reserve**, in the middle of the rainforest, for birdwatching, in particular the rare **Peruvian cock-of-the-rock** (or tunqui), which can be seen and heard at dawn. Another good spot for birdwatching is the Rio Bravo reserve, 30 minutes from Mindo. A small consolation for us: we saw plenty of birds, including hummingbirds, on the waterfall trails!

![le coq-de-roche péruvien, un oiseau que l'on peut observer à Mindo en Équateur](https://www.novo-monde.com/app/uploads/2023/11/andean-cock-of-the-rock-1024x576.jpg)![un colibri dans la cloud forest de Mindo](https://www.novo-monde.com/app/uploads/2023/11/colibri-mindo-1024x576.jpg)

## Chocolate and coffee in all their forms

One thing we should have done in Mindo, but didn't have time to do, was **take a guided tour** to learn all the stages of production, **from the cocoa bean** and **coffee bean** to the **chocolate bar** and **coffee** we know. There are several well-known establishments in the village:

- **[El Quetzal](http://www.elquetzaldemindo.com/experiences)** restaurant ($10 per person): the best known, but not necessarily the most authentic;
- [**Yumbos**](https://www.novo-monde.com/go/civitatis/mindo-chocolate-tour/) ($8,5 each): a great chocolate tour with the best brownie (I hear!) in Ecuador;
- **Mindo Maya Chocolate** (also $10), more confidential and authentic, all set in a jungle-like garden;
- **Quinde Mindo Coffee & Chocolate Tour** (10 dollars each): here you'll find two guided tours to learn all about coffee and chocolate.

Roughly speaking, they all offer the same thing: for 1-2 h, you'll get all **the explanations** you need about **cocoa** and its **processing**, as well as **tastings** (the least you can do 😉) of **chocolates** (hot and bar) and **brownie**. Go on foot, they're all in the center, within a few hundred meters of each other.

![chocolate tour in Mindo, Ecuador](https://www.novo-monde.com/app/uploads/2023/11/chocolat-mindo-equateur-1024x680.jpg)

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## Adventure activities for thrill-seekers

Like Baños, [Ecuador's capital of extreme sports](https://www.novo-monde.com/en/things-to-do-in-banos-ecuador/#banos-zipline), Mindo has over the years become a little paradise for **thrill-seekers**. Canyoning, rafting, mountain biking, tubing, a complete network of zip lines… Nothing's missing!

If you're a wimp like me, then I can guarantee you that just the little gondola that takes you up to the waterfalls is more than enough to give you a few scares! But for the rest of you, there's no shortage of agencies in Mindo! You'll have no trouble finding the outdoor activities you need. Or take a look at [Mindo's adrenalin-pumping 1-day tours](https://www.novo-monde.com/go/getyourguide/quito-mindo-tour/)!

## How to get to Mindo

**From Quito**, there are numerous travel agencies offering [day trips to Mindo](https://www.novo-monde.com/go/getyourguide/quito-mindo-tour/).

Getting there on your own isn't as complicated as all that. All buses to Mindo leave from the **Ofelia bus terminal** in the north of Quito. The journey from Quito to Mindo takes around 2 h-2 h 30 and costs $3.1 per person.

![sur le pont devant la cascade Nambillo à Mindo](https://www.novo-monde.com/app/uploads/2023/11/nambillo-mindo-1-680x1024.jpg)![un papillon de la ferme aux papillons Mariposario Mariposas de Mindo](https://www.novo-monde.com/app/uploads/2023/11/Mariposario-Mariposas-de-Mindo-1-1024x680.jpg)![baignade au pied de la cascade Nambillo](https://www.novo-monde.com/app/uploads/2023/11/Nambillo-waterfall-Mindo-680x1024.jpg)

Buses leave Quito every weekday at 8 a.m., 9 a.m., 11 a.m. and 1 p.m. On weekends, buses leave at 7.40 a.m., 8.20 a.m., 9.20 a.m., 11 a.m., 1 p.m., 2 p.m. and 4 p.m.

For the return trip to Quito, buses leave Mindo at 6.30 a.m., 11 a.m., 1.45 p.m., 3.30 p.m., and 5 p.m. On Saturdays and Sundays, buses leave at 6.30 a.m., 11 a.m., 1 p.m. and every hour until 5 p.m.

Tip: **the 5 p.m. bus back to Quito** is the most popular. We advise you to buy your return ticket directly when you arrive in Mindo in the morning, to ensure you have a seat that evening.

## Hotels in Mindo

As we said at the beginning of the article, we only came to Mindo for 1 day. But when we left, we were a little disappointed not to have planned at least 2 days here. If you have the time, we recommend you spend at least one night here to fully enjoy the setting and activities.

We've heard good things about the [Cinnamon House](https://www.novo-monde.com/go/booking/cinnamon-house/ "cinnamon house Mindo") from other travelers. You can also find other establishments at all price levels. [El Descanso](https://www.novo-monde.com/go/booking/el-descanso-mindo/) is an inexpensive hotel with a view of the mountains and birds. [La Chonta](https://www.novo-monde.com/go/booking/la-chonta-mindo/) and [Biohostal Mindo Cloud Forest](https://www.novo-monde.com/go/booking/biohostal-mindo-cloud-forest-mindo/) are two exceptional budget hostalas for birdwatching. If you're looking for a little more charm, [La Bicok EcoLodge](https://www.novo-monde.com/go/booking/la-bicok-ecolodge-mindo/) is a friendly French-run lodge. The breakfast here is excellent, and you'll also have a view of the hummingbirds flying in the garden!

[Book a hotel at the best price in Mindo](https://www.novo-monde.com/go/booking/hotels-mindo/)

![dans la serre d'une ferme aux papillons à Mindo](https://www.novo-monde.com/app/uploads/2023/11/Mariposario-Mariposas-de-Mindo-2-1024x680.jpg)

## Mindo review

Now you know everything there is to do in **Mindo in 1 day** on your trip to Ecuador! Honestly, we think 2 days would be more appropriate to discover all the village has to offer. In our opinion, there's a strong resemblance with Baños, especially when it comes to extreme sports and waterfalls, but **Mindo has much more charm!**

So when are you coming to discover Mindo's butterflies and waterfalls? For the rest, we'll see you soon for the ultimate challenge: [climbing Cotopaxi volcano](https://www.novo-monde.com/en/hiking-cotopaxi-national-park-ecuador/)!

**Pin it**

![Mindo ecuador](https://www.novo-monde.com/app/uploads/2023/11/mindo-ecuador-683x1024.jpg)![Visit Mindo Ecuador](https://www.novo-monde.com/app/uploads/2023/11/1-day-in-Mindo-Ecuador-683x1024.jpg)