We like the cloud-forest, and Mindo is an awesome place to experience it. This time we tried the Yellow House trails, which I'd wrongly assumed just stayed in town. Instead, you can walk for miles right up into their private reserve in the hills that surround this little town that sits at 2,100m. Compared to where we live in Otavalo (at 2,570m), Mindo is a lot warmer, wetter, and waaay more biodiverse. Obviously elevation doesn't tell the whole story -- slope is just as important. The western slope, in this case, picks up a lot more of the effects of the warm Pacific currents.
We spent a few days in this haven with Gran Cassie and Jordan. It rained solidly for one of them, but we still had had a great visit, particularly hiking, bird-watching, eating, and taking pictures. Mindo has recorded over 400 bird species and 140 of Ecuador's 1,000s of orchids. The following photos tell the story.
****Google seems to have re-installed the slide-show option. Photos looks better that way -- click on any photo to start it.
stunning!
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