San Lorenzo Ridge
The tour begins at 6am from your hotel. We drive for 3km until our first stop, where we will stop to observe some species of birds. Then we continue driving up to the high part of the ridge, where we will watch more than 30 species of birds like toucans, tanagers, flycatchers, motmots, and woodpeckers. The car will always be near.
This activity has a total length of 4 hours and we’ll be back in Mindo at 10am.
Cock of the Rock & Tanagers
The tour begins at 5:30am from your hotel. We drive for 22km until our first stop, where we visit the lek of the Cock of the Rock. We continue driving up to a high point of the mountain, where we will observe up to 30 species of birds such as toucans, tanagers and other species. The car will always be near.
This activity has a total length of 5 hours and we’ll be back in Mindo at 10am.
Paz de las Aves
The tour begins at 5:30am from your hotel. We drive for 22km until our first stop, where we visit the lek of the Cock of the Rock. We continue driving up to a high point of the mountain to watch birds like antpittas, toucans, tanagers and the Cock of the Rock, among other species. The car will always be near.
This activity has a total length of 6 hours and we’ll be back in Mindo at noon.
Silanche Tower
The tour begins at 5:30am from your hotel. We drive for 35km until our first stop, where we begin our walk to the Silanche Tower, as we observe around 60 different species of birds. The car will be waiting at all times, and we will enjoy breakfast in the countryside while observing beautiful birds.
This activity has a total length of 7 hours and we’ll be back in Mindo at 1:30pm.
Milpe Reserve and Garden
The tour begins at 5:30am from your hotel. We drive for 20km until we get to the Reserve. Once there, we will walk through the trails while spotting species like toucans, tanager, hummingbirds, trogons, and other birds of interest. The car will always be near.
This activity has a total length of 4 hours and we’ll be back in Mindo at 10am.
Birdwatchers House
The tour begins at 5:30am from your hotel. We drive for 22km until our first stop, where we begin our walk from the highway to the Reserve. In the way we can more than 40 different species of highlands birds, such as Plate billed mountain toucan, Turquoise jay, Buff tailed coronet, Violet tailed sylph and much more. The car will be waiting at all times, and we will enjoy breakfast in the countryside while observing beautiful birds.
This activity has a total length of 6 hours and we’ll be back in Mindo at 1:30pm.
Bellavista Cloud Forest
The tour begins at 5:30am from your hotel. We drive for 22km until our first stop, where we begin our walk to the Bellavista Reserve. In this place we can observe more than 60 different species of highlands birds, such as the Plate billed mountain toucan, White faced nunbird, Ocelated tapaculo, Chesnut capped brush finch, Tanager finch, Collared inca, and Undulated antpitta. The car will be waiting at all times, and we will enjoy breakfast in the countryside while observing beautiful birds.
This activity has a total length of 7 hours and we'll be back in Mindo at 1:30pm.
Umbrella Bird
The tour begins at 4:30am from your hotel. We drive for 38km until our first stop, where we will visit the lek of the Umbrella Bird. The hike can be a little difficult until we get to the highlands, where we can also see toucans, tanagers and other species. The car will always be near.
This activity has a total length of 6 hours and we’ll be back in Mindo at 10am.
Full Day Birding
The day begins at 5:30 from your hotel. We will head to visit the farm of Angel Paz, which has become famous for providing great views of Giant, Yellow-breasted and Mustached Antpittas, as well as the Andean Cock of the Rock that displays from the forest’s lek sites. There we will walk into the lush forest and then back up to a clearing area where we can relax over breakfast.
Next to the eating table we will also have the opportunity to look at colorful mountain toucans and mountain tanagers. The elevation there is 1900m and we will stay until midday. The visit continues with hikes around the area looking for species like the stunning quetzal or trogons. Afterwards, we will drive to Milpe Reserve where we will stay from 3:30 to 5:30pm, enjoying the sight of toucans, tanagers and furnarius, among others. The elevation there is 1100m and it’s the end of our tour.
This tour has a total length of 8 hours and we’ll be back in Mindo around dusk.
All tours include
- Snack and/or breakfast
- Transportation
- Specialized national birding guides
- Entrance fee to the reserves when needed
- Birdwatching equipment (binoculars, telescope, pointer and playback)
What to bring
- Comfortable outfit in dull colors and long sleeves
- Hiking or sports shoes
- Bugs repellent
- Hat or cap
- Sunblock