Travel Reference
In-Depth Information
One of the most popular hikes in Mindo takes you 3.5 miles (6 km) out of town on the
road to Nambillo where you'll find a cable car that takes you high over the Mindo River
to another mountain. From there, you can head right toward Cascada Reina (2 hours
round-trip) or left to Waterfall Sanctuary where you can see 6 waterfalls in 30 minutes.
Another trek is a two-day excursion from the high-alpine town of Lloa through villages,
waterfalls, rivers and the Mindo-Nambillo Cloud Forest before finally ending Mindo.
Butterfly Farm
As a megadiverse city, Mindo is home to over 250 species of butterflies and their colorful
wings can be seen fluttering about town any day. But for a closer look, head to the
mari-
posario
(butterfly farm) Hosteria Mariposas de Mindo which has the largest butterfly ex-
hibition in Ecuador. It boasts 1,500 butterflies as well as a lodge, meeting venue and res-
taurant. They even hosted an international butterfly conference in 2007.
Food
The main drag in Mindo is lined with local, international and street food options. Just
about every establishment has fresh fruit juices (this is one of the best towns to try
Guanabana
) and local specialties are tilapia and trout that are fished straight from sur-
rounding streams. Great street food sold on this street include
choclo con queso
- corn on
the cob with cheese,
arepas
- fried corn cakes with more cheese, and
empanadas -
a flaky
pastry that's fried, and yep, stuffed with cheese
.
•
El Quetzal
9 de Octubre across the street from Amigos de La Naturaleza
$$
Not just a chocolate factory, El Quetzal also serves up locally brewed artisan beer, food
from their organic gardens, American and Ecuadorian dishes and rich baked goods. When
