... is a community tourism project (www.ecorutadelquinde.org) that helps protect South America´s first Important Bird Area, IBA, designated by Birdlife International in 1997. MCF conceived this ecoroute as an integral sustainable development project and it has now taken on life of its own. The non-profit Corporación Ecoruta has taken the lead on this project since early 2007. MCF however maintains a spot on the board of this young, small organization to help guide and support its eventual success! The Ecoroute — “El Paseo del Quinde” — is an integrated conservation and nature tourism project that will convert the beautiful rural Quito-Nono,Tandayapa-San Tadeo, Mindo road into an eco-tourism magnet. This project will contribute not only to conservation but also to an improved standard of living for the local inhabitants of the surrounding communities in northwestern Pichincha province, Ecuador. It is also designed as a replicable, modifiable model to be exported to other suitable areas. We chose the name “Paseo del Quinde” for this pilot ecoroute - Quinde is the widely-used Quechua term for hummingbird and a paseo is an excursion or stroll.

Beyond great scenery, this eco-scenic route has road maintenance, guiding and other services provided by community members. The 75km-long Ecoroute follows the former main road from Quito to the coast. When the new highway opened this old road was essentially abandoned and has remained ecologically relatively intact - it is already a famous worldwide destination among birders. The Ecoroute project hopes to consolidate and systemize this standing into a replicable model which ensures both the implementation of long-term conservation strategies and community participation in the ecotourism industry. In other words we propose nature tourism as a genuine and sustainable economic motor to drive environmental awareness among the local people that share habitat with the species that tourists come to see. This vision is new to Ecuador.

It´s not hard to find and begins just on one edge of Quito then takes you thru 5 lifezones over paramo on down to the subtropical Andean foothills.

Just follow the blue signs...

Use your handy visitor´s guide.