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Cloud Forest Independent Adventure
3 days, Quito to Quito
Itinerary
Day 1Quito/Mindo
Early morning transfer to a comfortable lodge located in Ecuador’s cloud forests for a 2-night stay in the heart of the Mindo Valley.
Numerous options are available here, including visits to organic chocolate, orchid, and butterfly farms.
Our G Representative will meet you at the Quito hotel (not included) on the night prior to Day 1 of this tour.
Meet and Greet Hotel Welcome Meeting
On Day 1 of the tour, a G Adventures representative will meet you at the hotel to go over the details of the tour, providing a schedule, documentation/vouchers, and pick-up times for all included activities. The representative can also answer any questions about the tour or the general area.
Private Vehicle
Settle in and scan the scenery from the convenience of a private vehicle.
Free Time
Explore some of the unique places only found in a cloud forest.
Optional Activities - Day 1 HideShow
Butterfly Farm
Visit a butterfly farm to see all four stages (egg, caterpillar, pupa, and butterfly) of the butterfly’s life cycle. Mariposas de Mindo is the largest butterfly farm in Ecuador, which breeds 25 species, including the Peleides blue morpho and the Brown owl eye. Some of the butterflies bred here will be released into the wild.
Orchid Farm
Spend some time at the orchid farm, a lovely little garden that has approximately 200 species of native orchids. Learn how these unique plants thrive in the cloud forest environment, and see how they really showcase the wonder and beauty of nature.
Organic Chocolate Tour
Learn about organic chocolate and how it is produced in the region. Visit the garden where cacao trees grow and discover the different stages of production, like fermentation, drying, and packaging. After, visit the shop and taste the chocolate. Yum!
Day 2Mindo
Enjoy a morning birdwatching walk with the rest of the day free to explore. Optional activities include hiking, river tubing, and canopying.
Mindo is about 1,200m (3,937 ft) above sea level and is considered a world leader when it comes to birdwatching opportunities. This forest has more than 450 species of birds – approximately 32 species are endemic. There are also around 300 species of orchids, and approximately 39 species of hummingbirds that call this area home.
The included birdwatching excursion is with the CEO to Angel Paz or Bellevista, depending on your interests.
Birdwatching walk
See a wide variety of birds in this wildlife watching haven – Mindo is about 1200m (3937 ft) above sea level and is considered a world leader when it comes to birdwatching opportunities. Trek through a forest that has more than 450 species of birds – approximately 32 species are endemic.
Free Time
Enjoy your day at leisure or take part in some optional activities based on your interests.
Optional Activities - Day 2 HideShow
Waterfall Sanctuary Hike
Hike between the waterfalls outside Mindo at Santuario de Cascadas. Take the tarabita (cable car) over the river basin and treetops. From there, walk along the path to Cascada Reina, a very calm and green cloud forest.
Canopy Zip Line
Enjoy a fun and thrilling zip-line tour through the Mindo cloud-forest canopy. Get ready for lots of high-flying excitement – their network has 3,500 m (11,482 ft) of zip-lines on 10 different cables, ranging from 20 to 400 m (66 to 1,312 ft) long, with short walking distances between them.
River Tubing
Enjoy a leisurely ride down the river on a tube. Get a different perspective of the foliage and wildlife of the area and prepare to get wet!
Meals included:
BreakfastDay 3Mindo/Quito
Enjoy the morning before the transfer back to Quito in the afternoon.
Free Time
Enjoy your last morning in the cloud forest.
Private Vehicle
Settle in and scan the scenery from the convenience of a private vehicle.