2 Day Off-Road Mindo Dirt Back Road Self-Guided Motorcycle Tour in Ecuador

Facilities

Once you have decided to start the adventure, Sleipnir Ecuador will give you the tools to enjoy your riding skills and satisfy your adventurous soul with the best bikes out there and in a country that deploys all its beauty just for you. They will pick you up from your hotel and take you where your gear is ready. In your hotel, drop them a line to arrange the details for the meeting the night before your tour.

In the briefing, you will review your tour package and will go through your selected gear. Upon a quick talk on safety and country laws, you will get to meet your tour guide and get goodies for the tour. You will enjoy a nice dinner, admiring the view of the city lights. The first day will start pretty early. You will be picked up from your hotel at 7:30 a.m. Upon the end of your tour, you will have a quick talk to know how you liked it and have a beer along.

Day 1: Quito - Nono - Mindo

You will have a briefing at the offices in Quito, where the last paperwork will be filled, gear will be given and tested, and the bike of your choice will be delivered. Then, after a quick briefing on the roads, safety, and quick guide, you will depart on your way. The departure will be by 9 a.m., after all the formalities. After a ride of 45 minutes, you will be getting to the little town of Nono.

Nono has a very interesting history and planted agricultural land that will offer you beautiful colors. Getting out of Nono, you will pass through the eco-route called “Paseo del Kinde” or “Path of the Hummingbird,” declared as the first important South American site in the world for birdwatching.

There is a possibility to find over 400 different species of birds flying around you during your ride including 20 species of hummingbirds, surrounded by the nature proper of the tropical cloud forest. Once you are done with the dirt road, you will get back the road that takes to Mindo, through E28.

It is estimated that by noon, you will be checking into the hotel right before eating a great lunch at La Bicok EcoLodge. The area of Mindo is also well-known for the production of very fine chocolate from cocoa beans planted the surrounding area. So by the afternoon, you will have the privilege to assist in the tour where you will witness the different stages for the preparation of the chocolates you will probably eat back in your country.

The activity will take almost a couple of hours of pure, tasty fun! Afterward, you will head towards the butterfly farm or Mariposario. It is an opportunity to use your different senses and learn about the insects that are part of the biodiversity of the region. You will head back to the hotel by 6:30 p.m. You will have the chance to take a nice shower before eating the last meal of the day.

Day 2: Mindo - Quito - San Antonio de Pichincha - Quito

After having breakfast and checking that your batteries are fully loaded, by 9 a.m., you will start your trip to one the best natural attractions that you will find in the area. After arriving at the beginning of the trail with a cool cable car, the Nambillo Waterfall is going to be your goal.

Following the different directions all over town and after walking through the exuberant forest for over an hour, you will arrive at the waterfall where, if you want to, you can go for a very refreshing swim before heading back to the cable car that will take you to the main road for your next activity.

Canopying is the adrenaline activity that will let you understand a little bit better the kind of forest you have been to for the last couple days. Combine it with the adrenaline of the zip lines, the activity takes a bit more than an hour where you will be 100 percent assisted by the professional staff of the place.

By 1 p.m., the hotel will be ready to receive you and serve you lunch so you can go back to Quito well fed. You will depart Quito by 2 p.m., back to the E28 for two hours of road to get to San Antonio de Pichincha, also known as the Middle of the World. It is the actual reason for the name of Ecuador, a country that will always be on your mind after the ride.

You will have a visit to the museum, demonstrations to show you that you are in the middle of the world, and ethnographic explanations that will be given by local guides. You will head back to Quito by 6 p.m. so you will get back to your hotel by 6:30 p.m.

Bike rental options:

• Suzuki DR650 / VSTROM650
• Kawasaki KLR650
• BMW F700 / F800

• Chocolate production tour
• Cool cable car ride
• Demonstrations and ethnographic explanations in San Antonio de Pichincha
• Museum tour
• Thrilling canopying
• Trip to a butterfly farm
• Visit to Nambillo Waterfall

This tour will take place in Mindo, Ecuador. The northwest of the Pichincha Province is very well known by nature lovers due to the richness in terms of biodiversity. It has the presence of a neo-tropical biogeographical region called Chocó, that is located in the area of Darien in Panama.

It also goes through the eastern part of Colombia, Ecuador, and a little corner of the north of Peru, covering in total 187,000 square kilometers. In terms of climate in Ecuador, due to the influence and presence of winds loaded with water coming from the Pacific Ocean crashing into the Western Andes, all the water is released in western slopes and creates a new ecosystem that you call the cloud forest.

It is considered as one of the hot spots of biodiversity in the planet. It means that you will find a region with very significant levels of biodiversity that is threatened by human destruction, with very high levels of endemism of plants and animals. You will find over 35 big areas like that biogeographical region around the world.

The destination will be the little town of Mindo, 80 kilometers or 50 miles northwest of the Capital City of Quito. It is located at 1,250 meters or 125 feet above sea level, counting 2,500 inhabitants dedicated to agricultural activities, mainly. The main beauty of Mindo is natural.

The protected forest of Mindo Nambillo, about 19,000 hectares or 47,000 acres and mostly primary forest, is an ecological reserve that will let customers appreciate over 170 species of orchids, 90 species of butterflies, and over 500 species of birds. Activities like canopying, tubing, and hiking are possible in the surrounding natural environment.

One of the highlights in the area is the Nambillo Waterfall, a natural spot that you will reach after an hour and a half of middle difficulty hiking. The place is with a huge variety of flora and fauna that makes the trail more pleasant. It is a natural oasis of about 15 meters or 50 feet high where visitors refresh themselves before going back or use it for activities like rafting and canopying.

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During this tour, one breakfast and two dinners will be provided for you.

You will visit Nambillo Waterfall and there you can have fun and a swim in the waters.

• 1 night accommodation
• 1 breakfast and 2 lunches
• Fully fueled and unlimited mileage motorcycle rental
• Bikes with all the toys installed
• 2 helmets
• GPS tracking system with a panic button on each bike
• 24-hour assistance from the support center
• Trip to the butterfly farm
• Canopying
• Briefing over dinner the day before the trip starts
• Support truck for groups of more than five riders
• 25-liter waterproof saddlebags
• Hard top case with its own lock
• Joe Rocket textile water-resistant jacket
• Waterproof touring gloves
• Upper and lower body rain tops
• Touring trousers
• Set of tire repair and maintenance tools
• First aid kit
• Guaranteed departure on date
• Pick-up and drop off from your hotel in Quito
• Bulletproof travel insurance

• Cable car fee
• Voucher for a security deposit using a major card (required)
• Ecuador IVA tax for locals
• Hotel accommodations before and after the tour
• Alcoholic beverages
• Entrance to Mitad del Mundo Museum

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• A reservation requires a deposit of 30% of the total price.
• The deposit is non-refundable, if the booking is cancelled.
• The rest of the payment should be paid on arrival.