How to get to Mindo Ecuador by bus - Full Guide

Mindo sign

Quito to Mindo Bus

On the bus to Mindo

Mindo is a must see city just outside of Quito. It's considered one of only 736 cloud forests in the world and is a tranquil wonderland. There's nature lurking around every corner and huge waterfall hikes to do. But how do you get there? When we were looking to take a bus from Quito to Mindo we couldnt find much information about the Journey online, so i've decided to throw one together! This is our How to get to Mindo, Ecuador by bus - Full Guide.

Getting to the right bus station

There are 3 main bus stations in quito and countless others dotted around the giant city. The one you'll need to get to is called 'Terminal La Ofelia' This is a decent sized bus terminal in the North of the city that serves both local and national lines. An Uber from Historic Centro costs about $5-$7 USD depending on time and if you mention Mindo some drivers might drop you off right out the front of the office.

Buying Tickets to Mindo

Coop flor del valle office

Buying tickets to Mindo

There is only one company that does a direct bus service to and from Mindo 'Cooperativa Flor del Valle', sadly it's not very well signed if you don't know what your looking for. We knew the bus company so found the office pretty fast! The office you want is fourth from the end of a row of offices and has a little blue sign out the front reading 'coop. flor del valle' Please note, there are NO signs saying Mindo in any large enough font to read, you'll be wanting to look for the bus company, not the destination.

The tickets cost $3.60 per person

Time table as of July 2023

Bus to Mindo timetable

The Journey

Quito to Mindo Bus (External)

Quito to Mindo Bus (Seats)

Quito to Mindo Bus (Internal)

The bus we took left at 11am. The bus arrived right outside the office and we were able to board the bus 15 minutes early after a shout of 'Mindo, Mindo, Minnndoooo' from our driver. The bus left Exactly on time. Our bus had a few spare seats at the back but it filled up by picking up additional passengers on the way. The Journey takes 2-2.5 hours and is relatively easy. We have heard the winding roads can make people feel sick, but we didn't have any trouble! (If you get sick easily, ask to be seated near the front!)

Arriving in Mindo

The bus will arrive into the one and only bus station in Mindo (it's a pretty small town) this bus station isn't showing up on google maps as it's only been built in the last few years! The station sits right at the top of the hill at one end of the town so you should have an easy walk down hill to get to your accommodation. If your staying further away there will be a lot of Taxi's either right as you exit the bus or about 20 meters down the road! A taxi within a 10 minute drive of town shouldn't cost more than $3 or so. Enjoy your time in Beautiful Mindo!