Mindo is a small town in the Andean foothills of Ecuador. Set in beautiful cloud-forest, it attracts birdwatchers first and foremost, but also has attractions for other tourists. It's a great place to start you're travels through Ecuador, and an opportunity to explore the stunning waterfalls, rivers and forests in the surrounding area.

Sightseeing
Pay a visit one of the orchid farms. The flowers are delightful and many of them are rare species. Try to entice tropical butterflies to eat banana from your hands at the Mindogarden butterfly farm. Travel downriver in an inner tube. This is called a regata and can be arranged in almost any shop; it is expensive because the prices are fixed by a cartel. It's best during the rainy season because the rapids are actually rapid then. The Tarabita is a new contraption, it's a wire basket hooked to steel cables, that takes you whizzing across the river basin and the tree tops. It is 152metres above the ground, and although it's terrifying, it's also great fun and completely safe.

Getting there
There are bus services from Santo Domingo and Quito.