Getting there
Above Mindo on the Tandayapa ridge, ~2 hr from Quito
Best for
High-cloud-forest birding, mountain tanagers, mountain-toucans, hummingbirds, the dome lodge
The land
Higher, mossy cloud forest on the Tandayapa ridge
Good to know
Bellavista's higher elevation adds a different set of birds from Mindo below
What it is
Bellavista is a higher cloud-forest reserve above Mindo — mountain tanagers, plate-billed mountain-toucans and superb hummingbird feeders.
On the misty Tandayapa ridge above Mindo, Bellavista Cloud Forest Reserve sits higher, in mossy, epiphyte-laden forest. Its feeders draw a different suite of hummingbirds and its trails hold mountain tanagers, plate-billed mountain-toucans and high-Chocó endemics — a perfect complement to Mindo's lower forest.
The reason to come
The higher cloud forest
Bellavista adds the high-elevation birds above Mindo.
Mountain tanagers
High-Chocó tanagers and mixed flocks.
Mountain-toucans
The plate-billed mountain-toucan on the ridge.
Hummingbird feeders
A high-elevation set of hummingbirds.
Worth knowing
The high Chocó
Bellavista's ridge forest adds the higher-elevation birds that complete a Chocó list.
When to come — honestly
A year-round ridge forest.
June – September
Best
Drier months — the best ridge access and views.
Year-round
Good
A year-round high cloud forest.
December – May
Good
Greener and mistier, still bird-rich.
Higher and mistier than Mindo; cool and often wrapped in cloud.
Context
The ridge reserve
Bellavista adds the high-elevation Chocó birds above Mindo.
The two pair on the cloud-forest circuits.
We pair Bellavista with Mindo to cover the cloud forest from ridge to valley.
Beyond the obvious
More to Bellavista Cloud Forest Reserve.
Mountain tanagers
In the mixed flocks.
Mountain-toucans
On the ridge.
Hummingbird feeders
High-elevation species.
Why Wild Voyager
We string together cloud forest, Amazon and islands.
Ecuador packs cloud forest, Amazon and the Galápagos into a small country, but the logistics are fiddly. We handle the lodges, river canoes, flights and cruises so the pieces connect smoothly.
Handpicked stays
We choose the lodge and guides that fit your goals, not whatever is left.
We time it right
We build your visit around the season and the wildlife that delivers.
Where to stay
Where you’ll stay in Bellavista
Signature Collection
Wildlife you may see
Plan your Bellavista Cloud Forest Reserve trip.
Bird the high cloud forest above Mindo. Tell us your dates and we will build the route around it.
Plan a trip