Rates & Transportation Info

Reservations can be made conveniently for you through the internet or if you are already visiting Ecuador it can be made in Quito. We will be happy to handle either situation for you. Please contact us directly at info@cintocloudforest.com or rduchicela@yahoo.com or by phone: 520-205-1797 in Tucson, Arizona, USA.

We’ll provide you with immediate assistance, information, and reservations for your trip to Ecuador, and to Cinto Cloud Forest.

Lodging Rates

For two days and one night at the Main House, 3 local meals, a local naturalist guide available at all times (our caretaker Efrain), and the following activities:

Hikes to Cinto River, the stream and bird watching/medicinal plants (Two excursions of 2 hours each)
Horse back riding (1 hour)
Culinary local cuisine workshop with Olga

The rate (includes taxes) per person is:
$45 for a private room
$35 for a shared room of two beds
All children stay free

The 2nd night is $35/$25, or for three to seven nights the rate is $30/$20 a night, per person (includes taxes and 3 meals a day), for private and shared rooms respectively.

*Note: We also have comfortable accommodations for backpackers in the smaller lodgings for $10 a night (with all crops and fishing available for your use, we have the utensils), and $15 a night (with 3 prepared meals for you), anytime.

Other Activities contracted on site or through the Town of Mindo

We can help you arrange optional activities such as:

Mountain biking (contracted in the Town of Mindo)
Saloya River big waterfall with pond full day walk (available on site)
Local fishing (antaraya) and herbal medicine workshops (available on site)
White water tubing (contracted in the Town of Mindo)
Canopy cable car (contracted in the Town of Mindo)

Transportation Info

Public Transportation from Quito to the Town of Mindo, and to Cinto Cloud Forest

This is a wonderful and the recommended way to come and visit us in the forest. This way you can directly connect with Ecuador and her people. You can witness firsthand the well-mannered social dynamics of behavior, dressing, accents, and their charming ways with their families, friends, and visitors. This is a special and wonderful connection.

Your journey to us needs to stop in the Town of Mindo first, regardless if you are coming from Quito, or from the coast.

Transportes Cayambe

The bus line Transportes Cayambe has daily regular direct buses between their Quito bus depot and the Town of Mindo. Its price is $3.00 for this direct and comfortable journey. Their location is in front of Parque Ejido near the Amazonas Avenue in Central Quito.

Other Transportes

Otherwise if you decide not to go through Transporte Cayambe you can go directly to the brand new Terminal Terrestre (Grand Central Bus Station) near Colonial Downtown (Centro Historico) and take a busline towards, or to Mindo directly. Alternatively, you can also get a taxi ($3.00 from the Airport or Downtown) to take you to Via Occidental (westbound highway) to wait for buses that come every 5 minutes, and get any bus line towards the Coast (Costa). The price for either option is only $2.50 towards the Town of Mindo and takes 2 hours from Quito.

Road junction to Mindo

Unless you are taking Transporte Cayambe, 2 hours after leaving Quito in bus you will get off at the road junction to the Town of Mindo. There will be various taxi pick-up trucks to take you in a 20-minute ride to the Town for $3.00. They run this business from 6 AM to 9 PM. If you decide to walk to Town it takes just over an hour of delightful visual and auditory experiences.

Our Quito – Cinto Cloud Forest Guide

Our dedicated guide and Quito native, Ronald Coronado, can accompany and guide you in any of these buses from Quito to Cinto Cloud Forest to offer you the best service in public transportation. The price for his accompanied guidance from Quito to Cinto Cloud Forest is $15.

Public Travel Information

The improved public inter-state bus lines (Transportes Interprovinciales) in Ecuador are safe, clean and ample. They readily and promptly connect all of Ecuador. These are private enterprises that have developed a trusted and regular “Greyhound” style type of professionalism, reliability and prompt schedule. Their service includes an overhaul towards modern, clean and comfortable buses with safe, prompt, and on-schedule service. This makes traveling through anywhere in Ecuador very easy and safe. The regular schedule of operation in this part of Ecuador is from 6 AM to 9 PM. The best times of travel are during the morning, when the views can be seen the best.

Therefore the total cost to go from Quito to the Town of Mindo is between $3.00 to $5.50 and will take around 3 hours.

For your convenience and as a courtesy, we would love to assist you in any way to make your Ecuador stay more enjoyable. We are available to help you to obtain any information in regards to Quito and Ecuador attractions in general.

Public Travel from the Town of Mindo to Cinto Cloud Forest

Our knowledgeable and dedicated guide, Ronald, will meet you in the Town of Mindo, if he’s not with you already, and will accompany you in either of the following typical two ways to go from the Town to our lodges:

The Milk Truck (La Lechera) at 6 AM

Board La Lechera at 6 AM in the Town of Mindo which makes its daily routes to the cloud forest to bring milk back to the Town. The ride takes half an hour to the Cinto River Bridge. This ride costs $0.50. From the bridge we walk another half an hour to Cinto Cloud Forest. La Lechera will bring you back daily to Town by waiting at the bridge any day by 7 AM.

Private taxi pick-up truck at anytime

Take a 4 x 4 taxi from the Town to our lodges any time after 6 AM. This cost is $15 for your entire party, and takes approximately 45 minutes of enchanting sights and places along the way. Arrangements with the taxi are made to return at any time your party wishes, if you decide not to do La Lechera, bicycle, walk, horse, motorcycle, hitchhike, or other means locals use to get to Town.

Therefore the total cost to go from the town of Mindo to Cinto Cloud Forest is between $0.50 to $15.00 and takes around an hour either way.

Our private transportation from Quito to Cinto Cloud Forest

These are our two most common travel options to bring you in our own transport to Cinto Cloud Forest:

Directly to our lodging

We can pick you and your party up in Quito, either at the International Mariscal Sucre Airport in Quito, or at the famous Mital del Mundo (World equatorial line touristic high-end complex) located on the northernmost outskirts of Quito, heading towards the Town of Mindo. The rate is $45 and our Land Rover can fit as many as 6 folks very comfortably. The trip takes about 3 hours.

Eco-ethno cultural detour to our lodging

Alternatively as we leave the outskirts of Quito along the Coast-bound Highway (Via a la Costa) we will go past the world-renowned Mitad Del Mundo Complex. Then we will travel 5 minutes to the Volcano Pululahua slopes to admire the all-stone fortification of the Museo de Ortega, an important and delightful ethno-cultural Ecuadorian museum. This museum is owned and administered exclusively by Yumbo-Otavalo families, led by the internationally-renown artistic Ortega family. We will then go another 5 minutes away to observe from the top of the crater’s rim the Village of Pululahua under the volcanic clouds located inside the extinct 5-mile wide crater. The villagers are farmers using rich volcanic earth for their crops they sell in Quito, or have ecological local Bed and Breakfasts.

Along the way to Cinto Cloud Forest we will go near the ancient settlements adjacent to the Towns of Tulipe and Calacali, who were once regional centers of the influential Ecuadorian Yumbo cultures. The scientific and visionary historical impact this culture had over most of Ecuador is now slowly being acknowledged.

The rate is $60 for the entire day, and depending how long you desire to stay in each of these fabulous cultural and visual attractions it may take us between 6 – 8 hours to reach Cinto Cloud Forest. These experiences provide a framework of relevant Ecuadorian native cultural and spiritual history.

Lodging Rates

For two days and one night at the Main House, 3 local meals, a local naturalist guide available at all times (our caretaker Efrain), and the following activities:

Hikes to Cinto River, the stream and bird watching/medicinal plants (Two excursions of 2 hours each)
Horse back riding (1 hour)
Culinary local cuisine workshop with Olga

The rate (includes taxes) per person is:
$45 for a private room
$35 for a shared room of two beds
All children stay free

The 2nd night is $35/$25, or for three to seven nights the rate is $30/$20 a night, per person (includes taxes and 3 meals a day), for private and shared rooms respectively.

Other Activities contracted on site or through the Town of Mindo

We can help you arrange optional activities such as:

What to bring

If your arrival is during the rainy season bring a light raincoat and your own rubber boots. The Town of Mindo sells them for about $7. We also have boots for our guests, but cannot guarantee all sizes are available for all. Outside the rainy season, a good pair of hiking shoes is enough.

The following are items for you to bring at any time:

-Binoculars and camera.
-A couple of comfortable long slacks and shirts.
-One or two sweatpants (for hanging out at night) and sweatshirts (for sleeping).
-Intake of vitamin B one week before arrival, or mosquito repellant (preferably natural, non-toxic).
-Cash, since there are no ATM machines in the Town of Mindo or in a 40-mile radius, until reaching Mitad Del Mundo/San Antonio suburb area (towards Quito), or the Town of Pedro Vicente Maldonado (towards the Coast).
-Water bottle containers (we have the mineral-rich water), hat/cap, sunglasses, a flashlight (not really necessary, we have them), spare batteries (ditto) and a small bag or backpack (for a bottle and cameras).
-Sandals, shorts (if you want to) and journal/pencil.
-A light towel and snacks.

(All non-biodegradables must go with you when you leave the Lodge)