Mindo Cloud Forest Day Tour: Private Guide & Hummingbirds

Rainforest hike, three rivers, and eighteen hummingbird species in one day

A private day tour from Quito to Mindo cloud forest with a certified bilingual guide, combining a hike through the biodiverse Mindo Nambillo Reserve with lunch and hummingbird watching at Alambi Reserve on the return. The guide adjusts the pace and route to your fitness level, and you can add optional activities like zip-lining, tubing, or a visit to a Cock of the Rock lek. Hotel pickup and drop-off are included, with the full day lasting eight to nine hours.

Step-by-step itinerary

Explore Mindo Cloud Forest and Surroundings

• Pick up from hotel at 8 am
• Drive 2 hours to Mindo
• Hike in Mindo Nambillo Reserve
• Visit Nambillo Waterfall Sanctuary
• Optional cable car ride above canopy
• Choose additional activities (zip line, tubing, butterfly farm, chocolate factory)
• Enjoy lunch at local restaurant
• Visit Alambi Reserve to watch hummingbirds
• Return to hotel around 5 pm

The experience

Your guide picks you up at 8 am for a two-hour drive west from Quito toward the cloud forest. Mindo sits where two of the world's most biologically diverse ecoregions meet (the Chocó lowlands and the Western Tropical Andes), and the reserve itself ranges from 950 to 2,800 meters in elevation. The forest is irrigated by three rivers (Mindo, Saloya and Cinto) and hundreds of streams, creating a transitional subtropical rainforest that hosts an outstanding number of orchid, bird, mammal, insect and reptile species. You'll hike through this landscape and reach the Nambillo Waterfall Sanctuary, where you can swim in the river.

After exploring the forest interior, you have time for lunch at a local restaurant with a soft drink included. The hike difficulty adjusts to your requirements. A small amount of walking is involved along trails with irregular terrain, though longer routes are available if you want them. On the way back down, you can ride a cable car above the canopy for a perspective of the ecosystem from above, or walk back if heights aren't your comfort zone.

Before returning to Quito, the tour stops at Alambi Reserve, one of the best places in Ecuador to watch hummingbirds at close range. Up to eighteen species have been recorded there in less than thirty minutes. Your guide will point out these small, vivid birds as they move through the reserve. The entrance fee and coffee at Alambi are included. You'll be dropped at your hotel around 5 pm, or around 7 pm if you've added the optional Cock of the Rock lek visit (a gathering where males of this scarlet-plumed species display and compete for breeding females). Additional activities in Mindo (zip-lining, tubing, a butterfly farm, or an artisanal chocolate factory) can be arranged with your guide and paid directly on the day. Entrance fees for these are not included.

What’s included

• Private transportation from your hotel.
• certified bilingual naturalist guide.
• lunch with soft drink.
• entrance fee and coffee at Alambi Reserve.
• hotel pickup and drop-off.

Options for this experience

3 options

Standard Mindo day tourGuide in English or Spanish · 07:00Lunch with a soft drink. Pickup is included.

Mindo and Cock of the Rock LekGuide in English or Spanish · 07:00Visit to a Cock of the Rock Lek after your Mindo day tour, where you can watch their courtship ritual, with lunch and a soft drink included. Pickup is included.

Early pickup and Lek visitGuide in English or Spanish · 05:30Andean Cock of the Rock Lek: Visit the Andean Cock of the Rock Lek in the afternoon. Duration: 4 hours, with an early pickup at 5:30 am and an additional afternoon visit to the Cock of the Rock Lek, ideal for birdwatchers. Pickup is included.

You pick the guide language when booking.

You'll see the exact price of each option when you check availability.See dates and prices

Before you book

Days and timesEvery dayDepartures at 05:30 and 07:00

Book up to2d before

AgesAdult (12 and older) · Under 12: can't be booked

GroupPrivate

Live guideEnglish and Spanish

Meeting point and pickupHotel pickup included.

Cancellation and refundsFree cancellation up to 24 h before the start. After that, no refund.

Prices and times updated 9 days ago

Good to know

Low physical effortPets welcome

Operated by Neotropical Nature and Birding Trips

Is this one for you?Book the standard Mindo day tour if you want the core experience (rainforest hike, waterfall swim, and hummingbird watching) without extending into the evening. Choose the early pickup plus Cock of the Rock lek option if you're interested in watching this iconic scarlet-plumed bird species display and compete at a lek gathering, which adds about two hours and shifts the hummingbird stop to the morning on your way to Mindo. The guide adjusts the hiking pace and route to your fitness level, so the tour works whether you prefer a gentle walk or a longer trail.

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Top questions

What languages is the tour guided in?

Live guide in English and Spanish.

What is the Mindo Nambillo Reserve like, and how much hiking is involved?

Mindo Nambillo Reserve is a cloud forest where two major ecoregions meet, ranging from 950 to 2,800 meters in elevation and home to hundreds of orchid, bird and mammal species. A small amount of walking is involved along trails with irregular terrain, though the difficulty adjusts to your fitness level and longer routes are available if you prefer more challenging hikes.

Can I swim or cool off during the tour?

Yes. The Nambillo Waterfall Sanctuary is one of the main stops, and you can test the refreshing waters of the river there.

What are the hummingbirds at Alambi Reserve like?

Alambi Reserve is one of the best places in Ecuador to watch hummingbirds at close range, with up to eighteen species recorded in less than thirty minutes. The entrance fee and coffee are included in your tour.

Can I add activities like zip-lining or tubing to the tour?

Yes. After the forest hike and before lunch, you can choose from several optional activities: a Canopy Zip Line Park, tubing down the river, a butterfly farm, or an artisanal chocolate factory. Talk to your guide about your interests and he will customize the tour accordingly. You pay the entrance fee for whichever activity you choose directly on the day of the tour.

What time does the tour end and how long is the drive back to Quito?

You'll be dropped at your hotel around 5 pm on the standard tour, or around 7 pm if you add the optional Cock of the Rock lek visit. The return drive to Quito takes about two hours.

Is lunch included?

Yes. A delicious lunch with a soft drink is included at a local restaurant in Mindo.