Otavalo Market

Otavalo Market

Explore a colorful indigenous market in South America. Otavalo is one of the hundreds of indigenous markets that are still in force in Ecuador. The market is located 55 miles north of Quito. It is located in the inter-Andean valley above 8307feet. It presents a spring weather almost every month of the year with certain exceptions in the months of January through April. Step by step you will discover the skills of weavers from Otavalo. Immerse yourself in Andean colors, textiles with pre-Columbian designs and listen to the indigenous people speak a local language, Spanish and English with special enthusiasm in order to offer you their products.

Look rose plantations, green pasturelands and volcanoes that are part of the Avenue of the Volcanoes. Near reaching out Otavalo you can distinguish the San Pablo lake which is the largest lake in Ecuador. The lake has an extension of 6 km² and 49 meters deep. The Peguche waterfall and the visit to leather town will complement the day's tour.

Itinerary
This is a typical itinerary for this product

Pass By: Quito, Quito, Pichincha Province

Two hours of travel from Quito will be enough to reach out the Otavalo city. As we move north, we will take several first-order roads that will allow us to see an Andean scenery with variations due to its climate, altitude and especially its people. We will take several photos of the attractive places and admire the northern part of the popular avenue of the volcanoes, which depending on the weather condition to be spotted, one of those colossus is the ice summit known as by the natives as Cayambe volcano.

Stop At: Tabacundo, Tabacundo, Pichincha Province

Tabacundo is known as the world capital of roses. In this sector, we look at rose farms or plantations. Much of its production is exported to several destinations such as the United States, China, Russia and the European Union.

Duration: 10 minutes

Stop At: Miralago, Panamericana Norte km3 Via Del Cajas-Otavalo, San Pablo Del Lago 100211 Ecuador

From this viewpoint, we observe the San Pablo lagoon. The lagoon is considered the largest one in Ecuador and is located at the foot of the Taita Imbabura Volcano 4630 meter or 15190 feet. Also, it is time to take a break and taste a local biscuit called "biscocho" that will be served along with a leaf cheese and a delicious coffee grown nearby but in lower hillsides.

Duration: 30 minutes

Stop At: Otavalo Market, Plaza de los Ponchos, Otavalo 100450 Ecuador

In our eyes, the nice city of Otavalo appears. The majority of the population is indigenous in this region. When parking, our guide will give us useful guidelines so that we can discover more about the market. The dynamic and centennial market is popular in Ecuador and South America. It houses a wide range of products. The sale starts from 8 in the morning until 5 in the afternoon. A lot of vendors from the city of Otavalo show their textiles. The products that stand out are wool caps, sweaters, sheep wool caps, gloves, hats, tablecloths, blankets and wool poncho. However, you can also find saddlery, silver jewelry and wooden crafts.

Duration: 1 hour 30 minutes

Stop At: Cotacachi, Cotacachi, Imbabura Province

Discover more about the leather town. Cotacachi by tradition has been a popular place to buy leather goods such as jackets, wallets, purses, shoes, boots, belts, etc. Finally, we return to Quito with homesickness and the promise to return.

Duration: 1 hour 30 minutes