Top 7 Ecuador Birdwatching Tours

1.Full-Day Mindo Cloud Forest Tour Birdwatching Waterfalls and Hike

★★★★★★★★★★5.0 · 84 reviews · 10 hours (approx.) · from $189Our pick

Explore Ecuador’s Mindo Cloud Forest on a private day tour with hummingbirds, waterfalls, Pululahua views, butterflies, and chocolate.

“The entire tour was wonderful. Nice clean vehicle for transport. The bird watching was excellent and we ticked a few rare birds off our list as well. Our guide Kathy was so friendly and knowledgeable. The waterfall hike was not for the faint of heart but being so close to the waterfall was breathtaking. Lunch was at a beautiful restaurant that we had all to our selves aside from the toucans!”

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2.Papallacta Hot Springs & Guango Birding Reserve Private Tour

★★★★★★★★★★5.0 · 70 reviews · 7 hours (approx.) · from $120

Review of Quito’s private Papallacta hot springs and Guango birding tour, with cloud forest walks, mountain views, costs, timing, and tips.

“Our guide, Daniel, was fantastic. He showed up on time to our hotel. He was friendly, experienced, knowledgeable, and courteous. The tour was most enjoyable and memorable tour. After an about 1.5 hours drive, we first stopped at the Guango Birdwatching Reserve. A low-key lodge that is next to the Papallacta River, about 150 ft. below. We hiked down to the river (we first put on rubber boots to protect our shoes. The boots were available at the lodge). During the short hike, Daniel provided ample description of the birds and plants along the way. We had some relaxing moments afterwards at the lodge with cookies and coffee. We then…”

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3.PRIVATE Mindo Cloud Forest tour

★★★★★★★★★★5.0 · 63 reviews · 8 hours (approx.) · from $130

Review of a private Mindo Cloud Forest day trip from Quito, with waterfalls, hummingbirds, butterflies, chocolate, wildlife, and practical costs.

“One should consider there is a lot of driving - 2.5h one direction. Walk in cloud forest is very short, all entrance fees are additional, the bird watching facility for 5 $ is problematic considering animal wellfere as they are feeding the birds and changing their natural behaviour. Zip line was good. In general, our driver was nice, but wouldn't recommend this tour.”

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4.Private Full-Day Mindo Cloud Forest,Butterfly Farm, Chocolate Tour bird watching

★★★★★★★★★★5.0 · 62 reviews · 9 to 10 hours (approx.) · from $130

Review of a private Quito to Mindo day tour with cloud forest birds, waterfalls, butterflies, chocolate, lunch, transport, and practical costs.

“Great day to learn about the what Ecuador has to offer! We went to the center of the world, a hummingbird garden, a butterfly garden, chocolate factory, drove through a cloud forest, and zip lining. One thing that surprised us and was not disclosed (at least we didn't see it) was we needed to bring cash to pay for all the places he brought us. It was not expensive, but we used all the cash we had on this excursion.”

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5.Birdwatching Tour in Cajas National Park from Cuenca

★★★★★★★★★★5.0 · 52 reviews · 8 hours (approx.) · from $99Best value

Review of Cuenca’s Cajas birdwatching tour, with high-altitude birding, private transport, lunch, expert guiding, costs, and practical tips.

“Eddy, my guide, was excellent. He lead me to great views of all the specialties of the area and I got great photos of the Ecuadorian Hillstar. I wouldn’t have seen any of it without him”

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6.Guided Birding Photography Experience

★★★★★★★★★★5.0 · 47 reviews · 4 hours (approx.)

Review of Mindo’s private birding photography tour, with hummingbirds, toucans, private transport, guide tips, price, and practical advice.

“I found Irman on TA and booked a private tour with him based on the great reviews (I booked directly via WhatsApp).”

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7.MINDO CLOUD FOREST – Nature & Birds – Personalized Experience

★★★★★★★★★★4.0 · 46 reviews · 10 hours (approx.) · from $125

Explore Mindo from Quito with hummingbirds, cloud-forest waterfalls, chocolate, and flexible activities in a small guided group.

“This is a massively expensive tour for what is essentially just a van ride to/from Mindo. You have to pay extra for 90 of the activities at the destination including lunch, each of which has their own guide, so it isn't worth it. You'd save a ton of money by negotiating with a taxi driver to take you there for the day, especially if there are 2 or 3 of you. Not that our guide was bad, he was great, it just isn't worth the cost. The location itself is gorgeous, and the tour options are great, there are just better/cheaper ways of doing it.”

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