Ecuador is a small country in South America crossed by  the equatorial line that divides it precisely into two hemispheres.  Quito is the capital and from here you can travel to a magical territory  just two and a half hours from the big city. A place that is very  famous for its almost 600 species of birds, a large number of orchids  and almost the same number of species of insects and reptiles. The mindo  valley is located at an altitude of 4500 feet above sea level and is  known as the cloud forest because almost all year round in the  afternoons a dense fog brings water from the coastal plains to the foot  of the mountains. This interaction of the foothills with the clouds  creates an environment conducive to the development of life. Today it is  one of the most visited sites in Ecuador for the activities that can be  done such as bird and hummingbird watching, a hike on the trail of  waterfalls and a visit to one of the most important butterfly farms in  the country that carry out an interesting project for the protection of  these wonderful creatures. We leave the city of Quito at 08h00 and head towards the city of Mindo.  On the way we will make a stop to learn about the history of the middle  of the world of Calacali, a small town belonging to Quito but in a rural  environment that depends on agriculture for their livelihood. We  continue on the road for two hours more driving to reach the paradise of  birds, a site well known for visiting birds such as tanagers and very  colorful hummingbirds typical of the cloud forest, about 20 species of  these colorful birds. A little further into the village we will arrive  at the waterfall sanctuary just inside the cloud forest, here we can  enjoy a walk in the forest where we will learn about the differences  between this forest and the rainforest of the Amazon. To finish our  visit we will go to the Mindo Butterfly Farm, a project created almost  30 years ago with the sole purpose of helping the balance and  equilibrium of nature. Here we have an introductory talk about the life  of butterflies and their metamorphosis, time for photographs in their  gardens. Finally we will have a refreshing lunch in one of the  restaurants in the area and start our return to the capital.