Mindo – Toucans and Hummingbirds (11 December)

Mindo is at around 1000m elevation north east of Quito surrounded by cloud forest. Being on the west side of the Andes, each afternoon moist clouds roll in from the coast. The vegetation had a soft look with lichens growing on everything. It’s a popular weekend destination with birding the ‘big’ activity there. The local community had even made a mural along one side of the town football ground showing different bird species.

There were also some more active pursuits on offer like a funicular where you cycle-power yourself across a valley to then go for a walk to visit some waterfalls (this looked hairy so we decided to pass) and ziplining.

Nature lodges are situated on large properties in the forested hills around the town. We stayed at a characterful chalet style place with sloping ceilings in our room. It had a lovely lounge/ library where we could have stayed for ages.

Helped by a bird guide, our highlights were loads of toucans (they are such cool looking birds) and parrots.

We also saw many different types of hummingbirds (so hard to photograph but beautiful). Some places had feeders that attracted hummingbirds to make it easier to see them. They were so extraordinary with beaks from the length of a fingernail to that of a finger depending on the flowers they target.

A baby armadillo in the lodge garden near where we ate lunch was a hit too. OMG – they are unbelievably cute.

All in all, Mindo is a lovely place to visit.