Mindo Cloud Forest

Today I awoke very early in the morning, I was very excited, since I knew that today it was the day in which I would take the Mindo, Ecotourism & Adventure Excursion in the One Day Tours of Gray Line Tours of Quito - Ecuador. It was a sunny day that promised to be phenomenal, I get down of my room of the Hotel in Quito– Ecuador and the guide of Gray Line Tours Ecuador was waiting for me, ready to begin the Tour and the Adventure in the Mindo Cloud Forest.

I have heard speak a lot of this Mindo Cloud Forest, also I read that it has much diversity of flora, in special of orchids, as well as they have an abundant amount of birds, butterflies and fauna in general, it is the because this tour must begin very early in the morning, to be able to reach to admire them. With these expectations we went by highway in a trip of approximately 2 hours and half from Quito - Ecuador.

We took the nor-West course from Quito - Ecuador, and the first pleasing experience that I lived, was the knowledge that in a certain point we pass from the South hemisphere to the North hemisphere of the planet, since in the route, it is the famous Middle of the World Monument, and there, on the way, it passes the imaginary line, denominated the Equatorial Line that divides our planet in 2 hemispheres, immediately I made an imaginary picture, in which I was crossing from a half of the Earth, to the other one, was a very rare and cool sensation simultaneously. We continued by the highway that to its step keep us discovering the daily life of its inhabitants. Suddenly the vegetation changed, it transformed into a very dense forest, very green, this because, according to our guide explanation, in agreement we advanced we are descending the height level, and obvious the vegetation also is changing, is incredible watch how fast are changing the colors, the landscapes, the vegetation, people, etc, that only I have been able to appreciate here in Ecuador a Mega diverse country.

At last we have arrived at Mindo, that is a small town with very smiling people, they are not so surprised with our presence, since, as our guide comments to us, this place has become one of main tourist attractions of Ecuador by its importance for the ornithologists, botanists, biologists and other visitors that like to be in contact with the nature, ecology and extreme sports.

We began our trip doing a long walk in the Mindo Cloud Forest, finding step by step, an endless number of varieties of plants that the native of the zone, have given medicinal use from generation in generation, I do not make more to think the wonderful thing that is see how these green beings, to whom day to day the inhabitants of the world are exterminating, can offer to us the solution to our physical ailments and with a so simple way. Suddenly all of we made silence at the request of the guide, so that a wonderful song that was listened to closely, invaded our ears, immediately we looked for the origin of so wonderful song with our binoculars, and we could see a precious Andean Toucan that was watching us kindly from the branch of a tree. We followed our way, between the typical vegetation of the zone and the birds that surrounded to us and at last we found compensates it to our efforts, a waterfall, and of course, the deserved bath to refresh a little to us. While we swam we had the luck to see a bird that never before had seen, our guide of Gray Line Ecuador, said us that its name was Cook Andean Rock.

The effort made in the long walk and the bath in that spring, opened our appetite, so our next stop was in the restaurant of the Mindo Butterflies Farm, thus, while they prepare our delicious lunch, the manager of the Butterflies Farm, teaches us the different varieties of Butterflies that can be found in the Mindo Cloud Forest, as well as the different processes from its formation, even since they are in cocoons, really amazing.

Already recharged of energy and, like we could not leave Mindo without seeing the great variety of Orchids that by their climate, is developed intensely in this zone, we went to the Mindo ‘s Orchids Green House, and learned much of the life of the Orchids and its beauty.

In order to close with golden brooch this spectacular day, they offered to us a very good cup of coffee in company of numerous hummingbirds and its humming, product of the incessant fluttering of its small wings, therefore we leave this small paradise, in the middle of a cloud landscape that begins to cover the place.

While I write these lines, I can not do more than remember each detail of my trip and also realize that today was a spectacular day, by the route it self and, thanks to the personnel of Gray Line Tours in Quito - Ecuador, that have made of this trip a Magic Moment in my life.