Mindo Cloud Forest

Switching gears from the high volcanic peaks of the Andes south of Quito, we traveled to the dense and misty cloud forests northwest of the capital city. We chose a route from Cotopaxi National Park that would bypass the insane roads of Quito and offer new scenery. From the Pan-American Highway, we cruised west from Machachi to Santo Domingo along Ecuador Ruta 20. This 'highway' is a primary artery for large trucks and buses moving commerce and people toward the Pacific Coast. Comparing conflicting information from three different maps of unknown ages and accuracy, we joined the traffic train to our Santo Domingo turnoff. Starting at a high elevation and continually dropping into jungle, we encountered the true meaning of driving in the clouds. For the next three hours we had no idea what we were in for! Buses passing on blind corners at breakneck speeds, wet and scary downhills with unmarked construction seemingly around every turn, and crazed pedestrians who would sometimes throw rocks at the buses that ignored their pleas for a ride. After this really lovely section of our drive, we came to a confusing split in the 'highway'. A wrong turn would lead us to the coast, many hours from our destination. Remember, road signs in Ecuador are few and far between and so are turnarounds. Not having a GPS unit, Chandler made a great call as navigator, and we left the misery of this highway behind. The next two hours lead back into the cloud forest on an incredible, traffic-free road that looked like Disneyland for bird and plant enthusiasts! Per usual, we entered the town of Mindo in the dark, only to find the main road through town blocked with construction. Asking a nice girl at the visitor's information center how we should proceed to 'Mindo Garden', our hostal, she helped with directions. She then looked at our car, 'Sparky', and made a face of concern that we won't soon forget and offered us alternative lodging nearby. As it turned out, our hostal was at the end of town and required several water crossings and traversing an obstacle course of large craters. Go, Sparky Go! Mindo Gardens is a beautiful, secluded eco-lodge along the banks of the Rio Mindo. By now it was raining very hard and we were glad to make it safely. Not seeing any lights on in the lodge was a little strange, but the door finally opened. It turned out we were the only two to reserve a room for the next three nights, and our host took us down to our private cabin at the river bank. What an amazing place to spend three days! We spent our time enjoying the jungle and river, and on one of the days we hirered a guide to take us into the Mindo-Nambillo Protected Forest to look for toucans, quetzals, and Andean cock-of-the rocks, among other bird species. Our guide, Herman, was very good and helped us to spot many birds in the distance, making this trip better for binoculars than the camera. We spent two afternoons enjoying the Mariposa de Mindo butterfly farm, which breeds twenty-five species, including the brown owl eye and the Peleides blue morpho, which has a wingspan of 20 centermeters. At the entrance to the butterfly farm several feeders were attracting over 10 different species of hummingbirds and fruit-eating birds. What a treat!