Mindo

Our last 5 days in Ecuador was spent in Mindo, the cloud forest. This nature-lover's paradise is filled with magnificent birds, butterflies, insects among mountains, valleys and waterfalls. 

We stayed at the Green House which has a few bird feeders and a short trail thru the property to a river. This hotel is German owned, but was being run by a sweet couple from Venezuela who had fled their home country for safety and survival. Our room had a small balcony which made for good birding while relaxing. 

We were advised hiking to the seven waterfalls in the Mindo Nambillo Ecological Reserve was a must. So the next day we took a short taxi ride up the mountain behind our hotel to the Tarabita, a small open-air bench seat suspended by a cable stretched between two mountain ridges. It was a thrilling experience to look down over the spectacular gorge at the rushing river 500ft below! Once we arrived to the other side, we took the three mile Nambillo Cascades trail to see six amazing waterfalls. 

The trails were challenging- steep and muddy in places, so the kids were content with seeing only the six waterfalls, however, I wanted to also see Reina, which is a two hour roundtrip hike in the opposite direction. With about an hour until the last tarabita, I decided to go for it alone. While this trail was easier and I was moving quickly, so was the time. I began getting nervous. We'd been warned if you miss the last tarabita, you'll have to sleep on the mountain til the morning. And then I saw something among the trees. A bird. It was a female Andean Cock of the Rock! Wow, what s great sight! Even though I was probably just around the bend from the great Reina (or was I still a far way off?), I realized no waterfall could top finding a COTR on my own and decided to return to my family.

The last time I was in Mindo, I stayed at the Yellow House hostel with Nicole. They boast great birding and hiking trails, but we never saw the place in the daylight, so I was eager to check it out. I hiked it alone and had no problems, other than meeting a small herd of intimidating cows on the trail. The ranchers came up behind them and pointed the way for me to continue.

I had hoped to spot an Andean Bear, as they live in the area, but had no luck. I did so many birds and found a fascinating monkey snug caterpillar.

The bird feeders at the Yellow House draw beautiful tanagers, toucanets and hummingbirds. It's only a couple dollars to sit and watch. While in Mindo you must do it even if you aren't into birds!

One of my favorite parts of traveling is meeting people, and at our hotel we met a special family that was traveling the world by boat! After getting acquainted, we decided to walk to the mariposario, the butterfly farm, together.

Here we saw many different species of butterflies in various stages inside the live displays, but also we found eggs and caterpillars loose in the screened butterfly room. The butterflies would even land on you if you put the nectar on your finger.

I spent our last day birding again with my friend Nelson, specifically to find the Long-wattled Umbrella bird. (BTW- If you go to Ecuador, you must hire him to guide you to the most beautiful places and point out all the amazing creatures! apolonelson@gmail.com). 

Nelson picked me up from my room at 430am and we headed to a special part of the forest. We had to arrive before sunrise for the best chance at seeing the bird as it calls for a mate. After a short hike, Nelson points up in a tree, and there was our bird! It began calling while doing odd bowing movements which actually draws a female to the same tree above us. We kept watching as the sun came up and though he finally flew away, we got to see him a few more times later that morning. I was shocked to realize the bird controls his long wattle, which looks like a feather boa. Sometimes it would shorten, other times it stretched long and would spread the feathers out. So fascinating. It seemed he might get it caught in the tree's branches.

Afterwards, we picked up my family, and Nelson drive us to the airport. Along the way we stopped for lunch at a hotel with hummingbird feeders. My kids ever so slowly approached and placed a finger on the perch of a feeder. When a tiny hummingbird landed on them they were filled with joy and amazement! What a beautiful ending to five months of new experiences in Ecuador. We will definitely be back!