The Cloud Forest – Ecuador #5

Mindo, Ecuador

31/05/2023

The next morning we woke up early, i.e. 6am, as one of the hotel’s team members had invited us to join him on a morning hike through the Cloud Forest to explore the jungle.

A cloud forest is characterised by persistent low-level cloud cover at higher elevations. Unlike rainforests, the forest relies on moisture trapped by clouds rather than consistent rainfall.
– Cf. ChatGPT

The Flora

Already when entering the jungle road, the diversity of colours and thickness of vegetation was fascinating. Wherever we looked, there were countless colourful and interesting plants to be spotted. Since our walk was many hours long, we came past a wide variety of what the area had to offer. Below are some impressions.

The Fauna

Although the plants alone offered an amazing experience, the animal variety was even more wonderful.

It is estimated that Mindo’s Cloud Forest is home to thousands of species, including birds, butterflies, orchids, mammals, amphibians, and more. Some estimates suggest that Mindo contains over 500 species of birds alone, making it one of the most diverse birding areas in the world. Overall, the cloud forest is recognised as one of the most biodiverse regions on the planet.
– ChatGPT

As I had brought a telephoto lens, I was able to zoom in quite closely into the vegetation, spotting countless colourful birds. This was also facilitated by some more professional birdwatchers and their experienced guides which we encountered along the way, since spotting some small birds in the thick vegetation can be quite a hard task.

The Porch

We returned to the hotel many hours later with my SD cards full of bird and jungle pictures. With the desire to decelerate a little from an action-packed trip, I set up camp on the porch of our bungalow, from which I spotted a vast selection of small and big animals. It is to note here that the hotel was basically a bunch of huts located in the plant-covered hills around Mindo. As such, it was embedded in the nature quite well and birds and insects were flying around nearby.

Butterflies and a bee flying around our hut

Notably, there was also a number of hummingbirds flitting from flower to flower. Seeing this up close truly was a special experience.

The Thicket

Later that day, and having replenished our energy, we set out to explore the thicker and more interwoven areas of the jungle. For this, we followed a mud path down a hill to a raging river and then along it through the thicket. This became a real exploration of seemingly uncharted paths quite quickly. Oh, and it also started to rain …

Once having seen a bit of everything, and completely soaked by the increasing rain, Nasti and I made the trip back to our car, which was parked up the hill near a small lodge. There, I bought some tea for the two of us (and some beer for myself) and we warmed up in the car.

Chocolate!

After the rest of the group had returned, we freshened up at the hotel and then drove into the city centre of Mindo, where we wanted to learn about the process of making chocolate. This is because cocoa beans are grown in Ecuador and especially around Mindo, which was a great opportunity to see firsthand how the raw product becomes a finished bar of chocolate. In short, the cocoa pods are opened, beans removed to dry for a while, then roasted, ground, mixed with water and milk powder and then refrigerated to make the final chocolate bar.