Travel guide · Itineraries
Quito and Mindo before your Galápagos cruise: the case for going first
Why Quito and Mindo Cloud Forest work better before a Galápagos cruise than after: altitude, luggage and energy, with a 3-day pre-cruise plan, transfer…
Photo: Las Terrazas de DanaMost people think of the cloud forest as something to add to the end of a Galápagos trip. We think it works better at the front. Not always, and not by much, but there are three practical reasons that tip the balance, and one of them has to do with altitude. Here is the argument, a 3-day plan, and the one timing rule that must not be broken.
Three reasons to go first
Acclimatisation. Quito sits at 2,850 metres and your international flight almost certainly lands there. Going straight from sea level at home to a high city and then straight onto a boat stacks two adjustments on top of each other. A night or two in Quito and then two nights down in Mindo at 1,300 metres means you arrive in the islands rested and adjusted, instead of starting a week of early landings with a headache.
Luggage. A Mindo stay after the cruise means carrying everything, cruise clothes included, down the mountain road and back. Before the cruise, you leave the bulk of the luggage at your Quito hotel, spend two nights in Mindo with a small bag, and collect the rest on the way to the airport. Most Quito hotels store bags free; confirm when you book.
Energy. A cruise asks something of you every day. Before it, you are fresh and a 5:30 start for the cock-of-the-rock lek is an adventure. After ten days aboard, most guests want the opposite: a slow morning and a hammock.
The honest counterargument: if your dream is the islands, doing them last means any flight disruption on the mainland hits the main event. Galápagos flights are rarely delayed badly, but they are the part of the trip you cannot reschedule. Weigh it for yourself; the combining Galápagos and Mindo page sets out both orders.
A 3-day pre-cruise plan
| Day | Where | What |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Quito | Land, transfer to the city, take it easy: walk, drink water, skip the alcohol. The old town’s plaza and a café if your body cooperates |
| 2 | Quito to Mindo | Morning transfer, about two hours over the western cordillera and down into the cloud forest. Afternoon: the tarabita cable car and the waterfall trails, or the butterfly garden if the rain arrives on schedule, which it usually does. Dinner at Brito Restaurante |
| 3 | Mindo, then Quito | Birding at first light at Refugio Paz de las Aves, where antpittas come to be fed by hand and the cock-of-the-rock lek starts around 6:00. Hummingbird gardens on the way back. Afternoon return to Quito, luggage pickup, early night before the flight to Baltra or San Cristóbal |
With a fourth day, add the zipline over the canopy, a chocolate tour at a bean-to-bar maker in town, or a full birding day at higher altitude with a certified guide.
Getting from Quito to Mindo
| Cost | Notes | |
|---|---|---|
| Private transfer with the lodge | About US$105 each way; included with a cruise booked through us | Door to door, arranged ahead, the only option we recommend with cruise luggage |
| Taxi | US$80–90 | Negotiate before you leave; not all drivers know the road |
| Public bus from the La Ofelia terminal | About US$4.50 | Several a day, no schedule worth printing; fine with a daypack, not with suitcases |
The drive takes about two hours and the road is good; it climbs out of the Quito basin, crosses the cordillera and descends into the forest, which is why the second half feels like being able to breathe again.
A note on altitude
Quito’s 2,850 metres is not extreme by Andean standards, but it catches people who fly in from sea level and rush. Headache, poor sleep and breathlessness on stairs usually peak in the first 24 to 36 hours, which is exactly the window most itineraries fill with sightseeing. If your plan has the old town on arrival day, make it the plaza and a café, not a walk up El Panecillo. Save the mountain road for day two, when you have slept; the descent to Mindo is the part guests describe as finally breathing.
What it costs
With a cruise booked through us, the Mindo nights, all meals and the private transfers are complimentary, and on fares of US$3,500 and US$5,000 per person the activities and a private guide come with them; the tiers are in the complimentary nights guide. Assembled piece by piece instead: the transfer as above, activity entries of US$5–25 each, and a certified birding guide at US$90 for a half day or US$150 for a full day. The Quito nights are yours either way, at US$80–200 for a good hotel.
Timing the flight
Whatever you do, do not cut it close. Give the Mindo-to-airport journey a full morning: Galápagos flights check in early and close early, and the two-hour drive has no fast alternative. If your cruise embarks the day you leave Mindo, you are gambling; sleep in Quito the night before the flight, as the plan above does. And bring the TCT registration and the park fee cash with you from day one; the entry fee guide explains both.
Frequently asked questions
Is it better to visit Mindo before or after a Galápagos cruise?
Before, if altitude, luggage or energy are your concerns: you acclimatise in the forest at 1,300 metres and board the yacht rested. After, if you want decompression and early-morning birding without a flight to catch. Both work.
How far is Mindo from Quito?
About two hours by road over the western cordillera. A private transfer costs about US$105 each way and is included with every cruise booked through us.
How many days do you need in Mindo before a cruise?
Two nights: one afternoon for the waterfalls or the butterfly garden and one dawn for the birds, with the return to Quito on the third day and the flight to the islands on the fourth morning.
Can I leave luggage in Quito while I visit Mindo?
Most Quito hotels store bags free for returning guests. Take a daypack to Mindo and collect the rest on the way to the airport.
Related reading
The three trip shapes are in combining Galápagos and Mindo; what the included stay covers is in the complimentary nights guide; and what to pack for both halves is in the packing list.
Sources
- Las Terrazas de Dana Boutique Lodge & Spa, Mindo
- Refugio Paz de las Aves and the Mindo birding guides, Las Terrazas de Dana
Last verified: October 2026
After the islands, the cloud forest: Las Terrazas de Dana Boutique Lodge & Spa, Mindo Cloud Forest, included with every cruise we book.