Mindo Dirt – Self Guided Adventure
The northwest of the Pichincha province is very well known by nature lovers due to the richness in terms of biodiversity, we have the presence of a neotropical biogeographical region called Chocó, which is located, in the area of Darien in Panama, it also goes through the eastern part of Colombia, Ecuador and a little corner of the north of Peru, covering in total 187.000 square kilometers. In terms of climate in Ecuador, due to the influence and presence of winds loaded with water coming from the Pacific Ocean crashing into the western Andes, all the water is released in western slopes and creates a new ecosystem that we call the Cloudforest, considered as one of the hot spots of biodiversity in the planet, this means that we will find a region with very significant levels of biodiversity that is threatened by human destruction, with very high levels of endemism of plants and animals, and we will find over 35 big areas like this biogeographical region around the world.
Our destination will be the little town of Mindo, 80 km (50 miles) northwest of the capital city of Quito, located at 1250 m.a.s.l. (4125 f.a.s.l.), counting 2500 inhabitants dedicated to agricultural activities mainly, with a constant temperature between 15 – 24 c (59 -75 f). The main beauty of Mindo is natural, the protected forest “Mindo Nambillo” of about 19000 hectares (47 000 acres) of mostly primary forest, is an ecological reserve that will let our customers appreciate over 170 species of orchids, 90 species of butterflies, and over 500 species of birds, and of course activities like canopying, tubing and hiking are possible surrounded by this natural environment.
One of the highlights in the area is the Nambillo waterfall, a natural spot that we will reach after an hour and a half of middle difficulty hike with a huge variety of flora and fauna that makes the trail more pleasant, a natural oasis of about 15 meters (50 feet) high where visitors refresh themselves up for the way back or use it for activities like rafting and canyoning.
ITINERARY
DAY 1
QUITO – NONO – MINDO

DAY 2
MINDO – MITAD DEL MUNDO – QUITO
