Where We Stayed in MINDO, ECUADOR - Tips for Bird Photographers
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- เผยแพร่เมื่อ 6 ส.ค. 2024
- After spending 3 weeks in beautiful Mindo, Ecuador for bird and wildlife photography, I share some of the lodges we stayed at. Ecuador was an incredible experience with some of the best birding I've ever experienced. If you have any questions, ask them down below and I'll try my best to help! Hope you enjoyed and HAPPY BIRDING!
Thanks to Emily Sobkowiak for some of the footage captured in this video.
Where We Stayed:
YellowHouse Trails & Lodge - www.ecuadormindobirds.com/
El Septimo Paraiso - www.booking.com/Share-RmiCmY
El Eden Treehouse - www.booking.com/Share-T57oRZ
El Descanso - www.booking.com/Share-9rdNo9
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Hey everyone! I hope you've had an amazing holiday season. This is where we stayed during our first time in Mindo, Ecuador. If you have any questions, leave them down below and I'll try my best to help. Enjoy!
Been watching your Ecuador videos tonight in preparation for my own trip in a week.Going for one week to Mindo where I stay at ... Septimo Paraiso and Yellow House. For the second week I am on the eastern slope of the Andes. Thanks for your content!
@@bautzen80 That's awesome! Hope you enjoy your trip. There are some great birds on the Eastern slope that I'm sad I couldn't get to. I wish you luck!
Thank you Stefano, that was a great help on Mindo bird lodges. Can you recommend a simpatico place to stay in Quito while arriving and leaving and visiting the city? Thanks again
Thanks - I am in mindo now but only a day left !!! We did stop by Eden - cause if Covid it’s not really open but we saw toucans and lots of hummingbirds but couldn’t even get a coffee !!!
I agree Ecuador is amazing
Been here many times over decades but never had been to mindo
Thanks again cause I want to return during drier season to experience the mountains
Hi Stefano, my friend and I just booked a trip to Mindo in mid January for some birding because of you! Since watching this, I've done tons of research but I wanted to thank you for this video.
Awesome video. I had a trip to Ecuador planned before the pandemic, but was unable to go. Your video made me so excited to dream about the trip again! Can't wait to go when traveling is safe again. Thank you so much for all this awesome, detailed video :)
I just booked a tour for next April. Great video and will be watching your others on Ecuador.
Absolutely incredible video, Stefano; thank you for the effort you did put into this; you are very organized, and great info
Very glad to help! Thank you!
Awesome intel, thanks Stefano
I love this video. Thanks so much. Greetings from Chile.
Hey, I just wanted to let you know that after watching your video me and my boyfriend ended up spending 2 months at the yellow house and we had the best time, so thanks ! 😁
Thank you so much for the information! I'm a going to Mindo in March and this was definitely very helpful!
The downside about going there is you won't want to leave 😂
Great video, glad you did it, really helps with prices and places to stay, thanks a bunch.
I'm glad it was helpful! Thank you! 🙂
I love Mindo and hope to return again soon. We stayed at Casa Divina Lodge there and I would also recommend it. The owners are avid bird/wildlife photographers and they have designed the place to be attractive to wildlife and eco-friendly. There are some trails on the property that we did night hikes on.
That was one of the locations that was on our list when we were first booking. Looked awesome, but didn't work out with our dates. I'll have to keep it in mind when I head back!
Thanks Stefano! Great video series - amazing shots!
Thanks a lot! Glad you enjoyed 🙂
Great video man, very good information, on point
Thank you very much. I will go end of this Jan or begin of Feb. See your guy.
Excellent video. Well done. No monkey business. Thank you.
Hi Eric here from Canada I think your video serves a purpose and won't say anything negative about it but would like like to say this ....... I have been living in Mindo for 7 years now and as a birder and professional photographer if you really want to see birds and I mean a lot of birds you need a guide .....on average you will see about 18 times more birds with a guide for the simple reason that's what they do best they know the area they know where to find them they know where they nest and Ecuador has the cheapest guiding rates in the world.....cheers
Great info! Thanks for sharing
Thank you 🙂
Thanks for this Stefano. I like your suggestion of splitting time between two properties. One budget and one a bit more upscale. One needs to consider the none photographer as well. 😉
Haha, it was nice to have those higher-end accommodations for a few days. I think everyone I met in Mindo was a photographer/birder. I think it's a requirement to get into the town hahaha.
Just discovered your channel and love your style. Great videos and great photos!
Thank you so much! Glad you're enjoying them 🙂
Nice, nice videos. Keep it up! Looks really good!
And will even give you a sub!
Think this is the first time I’ve seen Ecuador mentioned for birding, it’s usually Costa Rica or Panama. Will have to look into it some more but great tips in this video.
I've done both. Ecuador is absolutley amazing.
thank you.
Man this is so cool. Great info. And I`m a brazillian birder (and aspiring wildlife photographer) and it`s so nice to see many animals wich I see around here in a wildlife photography video. Now what an experience it would be to photograph a spectable bear!
Thanks! I'd love to do a trip just to find that bear!
thanksssss
Amazing bro 🙌😃
Thank you 😊
Nice info man! be great to go there, Really loving your stuff :) Keep it coming!
I just went and I already want to go back 😅 Glad you enjoyed, thank you!
Are we going to Ecuador now? ;)
Magnus Askeland Haha! 😅 that would be awesome
Awesome to see this! Tandayapa and Mindo are on my list for Dec 2020, and this video helped me out a lot :-)
That's great to hear! I've heard amazing things about Tandayapa. I'm excited for you haha
@@StefanoIaniro I do have a question, though. I've checked rates for El Septimo Paraiso for a week, both near the beginning of November and also for the beginning of December. In both cases, the room came out to be about $225 per night (for two people, so about $112 per night per person). That was with breakfast only. Your video was showing $50-$70 per night per person? Did you find some kind of special for that hotel? I did see exactly the prices you were saying for Yellow House, so I'm wondering why I'm seeing such high prices for El Septimo Paraiso...
@@EricHarmon67 I know when we booked we got a discount because it was their low season, and we stayed there the second week of November. Also they have a ton of accommodations there, so it could be possible they're sold out and what you're seeing is the more expensive rooms that are left. I know if we booked a few days later, the price jumped quite a bit. That's one reason I mentioned to play around with the dates, especially for El Septimo. Their prices seem a bit more flexible. Whereas Yellowhouse is a standard fee. Also, take a look to make sure the currency isn't set to Canadian. I just copy pasted the link through my browser so that might have changed it for you!
@@EricHarmon67 I also just checked quickly for 1 night on January 1st, and it's giving me a price of 103.18 + 22.93 tax for the room. So about $63 per person.
@@StefanoIaniro OK, looks like they might lower their prices as the time gets closer. One night on January 1, 2021 is close to $200 for the room. I see the same thing you're seeing for January 1, 2020. I usually book a long way ahead, but I might play the waiting game a little bit with them. Our dates aren't terribly flexible due to other trips we've already scheduled for early Nov 2020 and early Jan 2021, but I've got their web site saved in my favorites now, so I can check the prices every few weeks. :-)
OMG!!! It's really helpful dude.. Thank you so much .. sure I'll plan a trip
That's awesome! Very glad to help 🙂
Stefano Ianiro Wildlife but from India .. the flight ✈️ only costs 1500 USD 😕
@@sharavnankv5386 Yeah, flights from oversea are always more expensive!
Stefano Ianiro Wildlife 🤣
Stefano Ianiro Wildlife I wish you to you come india, Chennai If you planning an another trip 👍🏻.. I'll help you here 😊
Wow! The prices in Ecuador are incredibly low and that cabin for a week or a month sounds fantastic! Definitely on my list now. Thanks for the information and best of luck to you!
Thank you! And apparently if you're more than one person and you stay for a week or a month, you get a small discount. We ended up paying 120 instead of 125. Crazy!
Wow , great video . I just updated my Ebird information. Have a new camera. Ebird is going too help a lot. Thanks .
Happy to help! 🙂
Amazing way of sharing your experience and happiness:) How did you get to Mindo from Montreal?
Super useful. Thanks for sharing. Did you call Yellow House to book the cabin? Didn't find a link on their website.
On their contact page or homepage there should be an email. I believe the woman who owns it has her sister in the US dealing with the bookings. Let me know if you get it 🙂
Very useful info bro! I’m planning to go to Mindo soon to test a 400mm f2.8 😬
Oh man so jealous! That's the lens I've been wanting to test out for so long! Can't wait to see your photos!
Thank you so much for this video! Do you recommend getting a taxi from the airport to Septimo versus renting a car? Is wifi from the guest room good & stable? Did your room have hot shower, heat/AC?
Hello Stefano, very helpful video. We will be in Mindo coming October. Just a question, which car transport can you recommend from Quito Airport to Mindo? Thanks in advance 🦜
thanks for the help provided in the video, but if you have to choose only one now that u have your experience, with one it will be? in your opinion in what spot(RENTAL) did you find more birds? thanks
If I was solely relying on seeing the most species, I'd choose El Septimo. If I was trying to be budget friendly, definitely the Yellow House. Still a ton of species and doesn't break the bank!
You should arrange some bird photography workshops there...
Awesome see you on Twitter.
Hey Stefano Ianiro Wildlife, really enjoyed the series. I also really appreciate this specific episode about the budgets and what to expect at each. I had NO idea this was that affordable. I dont know if you mentioned this or not, it didnt stand out to me if you did, but I see by reviews that there are about 3 legit field guides to the area, Birds of Ecuador (Helms Guide), The Birds of Ecuador: Field Guide by Robert Ridgley, and the Birds of Western Ecuador: A Photographic Guide. Did you use either of these and did you find one to be more useful? Thanks again for the great videos.
Hey! Very glad you enjoyed the series! I used the Helms guide to the Birds of Ecuador and found it pretty decent. I would also download the Ecuador Birds pack from the Merlin app (it's free and great for the field). Another very useful field guide is the Birds of Northern South America. It's bigger/heavier but if you're planning to do other parts of Northern South America it is handy!
@@StefanoIaniro Thanks for the reply and the recommendation. Was the Northern South America the Helms guide as well? Also, great shot and moment with the Mantis and Hummer!
@@vonnyrotten Thank you! So glad you enjoyed the moment. And from my recollection it's not Helms. It's from 2 or 3 authors, red and white field guide.
Hey, I'm from India and I wish to go with you for birding some day🙏
Hoping to make it out there someday 🙂
I want to visit Thailand with Explore Herpetology who help you find all the snakes around there, including all the venomous ones. Also other reptiles and amphibians, but it’s snake-oriented. Thailand is pretty cheap and they have a lot of great snakes like King Cobras, spitting cobras, monocled cobras, kraits, a lot of vipers, especially tree vipers, vine snakes, cat snakes, slug eating snakes, reticulated pythons, Blue coral snakes, and some cool aquatic species like the tentacle snake and the tree trunk snake. Oh also Orange keelbacks which are gorgeous.
Does it feel safe down there? Any concerns about the locals?
I felt safe there. It's a nice little relaxed town. We walked around everywhere when going to restaurants, never had a problem 🙂
Very safe, I was there. No problems at all.
Nice people (Canadians) talking in USD. LOVE IT! Only cause I'm lazy and don't want to do conversions to CAD.
Hahaha. It's also convenient since they use USD in Ecuador 😉
Who wants Canadian money ?? No one.
Hello sir,
I have purchased sony A7R IV and I'm using it to capture birds in combination with sony 200 -600 lens
For some reasons I'm not getting sharpe images
I was using AF-C with wide area focus and flexible spot
Please help me where I'm doing wrong because now I'm starting to think that there something wrong with either lens or the camera.
Hey! The best thing to do if you want to test your camera/lens is take test shots on a tripod. So set up an object outside and take images of it. Do a mix of autofocus and manual focus to see if you're able to get a sharp image. If you're unable to get any sharp images while on a tripod, then I would try troubleshooting with Sony support. But test it out first to see if you can get sharp images 🙂
@@StefanoIaniro okay, thank you for the advice.
Also, your videos are great!!!
@@harshilghonia1725 Thank you 😃
Stefano what airport did you fly in to?
I flew into the airport in Quito - Mariscal Sucre International Airport. It's a little over 2 hours away from the town of Mindo
How many lifers in whole Ecuador trip?
Almost 100! I had some that I've already seen in Central America. I'll have to go back to do some birding in different habitats!
@@StefanoIaniro sweet 😍😍
Somewhat cheaper than Mashpi Lodge at $950 per night, but there you get a nifty metal water bottle with your name on it.
I have been to Mindo, you do not need a guide to see birds,i live in Ecuador now and most of the trails can be found with ease
Pro Tip : Take the bus from Quito to Mindo. Value savings. EZ ride.
Idk why I'm watching this, I can't even afford to travel in my own country most of the time
Someday, maybe....