Mindo
A small village 2 hours from Quito, inside one of the most biodiverse regions on earth. The Chocó-Andino cloud forest. The place where Casa Verde sits.
Inside the UNESCO Biosphere.
Mindo sits within the Chocó-Andino de Pichincha Biosphere Reserve, designated by UNESCO in 2018. Spanning 286,806 hectares of western Andean cloud forest, it is one of the most biodiverse regions on earth.
Home to over 450 bird species, 10,000 plant species, 270 mammal species, more than 250 butterfly species, and 4,000 orchid varieties. The endemic Chocó toucan lives here.
Casa Verde sits on 13 acres of pristine, intact cloud forest within this region. Not reclaimed land — primary forest, untouched, where guests don’t visit nature. They live inside it.
UNESCO Official Designation →What you’ll find here.
Cloud Forest Hiking
Five private trails at Casa Verde lead to waterfalls and rivers entirely within the UNESCO reserve. Beyond the property, hundreds of miles of protected trails wind through primary forest.
Birdwatching
Mindo is considered one of the top birdwatching destinations on earth. Over 450 species have been recorded — including the Chocó toucan, Andean Cock-of-the-Rock, and hummingbirds in extraordinary variety.
Butterfly Farm
Mariposas de Mindo hosts over 3,200 butterfly species from across the Chocó-Andino biosphere — a short taxi ride from Casa Verde.
Chocolate & Coffee
Visit a local cacao farm and go from pod to finished bar in under an hour. Coffee harvesting tours and tastings also available nearby.
Orchid Gardens
The Chocó-Andino reserve is home to over 4,000 orchid varieties — many found nowhere else on earth. Several gardens in the region offer guided tours.
Mindo Village
15 minutes by taxi from Casa Verde. Restaurants, craft beer, chocolate shops, and the famous cable car crossing above the cloud forest canopy. If you are visiting Mindo without a full retreat, the Mindo Morning Reset — a half-day yoga, hiking, and breakfast experience — is available through our sister site.
How to arrive in Mindo.
Fly into Quito (UIO) — Aeropuerto Internacional Mariscal Sucre. Most international flights arrive in the evening or overnight. We recommend staying near the airport on arrival night.
Share your flight details with Wendy via WhatsApp or email. She helps coordinate a private taxi pickup from your hotel or the airport the following morning.
The drive to Mindo takes approximately 2.5–3 hours from Quito — descending from Andean plateau to cloud forest. Most guests consider this journey a highlight in itself.
Arrival at Casa Verde is typically midday, in time for a welcome lunch and your first hike on the property trails. Casa Verde is 4 miles outside Mindo village, at the end of a quiet forest road.
On departure, most international flights from Quito leave very early in the morning. If your flight is before 7am, Wendy will help you arrange an airport hotel for the night before.
Mindo in pictures.
Come and live inside the forest.
Retreat packages include all accommodation, meals, yoga, and hiking. You just need to get to Quito.