Page 8 - Off The Tourist Trail - 1000 Unexpected Travel Alternatives (Part 2 of 2)

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NATURAL WONDERS FORGET THE COSTA

RICAN RAIN FORESTS?

THE BUILD-UP For years the rain forests
of Costa Rica have been the destination
of choice for travelers wishing to see and
interact with Mother Nature on her own

can see, tropical birds flit about with bright
plumage, and the sights and sounds of a pristine
Mindo-Nambillo terms. Tall trees soar higher than the eye
ecosystem are everywhere.
THE LETDOWN And so it was...but not so
Cloud Forest much anymore. What used to be a nearly intact
rain forest has been splintered and chopped
into small parcels throughout the country,
many with little or no regulation. Now
approaching the level of a mass tourism
destination, these forests are crowded with
vs Costa Rican Rain Forests vendors selling everything from Spanish-
language instruction books to mass-produced
souvenirs.
The Costa Rican rain forests, now largely co-opted by foreign tour operators, have less-
GOING ANYWAY? Rather than book a tour, visit
than-pristine environments. Ecuador’s Mindo-Nambillo cloud forest is the real thing one of the national parks and enlist one of the
certified guides there. It will be much cheaper, and
you’ll have less competition from other tourists.

has a spectacular wealth of native-environment
NEED TO KNOW
flora, including some of the world’s rarest orchids,
LOCATION The Mindo-Nambillo as well as fauna, especially tropical butterflies and
Cloud Forest is about 24 miles
(40 km) northwest of .*/%0 /".#*--0 birds – many of which were once thought to be
Ecuador’s capital, Quito $-06% '03&45 extinct but actually manage to survive here.
4BOUB .BSUB
VISITORS PER YEAR 2VJUP The cloud forest is a truly magical place, filled
Around 12,000 1PSUPWJFKP
DAYTIME &$6"%03 with the sights and sounds of an ecosystem that
TEMPERATURES (VBZBRVJM still flourishes in this corner of Ecuador, free from
Jan: 77°F (25°C); Apr: 79°F 1BDJöD 21st-century cares. In fact, to say that Mindo-
0DFBO
(26°C); Jul: 82°F (28°C); 1&36
Oct: 80°F (27°C) -PKB Nambillo is a rejuvenating place is a huge ABOVE Small shops and vendors lining First Beach at Manuel
understatement. For years a well-kept secret, or a Antonio National Park, Costa Rica
largely ignored paradise, depending on who you
Tucked away in the sloping hills northwest of ask, Mindo-Nambillo has come into its own only
Quito, and no more than a 90-minute drive from since 1982 and now falls under the protection of
the capital, lies the extraordinary Mindo-Nambillo the Ecuadoran government. Unlike rain forests in
Cloud Forest or, to use its official title, the Bosque Costa Rica and elsewhere, there are stringent PRACTICAL INFORMATION
Protector Mindo-Nambillo. It’s one of those places regulations regarding who gets in and the
that will leave you doubly astonished – by its purpose for the visit. You won’t find tour guides Getting There and Around prettiest setting – has excellent
beauty and by the fact that it isn’t more widely hawking their services, nor five-star luxury hotels Getting to Mindo-Nambillo cabins and plenty of bird-watching
couldn’t be easier. It’s less than opportunities of its own.
known, although that’s changing fast. Covering that undermine the forest’s ecology. What you will
a 2-hour drive over paved roads When to Go
nearly 49,000 acres (20,000 hectares), the reserve find are increasingly rare flora and more than from Quito. There’s a lot June through September is the
500 species of birds in a pristine, natural to do in the area, so renting a car most pleasant period to visit.
environment. For those interested in outdoor is recommended. Avoid the rainy season from
activities, there are trails for walking and bird- Where to Eat October to May. It is better to
watching, and if you’re scrupulously careful, you On the way to the cloud forest, visit on weekdays as there are
may even be able to go rafting or rappel the take the road to Calacalí and stop fewer tourists; weekends can be
off at Pululahua to try El Cráter very busy with families.
beautiful La Isla Waterfalls.
(www.elcrater.com), on the Budget per Day for Two
The government wisely established a buffer outskirts of town. It has excellent Roughly US$40 should do nicely,
zone within the park, the first of its kind in South food and outstanding views of especially considering the lack of
America, where visitors can lodge or camp and a volcanic crater and the vendors and tour promoters.
stock up on supplies. Guides are allowed to set up surrounding landscape. Bring a bit more money if you
shop only if they pass extensive tests. Where to Stay plan to stay the night in Mindo.
Mindo-Nambillo also takes its commitment In Mindo itself, the comfortable Website
Mindo Garden (www. www.getquitoecuador.com/
to family education seriously, so if you have the
mindogardens.com) – situated quito-natural-attractions/
kids along, there’s plenty for all to do and see, as in what may be the region’s mindo_cloudforest.html
ABOVE A visitor on a log bridge in the Mindo-Nambillo forest preserve much of the preserve is accessible to children.

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