Bellavista Cloud Forest Reserve

Here we have a very distinctive hummingbird - the Collared Inca. In most lighting they appear all black with a white chest. but if you get them out in some direct light you can make out the blue/violet cap and the green throat.

Make sure you hire a birding guide for your visit to the valley. In addition to locating and identifying the birds, a guide is the only way you'll find this amazing hummingbird garden. It's hidden among some dense vegetation, with the only marker being an overgrown footpath leading from the road.

Yesterday I posted a female Violet-tailed Sylph, and today we have the much showier male. It's a wonder that they can fly with such long tail feathers, but clearly the reproductive advantage outweighs any such inconvenience.

The Tandayapa Valley is a birder's paradise. The rugged slopes of this pristine cloud forest offer a spectacle of exotic birds like few places on earth. The mountain roads themselves are great avenues to hunt out mixed flocks, but for a truly amazing experience you need to visit Tony Nunnery's hummingbird garden at Parador Pacha Quindi.

Tony grew up in the US but has spent the last fifteen years in a small cottage he and his wife built on 70 hectares in the Tandayapa Valley. They have been reforesting the former pasture and have established a phenomenal hummingbird garden right outside their house. The sight and sound of a hundred hummingbirds whizzing about is something you won't soon forget. It also makes for great photo opportunities, so much so that professionals will even shoot here with their shade umbrellas and strobe arrays. I didn't have anything that fancy, and you'd do quite well here with a 200mm lens and large flash.

BTW, I believe that this here is a Speckled Hummingbird.

Here we have a female Violet-tailed Sylph. How do I know it's a female? Because the male has a long blue tail that extends twice his body length.

We spotted this beautiful girl at Tony Nunnery's hummingbird garden in the Tandayapa Valley. I love hummingbirds and always hunt down the best places to see and photograph them, and Tony's garden is world class. Hundreds of hummingbirds from at least a dozen species flitted around us in the short couple of hours that we were there. A place you must visit if you ever find yourself in Ecuador.

Visit Bellavista Cloud Forest Reserve

Activities

Nanegalito travel guide

Popular places to visit

Did the full zip line tour here and it was the best zip lines I’d ever done. There are places where you can’t even see the other end of the line that you’re on as you glide at high speeds, hundreds of feet above the jungle.#Adventure

Mindo Valley

Commune with nature and explore the great outdoors at Mindo Valley during your travels in Mindo. While you're in the area, wander around the forests.

Quito featuring signage and street scenes

Pululahua Geobotanical Reserve

Explore the great outdoors at Pululahua Geobotanical Reserve, a lovely green space in Quito. You can enjoy the restaurants while in the area.

Maquipucuna Cloud Forest Reserve

Explore the great outdoors at Maquipucuna Cloud Forest Reserve, a lovely green space in Nanegalito. While you're in the area, wander around the forests.

Maquipucuna Cloud Forest Reserve

Explore the great outdoors at Maquipucuna Cloud Forest Reserve, a lovely green space in Mindo. Wander the rainforest or discover the area's waterfalls.

Tulipe Archaeological Site-Museum

You can spend an afternoon browsing the exhibits at Tulipe Archaeological Site-Museum during your trip to Gualea.

Chiquilpe

Commune with nature and explore the great outdoors at Chiquilpe during your travels in Nono. While you're in the area, wander around the parks.

Top Bellavista Cloud Forest Reserve Hotel Deals

Check availability on hotels close to Bellavista Cloud Forest Reserve

Casa Divina Eco Lodge

1.2 km Via a la Cascada Nambillo Mindo Pichincha

Saloya Mindo Life Landscape hotel

W598 V4 Pirca Mindo Pichincha

Le Parc Hotel, Beyond Stars

República de El Salvador Quito Quito

Mashpi Lodge

Mashpi Village Pacto Pichincha

JW Marriott Quito

Avenida Orellana 1172 Y Avenida Amazonas Quito Pichincha

Hacienda Rumiloma

Obispo Diaz de la Madrid s/n Quito Pichincha

Hotel Dann Carlton Quito

Avenida República de El Salvador N34-377 Quito Pichincha

Hilton Colon Quito

Amazonas N 1914 Y Patria Avenida 1 Quito

Hotel Tiwintza Internacional

Av. Río Amazonas Quito Pichincha

See all 1,161 properties in Bellavista Cloud Forest Reserve

Lowest nightly price found within the past 24 hours based on a 1 night stay for 2 adults. Prices and availability subject to change. Additional terms may apply.

* Savings based on package bookings compared to the price of the same components booked separately. Savings not available on all packages. Book Flight + Lodging, save up to 100% of flight price - Savings based on flight + lodging package prices as compared to the price of the same components available for booking separately before all discounts and rewards applied. Your bundled savings cover up to 100% of your flight. Savings vary based on origin/destination, length of trip, stay dates and travel suppliers. Savings not available on all flight + lodging package bookings.