Humidity, blasts of hot air, heavy traffic... Embark for Guayaquil, the largest city of Ecuador even though Quito is the capital. We're off for a visit of the "Pearl of the Pacific", from its landscaped river promenade (the Malecón 2000) to the cerro Santa Ana, not to mention the city centre!

Guayaquil, pearl of the Pacific

In this article you will find a presentation of Isla de la Plata, nicknamed "the poor-man's Galapagos", which can be reached from Puerto López.

Leaving Puerto López for the little Galapagos

Ecuadorian Amazonia possesses the densest biodiversity in the world. With its 6034 square kilometres, the reserve is an incredible mix of rivers and flooded forests (due to the large quantities of annual rainfall in the Amazon). The result? A part of the Amazon that is unique and which will not leave you unaffected...

Cuyabeno, the jewel of the Amazon in Ecuador

In this article we visit Otavalo, the best market in Ecuador and perhaps the best in the world.

Otavalo and its most wonderful markets

Quito

Otavalo

Amazonia

Riobamba

As you're heading down towards Mindo, after passing Mitad del Mundo, you begin to detect the kind of warm humidity that suggests you're entering a region with a tropical climate, and the presence of lush vegetation confirms this to be the case.

South America

Ecuador

Mindo

Europe

Central America

Africa

North America

Asia

Middle East

Oceania

Water, that's what the day I spent here was largely about. The first thing I wanted to go and see was the waterfall. However, because it was raining hard, I settled for a visit to the butterfly centre there instead: a wonderful place containing hundreds of living "mariposas".  Having picnicked at the site, I made another attempt to visit the waterfall but once again found myself defeated by the rain, and a lovely family took pity on me and let me hitch a ride back to the village. My plan would have then been to go and visit an orchid garden, if I hadn't met Janictza that is, a young lady of eight years of age who decided she wanted me to see HER Mindo, and who in the end convinced her parents to take me back to Quito in the car with them to avoid me having to suffer the discomfort of the bus ride. As she slept resting on my shoulder on the way back, I though about how, once again on this trip to Ecuador, I'd had the chance to meet some fantastic people and enjoy one of those wonderful experiences that stays with you for a lifetime. Thank you, rain!

Mindo is only 90 km from Quito so I decided to stop there for a few days, especially as it felt good to leave the coolness of the mountains for a bit of tropical heat! The town is really not very big: there is a long main street with restaurants, and travel agents, with other small roads around it, especially the one where my hotel is, which is famous for the hummingbirds in its garden. I left my things and went into town to find out about different activities: hiking, tubing, butterfly watching, chocolate...I wasn't going to be bored! For the moment, I was just going to walk around the area, in the forest reserve, where I hoped to see some birds. I wasn't really successful from that point of view, but too bad! Instead of that I was able to watch the hummingbirds in the garden of my hotel during breakfast: a lovely setting! On the other days, I hiked along some waterfalls (which were nice, but I have seen better waterfalls in other parts of the country), did some tubing on the river (like rafting but on big rubber tyres - guaranteed thrill) and I made sure to visit the chocolate maker's before leaving town: a very interesting visit and undoubtedly the best brownie I ever had!

Only 1,300 metres above sea level, the little town of Mindo has a tropical micro-climate which has led to a large diversity of plant and animal life (and lots of birds). It's perfect for nature lovers!

Mindo Holidays

Mindo: How to get there?

Mindo: See when to go?

Mindo: For how long?

Mindo: What to see nearby?

Ecuador: our articles for your holidays