Mindo, Ecuador

The highlight of the trip was our trip to Mindo. Our first stop there was the butterfly house. They showed us butterflies being "born", coming out of their chrysalis stage and becoming butterflies. We spend quite a bit of time there photographing butterflies and watching them. You can get them to land on your fingers if you have some banana nectar on your finger. It was a lot of fun and we got some beautiful photos out of it. The hummingbirds were scarce and we found out that they were nesting so not many were around.
We stayed the night in the rain forest at Casa Divina. It was a really beautiful place to stay. Their "cabins" were so nice. It is run by a couple and their children and is a great family place to stay. The drive up to the parking place is quite an adventure in itself, crossing a small stream, wooden one car bridge, dense forest, but a really beautiful drive. At the parking place, there is a wheelbarrow to help you wheel your luggage up to the cabin. It is a gorgeous walk up to the main house. Meals are included in your stay and are eaten "family style" in the main house. The main house is built up high so that you have a wonderful view from all sides of the main room. Up that high is perfect for bird watching and there are plenty of birds to see. At breakfast the next morning we had a great view of the bird feeders outside and we were eye level with all the birds that flew in to eat. Upstairs is a huge open room to listen and view the birds in the trees. The girls loved that there are also swings inside the room for them to play on. The cabins are furnished with beds (nice and comfy) and a huge bathroom. I had to buy some of the soap that they furnish for the guests. It is made there in Mindo and made of all natural ingredients. I'll include the website at the end of my blog. Each cabin comes with a covered porch with chairs and a hammock. I got up early the next morning and just sat in the hammock and listened to the forest waking up. I was also treated to seeing a flock of toucans in some of the trees. It was a wonderful, restful place to be. Check out this link:

http://www.mindocasadivina.com