There aren’t many places around the world where Oilbirds can be seen so easily so I wanted to visit the Cueva de los Tayos Oilbird Cave which is about a 90 minute drive from Mindo.  It can be easily slotted in after a visit to Angel Paz if you have your own transport as the Oilbirds can be seen any time of day.  We saw them around 1pm-ish, a time when other birds would be taking a siesta.

The route out to El Chontal where the cave is located is pretty interesting as it passes a few small villages and some nice farmland.  Most of it is a good tarred road but there are some rough roads to travel so if you are renting a car, choose accordingly.  I thought it best to leave the driving to the locals, in our case a driver arranged by Sachatamia Lodge named Daniel.

After arriving at the farm owner’s house, a lady joined us to show us the way to the cave.  We drove for about 10 minutes, then pulled up outside the cave.

It’s less than 5 minutes walking to a place where the Oilbirds can be seen but a bit slippery so I was taking it slow.

It’s pretty dark in there and kind of eerie to see those big eyes staring down at you.  The website describes them as “scary” but I thought they were cute!

I am standing at the place to observe the birds and the guide is at the gate which is on the roadside.

The guide is probably wondering what is keeping me so long!  But not every day I get to see Oilbirds so I was taking my time!

Afterwards we drove back to Mindo through the countryside as the weather started getting drizzly.