Birder or Adrenaline Junkie? The Joys of Mindo

For such a small town, Mindo has a wealth of accommodation. It's not surprising considering the internationally acclaimed birding found here and the growing number of adrenalin filled sporting activities.

Due to limited funds and wanting somewhere a little secluded left La Casa de Cecilia as the only option. The hostel is located to the south east of the village’s central, scruffy looking park, up a muddy path. It’s quite easy to miss the poorly signed turn off to the lodgings, although following the dim roar of the nearby river helps with the sense of direction.

Once found I was impressed with the non-abrasive style of the building, constructed entirely out of wood, which blends in excellently with the surrounding cloud forests. The rooms seem to be more directed towards the 'fit as many beds in the room as you can' approach, which could probably explain the cheap $5 a night per person price for staying here. On the negative side, it also means then if you aren't a big fan of sharing a dorm then your choice becomes limited, especially at the weekend when Mindo transforms itself into a Gringo hangout matching that of Baños.

Arriving a day earlier, beating the tourist influx meant bagging one of only two double rooms here, out of the fifteen rooms available. My room was situated under the roof making it virtually impossible to stand up. I’ve never slept in such a small room that made closets under stairs look airy. Considering the amount of time spent here this never proved a problem.

Some rooms fail to have walls on all four sides, excellent for getting up close and personal with nature, but can prove dangerous in terms of mosquito attacks. Although all beds have mosquito nets, they aren't of the highest quality, so bringing your own is recommended.

The hostel also offers Internet facilities for $2 an hour, a limited service in Mindo, and kitchen facilities located scenically next to the river. Other highlights include a lounge area on the second floor with hammocks to rest those weary activity-ridden legs and the village’s only cinema, a small open room where two films Friday and Saturday night are projected onto a white washed wall. Snacks, drinks and milkshakes are also served for virtually half the price of the restaurants in the village.

One problem with La Casa de Cecilia was security, with no locks on the bedroom doors. During my whole stay here there was no sign of the owners, their adolescent children was in charge. Bathrooms are all shared, although good quality hot water is available. You will also need to bring your own supply of toiletries and towels, which are not provided.

I thoroughly enjoyed my experience here. On one hand being so close to the village centre to sample the selection of restaurants. On the other hand, being secluded so still awakening to views of mist covered cloud forests. More information can be accessed by calling the hostel on +593-(0)2-2765453.

As you walk down the one main road in Mindo, away from the villages park you pass numerous information and tourist agencies offering you the chance to participate in the adrenaline filled sport of inner-tubing. If not interested in spending a day looking at the various birds that bring the majority of tourists to the area, then inner-tubing comes highly recommended and offers a cheap alternative.

For those of you who are unaware at what inner-tubing involves let me quickly explain. A number of large inflatable inner-tubes are tied together and after sitting in between these you are then sent floating down the river into a series of rapids, where not only you have to hold on for dear life, you also have to cope with getting drenched from head to toe in icy cold waters in the process.

The various places that offer inner-tubing in Mindo all do so for virtually identical prices and there's not really any reason for choosing one rather than another. I decided to use Centro Informacion Mindo on the corner of the park (7am-7pm daily), who had a number of creditable references and cost the very reasonable price of $5 for the experience.

Upon paying I made the schoolboy error of deciding to participate in this sport at the ridiculous hour of 8am before the sun had even had chance to burst through the thick gloomy low level clouds. As to be expected, this also was when the water was at it's coldest. Taking the 10-minute pick-up ride (included in the price) to the start point located next to the Mariposas de Mindo butterfly farm and riding adjacent to the raging river, I have to admit I wasn't really that excited over the prospect of this white-knuckle adventure, especially after stripping to my trunks and immersing myself in the icy cold waters.

It wasn't long after entering the water and getting myself comfortable on the tubes that the first rapids were reached where the guide tried his utmost to soak you from head to toe. It was at this first set of rapids when I learnt the important lesson of not dangling your feet in the water as scraping them on the rocks below can result in some painful interactions. By the end of the twenty-minute ride, although exhilarating I was happy to finally catch my breath.

Afterwards, you get driven back to the centre of Mindo, where you become the focal point for some strange looking stares from locals. If you want photos of the occasion then you can give your camera to the pick-up driver who follows the river where there are a number of vantage points, although the distorted faces you might be pulling wouldn't make for the best pictures. A guide comes with you every time and they normally know the rapids inside out. On the bright side this increases safety issues but leads to more of a soaking. This sport is certainly worth the $5 cost.

There are numerous activities in and around Mindo to happily fill your day with. Of course the more demanding and exciting sports of rappelling and inner-tubing, alongside a spot of bird watching, for which this area is famous for, are the most popular. Hidden in the corner of the village a 3km walk north east down a dirt path away from the central main square is Mariposas de Mindo, a butterfly farm billed as one of the best in the country. I know I shouldn’t be negative, but if this was the best then I’m very happy I haven’t had the pleasure of visiting any others. I suppose after visiting La Paz Waterfall Gardens in Costa Rica, any other butterfly farm will just pail in significance.

The walk out of town leads you through some stunning cloud forest scenery and if you are lucky the chance to see pale bodies flashing past you in the adjacent raging river, catapulted along by the foaming rapids on inner-tubes, can also be had. The entrance is well signposted, although I somehow missed it first time around, walking another 2km further down the road, until I reached a dead end. By the time I had paid my $3 admittance and received a brief talk on the history of the family run Mariposas de Mindo and the life cycle of butterflies, in perfect English, which includes a look at an array of sparkling chrysalis, I was a little worn out and very sweaty.

The butterfly sanctuaries main aim is to investigate the life of butterflies located in the nearby Mindo Nambillo Reserve, with 25 different varieties flying around freely in the 644m² greenhouse. I’m not sure if this is something to boast about as it does feel very compact once inside.

There are a number of feeding areas, where the butterflies congregate, sucking banana puree. You are encouraged to put some of the banana on your hand and try feeding the butterflies yourself. This was easily the highlight, smiling like a kid as butterflies the size of a human head settled on my hand for a feeding frenzy. The negative side to such activities with such delicate creatures is that when people are a little heavy handed in the feeding process it can leave the butterflies with irreversible damage, so much so that they are then unable to fly, which is the case for many of the butterflies here. This seems a little on the cruel side for a small piece of human entertainment.

With so many other activities available within Mindo, this certainly falls down the pecking order of interesting activities, although perfect if you have a couple of hours to spare. Mariposas de Mindo is open from 9am-5pm daily. The organisation is a member of the International Association of Butterfly Exhibitors and Suppliers (www.butterflyexhibitions.org) and more information can be found at www.mariposasdemindo.com/english/index.php?id=butterflyfarm and on their blog at www.mariposasdemindo.com/blog/. You can also contact them on 2/2440-360.