- 12-hour full day
- Hummingbird refuge
- Optional tarabita and canopy
- Chocolate factory and tasting
- Lunch and bilingual guide included
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Duration12 hours
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DifficultyEasy
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DepartureZular Coffee Shop (San Blas Square) at 7:00 a.m. / Foch Square at 7:10 a.m.
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Departure daysFriday
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LanguagesEnglish, Spanish
Tour overview
West of Quito the Andes drop away into cloud forest, and everything changes: warmer air, dense green, and more birds than you can keep track of. Mindo is the day trip that feels like a different country.
The itinerary mixes wildlife, adrenaline and dessert. You visit the hummingbird refuge, walk to the waterfall, cross the valley on the tarabita cable car and fly over the treetops on the zip line, then finish at a chocolate factory where you taste what grows around you.
Level low: this is a day for people who want to do a bit of everything without a hard hike, guided in English and Spanish by a local team.
Twelve hours from Quito with transport, bilingual guide and lunch included, $56 per person. The canopy, the chocolate factory and the butterfly farm are paid on site, so you only pay for what you actually do.
Itinerary
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Stop 1: Pick-up in Quito
Departure from Zular Coffee Shop (San Blas Square) at 7:00 a.m. or Foch Square at 7:10 a.m.
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Stop 2: Technical stop at the bus station
A short technical stop on the way out of the city.
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Stop 3: Mindo cloud forest
Arrival in the cloud forest of Mindo, the green, humid belt on the western slope of the Andes.
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Stop 4: Hummingbird refuge
A visit to the hummingbird refuge, where the birds feed within a few meters of you.
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Stop 5: Tarabita and canopy (optional)
Cross the valley on the tarabita cable car and fly over the treetops on the zip line. Canopy $10-$20, paid on site.
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Stop 6: Lunch
Lunch included in the price.
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Stop 7: Chocolate factory and tasting
A visit to the chocolate factory with a tasting at the end. $10, paid on site.
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Stop 8: Return to Quito
Drive back to Quito, closing a full day of around 12 hours.
What's included
Included
- Bilingual Spanish-English guide
- Authorized tourist transportation
- Lunch
Not included
- Extra meals and beverages
- Snacks
- Tips
- VAT
- Tickets and activities: $8 butterfly farm, $10-$20 canopy, $10 chocolate factory
What to bring
- Comfortable clothes and shoes
- Camera
- Sun hat
- Sunscreen
Good to know
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How demanding is the day?
Low level. It is a full day of around 12 hours from Quito, but the activities are gentle and most of them are optional.
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Which activities cost extra?
The butterfly farm ($8), the canopy zip line ($10-$20) and the chocolate factory ($10) are paid on site. Transport, bilingual guide and lunch are included in the tour price.
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Is the zip line obligatory?
No. The tarabita cable car and the canopy are optional, so you can skip them and stay with the group.
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Where and when do we meet?
At Zular Coffee Shop (San Blas Square) at 7:00 a.m. or at Foch Square at 7:10 a.m.
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What should I bring?
Comfortable clothes and shoes, a camera, a sun hat and sunscreen.
Book this tour
Tell us your dates and we will confirm availability within 24 hours.
Write to us and we will hold your places while you decide.
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