Mindo Nambillo Cloud Forest Reserve in Ecuador offers travelers a diverse experience. Explore hiking trails through lush forests, go birdwatching for toucans and hummingbirds, visit enchanting waterfalls, discover butterfly farms, enjoy ziplining, tour botanical gardens, try river tubing and rafting, and take night tours for nocturnal wildlife. It's a paradise for nature and photography enthusiasts. Or simply unwind amidst the tranquil setting. This biodiverse haven promises a memorable journey, catering to a variety of interests and preferences.
When booking our fruit tasting experience in Nanegalito, Ecuador, travelers will explore plantations, sample fresh exotic fruits, and learn about the local culture of agriculture. A tasty and enriching experience.
When travelers book our experience in Mindo, Ecuador, they'll immerse themselves in a lush paradise. They can explore enchanting cloud forests, embark on exhilarating zip-line adventures, hike scenic trails, visit butterfly farms, and admire orchid gardens. Birdwatchers will delight in the diverse avian life. They can tube down serene rivers, chase waterfalls, and savor chocolate tours. Staying in eco-lodges lets them connect with nature and support sustainability. Overall, Mindo offers an unforgettable escape into Ecuador's ecological wonders, blending adventure, relaxation, and natural beauty.
Travelers who book our Ecuador Cloud Forest Mindo experience will be enchanted by this captivating region. Mindo, nestled in the cloud forest, offers a rich array of activities. Adventurers can explore lush trails, go zip-lining, tubing down the river, and chase waterfalls. Nature lovers will delight in the diverse birdlife and can visit butterfly farms and orchid gardens. Chocolate tours provide a sweet treat, and eco-lodges allow guests to connect with the environment sustainably. Overall, Mindo is a paradise for both adventure seekers and those looking to embrace the tranquility and natural beauty of Ecuador's cloud forest.
Travelers booking our experience in San Miguel de los Bancos, Ecuador, will discover a hidden gem. This charming town is nestled in lush cloud forests and offers a mix of outdoor adventure and cultural exploration. Visitors can explore pristine nature through hiking and birdwatching in the surrounding forests, visit local coffee and chocolate farms, and enjoy exhilarating river activities such as tubing and white-water rafting. The town itself offers a glimpse into authentic Ecuadorian life, with its vibrant market and friendly locals. Staying in eco-friendly accommodations enhances the experience, allowing guests to connect with nature and contribute to the community. San Miguel de los Bancos provides a unique blend of natural beauty and cultural immersion, making it a memorable destination for travelers.
Amazing experience! Our tour guide was professional, friendly, and very knowledgeable about the Cloud Forest. We enjoyed the beautiful scenery, wildlife, and birdwatching. Everything was well organized, and the experience was truly memorable. Highly recommended for anyone visiting Ecuador who wants to discover the beauty of Mindo!
Very relaxed day sightseeing with Isra - easy communication before the trip/pick up, good range of activities and options, beautiful nature and birdwatching (the hummingbirds are a highlight!), plus coffee and chocolate experiences as well.
Isra/Israel was a perfect guide. He suggested various activities and you got to choose what you wanted. We had a very relaxed day which suited our needs and we got to see some wonderful bird life. Feeding the humming birds was magical. It was a delight to watch them interact with us. Isra really wanted the best for us, to see all the possible birds we could. He was lovely to chat with, very laid back but very knowledgable. 10/10 Thank-you Israel for making our day so special.
Spent the day with Isra today on a private tour to Mindo. Absolutely superb, ticked all the boxes. We were lucky as the weather was kind. Some awesome driving too. Thanks Isra, great experience.
The itinerary was very flexible and I chose to do more wildlife watching instead of the coffee and chocolate tours. There were lots of hummingbirds at Alambi that fly right up to your hands to feed and there was a coffee producer that will show you the coffee plants and how they prepare their coffee beans. We stopped for lunch at Tia Eloy and they nicely made a vegan ceviche and saw some toucans and a woodpecker nearby. We then went to the museum at Tulipe and saw another Toucan and some parrots. The displays at the museum were mostly in Spanish, so a translation app would have been helpful. It was October 2026, and it wasn't the best time to see birds, so there weren't a lot to see, but that happens with wildlife. Overall, still a good tour.
Booked about a week beforehand based on good reviews and good for solo travellers. But cancelled 10mins after pre-arranged pick up time on the day because it's a public holiday today. I'm sure this date was known beforehand and should not have been bookable. Very disappointed for the extremely late notice
Amazing experience with Isra! He was very communicative well ahead of the trip as well as the day of. He gave us lots of options to personalize our itinerary, and was flexible throughout the day. He's very knowledgeable about Ecuadorian history, culture, and politics, and it was great to hear about the country through him. He also got us back in time to make a dinner reservation! Would recommend him to anyone.
Isra guided us through a wonderful day. We enjoyed feeding some hummingbirds, had an amazing chocolate tasting experience, and he even dropped us off at La Mitad del Mundo as it is on the way. Very accommodating! Do recommend eating a big breakfast, there was no time allotted for lunch. However, we ate enough chocolate for a whole meal! Highly recommend this private tour.
Trip with Israel was well organised and informative. We chose to concentrate on tracking down tropical birds such as toucans and humming birds, rather than the chocolate tour. The tour lasted around 8.5hours and was very memorable.
I had an absolutely wonderful time on this tour with Isra! I was most looking forward to seeing the hummingbirds so we spent quite a while at that stop, and I got to see several other kinds of birds as well (toucan, tanagers, etc). I also really enjoyed learning all about chocolate, and a stop at the original middle of the world monument. I enjoyed chatting with Isra, and having a day customized to my preferences. Would highly recommend this tour!
Absolutely wonderful! Saw so many amazing birds!!! Great guide!
Had a wonderful tour of the cloud forest with Isra. He's a kind, patient, and extremely knowledgable guide. Pick up from our hotel was seamless, the drive was fun and informative. He let us choose some more mainstream touristy things or some off the beaten path ones. We opted for the latter and it was amazing. We visited a hummingbird sanctuary in a beautiful and serene riverside setting. The birds fed from our hands--it was an incredible experience, and we were the only ones there. Then we headed to the Tulipe Archeological Site, a fabulous and educational tour! Stopped at a great local spot for a late lunch and headed back to Quito. Highly recommend!
Lovely day with Isra visiting a hummingbird sanctuary (MUST DO!), ruins and waterfalls. And also a delicious lunch. Isra was easy to communicate with, very informative and a good driver. It is a drive but worth it as a day trip and would definitely recommend Isra!
Isra was an exceptional guide, he picked us up on time from the hotel. He tailored the day according to what we were interested in seeing and was happy to be flexible. We got to experience lots of cultural extras as part of the day including tasting pan de yuca and a lemonade made from local lemon fruits. I would definitely recommend booking this tour. The hummingbird bird experience was way beyond expectations.
Was wonderful experience with hummingbirds. If you like the hummingbirds, this is your tour! You get to feed them from your hand. Flexible and knowledgeable guide!
We were picked up at our hotel in Quito. We stopped at the Middle of the World monument on our way to Mindo. We had lunch in Mindo at a great restaurant and then saw the humming birds in the Cloud Forest. We also learned how to make chocolate and visited a coffee farm. Isra and Linda were awesome tour guides!
We had an unforgettable private tour of Mindo with Israel and Linda! From start to finish, they made the day so much fun, stress-free, and incredibly well organized. We were amazed by how much we were able to experience in just one day. We visited the Alambi Reserve, hand-fed hummingbirds, toured a local coffee farm, walked into the river, enjoyed a delicious lunch at a local restaurant, rode ATVs to the butterfly reserve, and finished the day with an amazing chocolate tour. Every stop was unique, and having everything planned out made it such a convenient and enjoyable experience. Thank you both for giving us one of the best days we’ve ever had! We came to Ecuador expecting beautiful scenery, but we left with unforgettable memories and two new Ecuadorian friends. We can’t recommend Israel and Linda enough!
A taste of Ecuador! Enjoyed a leisurely tour and beautiful scenery Friendly guides Isra and Linda were a pleasure to spend time with - would happily recommend !
Israel was such a fantastic driver and guide. Filled with deep knowledge about Ecuador, its history, ecology, and people, Israel taught us so much about this beautiful country. He's incredibly friendly, kind, thoughtful, and was great with my 9 year old son. He took us to get spots for seeing and interacting with hummingbirds, ziplining, and chocolate making. And needless to say, he was a very safe and wonderful driver. We would highly recommend Israel to anyone looking to do a trip into Mindo.
Book with Isra!!!! Him and Linda were very kind and keen to answer any questions, as well as giving suggestions.
This is a wonderful adventure! Our guides were incredibly friendly and knowledgeable. They tailored our experience to us and it was everything we wanted and more!
We had a wonderful day trip to Mindo, and Isra was an excellent guide. What you’re getting is a guide and transportation for the day— you select from the many Mindo activities and pay for those separately. In addition to his careful driving (which trust me, when you see what some people do on those curves I really, really appreciated!), Isra went out of his way to make sure I caught every sight— from volcano views to elusive toucans. He has also selected the experiences from the many different options, and each one exceeded our expectations. We were essentially alone for the hummingbird sanctuary, which was amazing; the zipline was a hit with my teenagers, the restaurant he took us to for lunch was amazing and traditional, and the chocolate tour was 10/10. Use the TripAdvisor mobile app if the desktop site is wonky— TripAdvisor appeared to lose my reservation on desktop but Isra sent me the mobile link via WhatsApp. Highly recommended.
The tour cancelled on me less than 24 hours before pickup without explanation. Would have loved to see the Cloudforest but now I won’t have the chance.
What a great day with Isra, our personal tour guide, for a day of awesome experiences. The highlight for us was feeding the 100’s of hummingbirds by hand, so good. Isra was a wealth of knowledge about Quito, the volcano’s and the cloud forest. He helped us all day and couldn’t do enough to make sure we had the best day. We highly recommend a trip with him.
Great experience! Israel was excellent, knowledgeable, entertaining, and well-organized. The tour was informative and enjoyable, and we appreciated their his friendly attitude. Highly recommended!
We had an amazing day in cloud forest with the guide Isra. He was very friendly, kind and knowledgeable about cloud forest, birds and animals there. He was able to call some toucans and spot the birds for us, it was incredible! What a lovely experience, highly recommend!
Perfect Tour with perfect guide. Tasty food with beautiful birds and awesome coffee. Would definitely do it again.
The cloud forest was amazing..very beautiful and tons of birds..the people were lovely, our guides (Israel and Linda) were great and very accommodating..they took us everywhere we asked to go..would highly recommend this team of guides and this not to miss tour!
Great day exploring Mindo with Isra! He is the best tour guide I've ever had. He spoke great english,was very professional,and drove safe. He will plan the tour around what you prefer to do and he never made me felt rushed like some other tour operators have. He made my tour to Mindo feel special. I would 100% recommend him. Don't listen to the negative reviews. You just can't please some people no matter what you do. I truly believe you won't find a better tour operator in Quito. Thanks again Isra!
Booked at 15:00 for next morning. Operator did not confirm NOR cancel. Found out following morning that trip was cancelled. On a tight schedule so had to shuffle everything
Highly recommend this tour with Isra and Linda!! It is in the top 5 experiences of my entire life, and that means a lot coming from a solo adventurer. I witnessed incredible biodiversity in the cloud forest and learned about two of Ecuador’s crafts: coffee and chocolate! Isra and Linda were wonderful guides — very informed but chill and accommodating. Appreciated their careful planning and enthusiasm for the Mindo area.
Israel and Linda were awesome guides! They customized our day so that we were able to see beautiful waterfalls, hummingbirds, and coffee and chocolate plantations without seeing crowds of people! They also navigated severe weather and we were able to make it home despite a landslide blocking the road. Their expertise made a difficult day a success and it just felt like we were exploring with friends!
Isra was amazing! Very flexible and knowledgeable. The hummingbirds did not disappoint. The chocolate was a great experience. Very informative and yummy!
There are a lot of fun activities in the Mindo are and Isra our guide did an excellent job of picking an assortment that matched our interest. We enjoyed the coffee farm, amazing hummingbird garden, and chocolate tour. Isra showed us around the coffee farm and did a nice job of explaining things there. The chocolate tour he selected was excellent, informative, fun, and delicious. He also indulged my archaeology interest by taking us to the Tulipe ruins. Across from the lunch restaurant he selected, we got to watch several wild toucans in the trees. His driving was safe.
We laughed, we saw lots of hummingbirds and toucans, loved the chocolate making class and the coffee was yum. Bring binoculars if you have them. While he had a pair we could share, birding as well as being out in nature at all is better with your own set. It was a bit muddy especially by the river so suggest bringing water shoes. Our guide was friendly and it was just the 3 of us so we went at our own pace. He was very knowledgeable regarding things other than nature (politics, history, landmarks). We grabbed some fresh made pastry type bites from a street vendor that were awesome. Just well done and enjoyed every stage of it - hummingbirds on your hand - LOVE! I wore a bright shirt to attract them and it worked!
My guide is Israel. He has done that tour several times and knows it well. The Andes cloud forest is a very beautiful place. My wife really liked feeling the humming Birds (so did I)
Juan reached out with a warm personal greeting to set the tone for a peaceful, relaxing day. The coffee bean farm was interesting and the mocking birds were magnificent! But my favorite treat was the chocolate tasting and class at Olivia’s in Mindo. Juan navigated the mountainside landscapes expertly and the wonderful fresh air as the light rain fell on the lush landscape gave us one last sensory treat to treasure! It was a Beautiful Ecuadorian day!
Israel was FANTASTIC as our private guide for the Mindo Cloud Forest and Coffee and Chocolate tours! He was very knowledgeable about the Ecuadorian environment, history of its many indigenous cultures and current affairs. He unbelievably located a Quetzal bird - a VERY rare bird to see in the wild. He had great relationships with the local vendors and tour operators for the coffee and chocolate tours. And recommended a very cool restaurant for an unforgettable local food lunch. Highly recommend this tour!!
Isra was an engaging and excellent tour guide. We had an awesome time feeding hummingbirds and making chocolate from scratch which was unique and hands on (did I mention delicious?) He also graciously added an extra stop to our day tour at our request, very accommodating.
I had an absolutely incredible experience in Mindo thanks to Isra! From start to finish, the tour was nothing short of spectacular. He took us to all the hidden spots and little gems that I never would have discovered on my own. We fed hummingbirds, admired stunning butterflies, enjoyed peaceful walks through lush forests, explored the sparkling river, and even did a full coffee tour. Every part of the day was perfectly organized and completely immersive in nature. Hid knowledge, passion, and friendly personality made the experience unforgettable. Honestly, he is one of the best guides I have ever had, the kind who truly goes above and beyond to make the tour magical. I can’t recommend him enough!
This was such a special experience! Israel was one of the best guides we've had in our travels, and the passion and pride he holds for the itinerary he's perfected are clear in every explanation he provided and interaction we had with him. The balance of nature, culture, food, and local encounters was simply perfect on this tour, and there is something for everyone to greatly enjoy on this tour. I would strongly recommend this tour to anyone looking for a perfect day trip from Quito.
Isra and his partner are phenomenal! They were accommodating, informative, and fun. I expressed that hummingbirds were most important and they delivered - literally creating multiple moments for them to eat out of your hands. Could not recommend them more!
Hummingbird experience was so special, just beautiful to watch and feed them, a great relaxing day out of the city. Coffee and chocolate experiences very interesting
Israel shared his love and knowledge of the Cloud Forest in a relaxed, warm way. We had a wonderful day touring the region, and his friendly manner with the local people made our day feel intimate and special. When a few of the planned sites were closed for the New Year, he pivoted quickly and came up with fun, informative, meaningful activities to replace the missed experiences. His connection to the spirit of the Cloud Forest added to the impact of the day. It was a delightful adventure, and I would book another trip with him in a heartbeat.
The private day trip to Mindo Cloud Forest with my guide, Israel, was an exciting experience that I will never forget. Seeing so many different species of birds and hand feeding the hummingbirds was a mind blowing experience. I highly recommend Israel and this tour!
Fantastic trip to Mindo. Israel was a wonderful host who was willing to adapt the day for us. We would thoroughly recommend this trip - everything went smoothly from pick up to drop off. The hummingbirds are obviously the highlight but Israel showed that Mindo has so much more to offer.
Israel is hands down the best tour guide out there. The tour was super flexible for what I wanted to do given the tie allotted. I actually had another person I met with of which Israel asked if it was ok to jin, and I said yes. And it only made it that much better of an experience. We were able to fit driving by the center of the Earth, feeding the Hummingbirds, Zip lining, tubing, lunch, a stroll around the town of Mindo, the chocolate and coffee tasting all in one day. Thank you Israel for making my first day In Ecuador a memorable one. I would book again with him in a heartbeat.
The best experience I could’ve asked for. Israel is an amazing guy with a pure heart and a real passion for travel guiding. He showed us so many incredible spots in and around Mindo. I also got to meet his wonderful girlfriend, who made sure we enjoyed the best local food. I’m definitely coming back to Ecuador next year with my wife and kids, and he’s already promised to plan our trip. Looking forward to seeing you again, Israel!
I loved everything, especially the Guide Isra Peña / Guía Nacional del Ecuador 🇪🇨 , he explained everything in a great English
Israel is great! The whole tour experience is very smooth and Israel does a great job finding fun activities to do. 100% would recommend a tour with him.
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