Tandayapa Travel Guide

Tourist Guide

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.
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.

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Bellavista Cloud Forest Reserve & Lodge

Bellavista Cloud Forest Reserve & Lodge

2.5 out of 5
Km 52 Ruta Antigua Quito - Nanegalito Mindo Pichincha
The price is AU$287 per night from 2 Apr to 3 Apr
AU$287
2 Apr - 3 Apr
Stay at this lodge in Mindo. Enjoy free breakfast, free parking and an airport shuttle (surcharge). Popular attractions Bellavista Cloud Forest Reserve and Maquipucuna ...
10/10 Exceptional! (12 reviews)
Breakfast is great including, other meal options ; at night and early morning tour very well, tour guide has a lot of knowledge . Beautiful place.

Reviewed on 12 Feb 2026

Bellavista Cloud Forest Reserve & Lodge
Le Parc Hotel, Beyond Stars

Le Parc Hotel, Beyond Stars

4.5 out of 5
República de El Salvador Quito Quito
The price is AU$157 per night from 3 Apr to 4 Apr
AU$157
3 Apr - 4 Apr
Stay at this luxury hotel in Quito. Enjoy free Wi-Fi, a full-service spa and breakfast (surcharge). Our guests praise the helpful staff in their reviews. Popular ...
9.2/10 Wonderful! (950 reviews)
From the beginning, the rooms were amazing. The front entrance was spotless. The breakfast was awesome. The location can’t be any better.

Reviewed on 3 Feb 2026

Le Parc Hotel, Beyond Stars
ibis Quito

ibis Quito

3 out of 5
Avenida Diego De Almagro E8 19 Quito
The price is AU$71 per night from 21 Mar to 22 Mar
AU$71
21 Mar - 22 Mar
Stay at this hotel in Quito. Enjoy free Wi-Fi, free parking and breakfast (surcharge). Our guests praise the helpful staff in their reviews. Popular attractions ...
ibis Quito
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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.
Harmony Luxury Apartments

Harmony Luxury Apartments

4.5 out of 5
Av. República de El Salvador 34-127 Quito Pichincha
Stay at this luxury apartment in Quito. Enjoy free Wi-Fi, a full-service spa and a sauna. Popular attractions Botanical Garden of Quito and Parque La Carolina ...
8.4/10 Very Good! (24 reviews)
Nice building clean apt. It would have been nice if there were shades on the kitchen windows or a curtain between the bedroom and kitchen. The bed frame is too large for the space and makes it difficult to move around in the bedroom.

Reviewed on 16 Jan 2026

Harmony Luxury Apartments
Old Town Quito Suites, Apartments & Boutique hotel

Old Town Quito Suites, Apartments & Boutique hotel

4 out of 5
José de Antepara E3-61 y Vicente Léon Quito Pichincha
Stay at this family-friendly aparthotel in Quito. Enjoy free breakfast, free Wi-Fi and 24-hour room service. Our guests praise the helpful staff and the property ...
10/10 Exceptional! (174 reviews)
Our two bedroom, two bathroom apartment was perfect for our family’s week stay in Quito. Very clean and comfortably furnished. The staff were friendly and always helpful. Breakfast was perfect, so convenient to have in our apartment.

Reviewed on 1 Feb 2026

Old Town Quito Suites, Apartments & Boutique hotel
Edificio Tofino

Edificio Tofino

3.5 out of 5
Av. Naciones Unidas Quito Pichincha
Stay at this apartment in Quito. Enjoy free Wi-Fi, breakfast (surcharge) and parking (surcharge). Popular attractions Iñaquito Shopping Center and Naciones Unidas ...
8.6/10 Excellent! (30 reviews)
GREAT HOST, VERY HELPFUL AND UNDERTANDING. GOOD LOCATION HOWEVER THE APARTMENT NEEDS A BIT OF TLC AND ATTENTION TO DETAIL. BREAKFAST WAS INCLUDED HOWEVER EVERY DAY WAS EXACT SAME THING. PARKING WAS AVAILABLE FOR AN ADDITIONAL FEE WHICH WAS VERY APPRECIATED AND CONVENIENT. THIS APARTMENT IS LOCATED ...

Reviewed on 2 Mar 2026

Edificio Tofino
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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.

Popular places to visit

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.

Bellavista Cloud Forest Reserve

Explore the great outdoors at Bellavista Cloud Forest Reserve, a lovely green space in Tandayapa. While you're in the area, wander around the parks.

Bellavista Cloud Forest Reserve

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

Activities

Mindo Ziplines Tour, offers a 10-wire tour through the cloud forest where you can enjoy adventure, nature, adrenaline.

Mindo Ziplines Tours / Canopy Tour / Zip Line

AU$29
per adult
Mindo Ziplines Tours / Canopy Tour / Zip Line
Butterflies in Mindo

Mindo Cloud Forest Full Day Tour from Quito

AU$84
per adult
80% of travellers recommend
Mindo Cloud Forest Full Day Tour from Quito
Mindo Cloud Forest Tour Ecuador

Mindo Cloud Forest Private Tour: Birdwatching, Birds & Nature

AU$127
per adult
Mindo Cloud Forest Private Tour: Birdwatching, Birds & Nature
Andean Cock Watching tour in mindo

Andean Cock Watching tour in mindo with hummingbird and breakfast

AU$71
per adult
Andean Cock Watching tour in mindo with hummingbird and breakfast
Guided Birding Photography Experience

Guided Birding Photography Experience

AU$255
per traveller
Guided Birding Photography Experience
Mindo Cloud Forest Experience THE CUSTOMIZELY ONE from Quito

Mindo Cloud Forest Experience THE CUSTOMIZELY ONE from Quito

AU$239
per adult
Mindo Cloud Forest Experience THE CUSTOMIZELY ONE from Quito
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