Otavalo Day Trip
from Quito
Pick ups at several hotels located in the 3 main areas of the city of Quito:
La Carolina Park, Plaza Foch, Plaza Grande,
Boarding from 07:00 a.m. to 08:00 a.m.
Return to Quito at approximately 7:00 p.m. depending on the traffic on the roads
Otavalo is a tourist destination par excellence in the country, in this site you can become familiar with the Kichwa Otavalo people and their internationally recognized artisan works. Browse the market and its corners, buy colorful textiles and handicrafts, and enjoy the local gastronomy. On our one-day tour you will be able to make several stops at viewpoints and cultural centers to finally visit the largest indigenous market in Latin America.
Full Day Trip to Otavalo
Pickups
- We will make the pick-ups at several hotels located in the 3 main areas of Quito:
La Carolina Park, Plaza Foch, Plaza Grande
Pickups between 06h00 a 07h00 am - If you want to be picked up from another point further away, we can do it with an additional payment, you have to write to us, and we will coordinate your boarding.
- Pick-ups are always reconfirmed until the night before the tour departure, if one day before the departure of the tour if you have not received the confirmation, you can write to WhatsApp 0983359-796.
Stop in Cayambe
- We begin our journey north along the Pan-American highway, we will make a stop in Cayambe, where we will visit a local enterprise where they prepare biscuits, here we will taste the products of the area and have time for breakfast. (Breakfast not included)
- At this stop there is a small monument to the Middle of the World, it is a sphere or ball that was placed in this sector to mark the point of the equatorial line, it is not a museum, it is a monument placed by the geodesic missions as a landmark , here we can observe this spherical monument and learn more about its importance in this sector.
- We will continue our journey north to reach the province of Imbabura, known as the province of lakes.
San Pablo Lake Viewpoint
- We will visit the viewpoint of the lake, from this point you can see its two main attractions, Lake San Pablo and the Imbabura volcano. Lake San Pablo is the largest natural lake in Ecuador and the only one in the world that is located at zero latitude.
- The Imbabura volcano has a height of 4,621 meters above sea level and we know it as the ¨Taita Imbabura¨, from the viewpoint we can observe this magical Andean landscape in which the lake and the volcano complement each other with the surrounding communities.
- After this visit we will continue on our way to the Peguche waterfall.
Peguche waterfall
- The Peguche Waterfall is 20 meters high and 6 meters wide, it is located within a recreational and ceremonial area of the community, here you can appreciate the protective forest that has an extension of 15 hectares. It is a place managed by the community and with our visit we support the conservation of this forest.
- Peguche/chi: It has Kichwa origin and means “steam or mist of sacred water that bathes from above.” Vaho in Kichwa means sami, samay, ashnac, it can be understood as a synonym of energy or power of the yacumama. Ceremonies and festivities are held at the solstices and equinoxes.
Ñanda Manachi House
- Otavalo is culture and in our next stop we will visit the house of the musical group Ñanda Mañachi, here we will be able to observe the different musical instruments used in the Andean countries to create folk music. In this visit we will be able to get to know the artists up close and we will also be able to understand more about their culture and their love of art.
Stop for lunch
- We will make a stop for lunch (Lunch not included) in a restaurant in the area, with various options from tourist menus to typical dishes, we recommend you try the fritada or carne colorada that are typical dishes of the area.
Otavalo Market
- The Otavalo market is known locally as the Plaza de Ponchos and is the largest indigenous market in Latin America. In this place you can find a wide variety of textiles, jewelry, handbags, alpaca toys, necklaces, leather goods, hats and many other things. In this place you can also interact with local people and observe their work.
- We recommend you walk through all the aisles of the market and admire the different types of crafts that are offered, there are various prices and qualities so it all depends on your budget.
- In the market you can enjoy free time to make your purchases. After the visit to the Otavalo market we will begin our return to the capital city.
Return to Quito
- Return to Quito for disembarkation in the same boarding places.
- Note: The order of the visits may vary according to weather conditions.
It includes
- Touristic transportation
- Pickups and drop off from the hotel in Quito in the three main areas
- Bilingual guide (English and Spanish)
- Entrance to the cable car
- Entrance to Devil’s Cauldron waterfall
- Entrance to the End of the world swing
Not included
- Food
- Tips
- Extreme activities (Prices may vary between 15 usd to 20 usd each activity per person)
- Unspecified details
Recommendations
- Wear light clothing, in layers and bring a sweater for the return, walking shoes, glasses, water, a cap, a rain poncho or additional clothing in case you decide to get wet in the Pailón del Diablo.
- Bring a copy or photo of your passport.
Recent travelers reviews
Laura N
2023-11-22
Lo pasamos genial! Tuvimos mucha suerte de tener a Mauro y Mauricio como nuestros guías!!! Lo pasamos realmente bien y tuvimos tiempo suficiente para subir al refugio de Cotopaxi y también se aseguraron de que fuéramos juntos!!! Había muy buena vibe! Nos gustó también mucho el sitio donde comimos y poder darle de comer a las Alpacas 🙂 muy recomendado!!!!
Christina
2023-09-26
i would strongly recommend this day tour! our guide was amazing!! i learned so much the entire day. i would strongly recommend this day tour!!
Edgar P
2023-09-20
Un viaje muy especial al Cotopaxi El tour fue muy completo e interesante, la ruta hacia el cotopaxi ofrece muchas vistas espectaculares y se consiguen excelentes fotos. La subida al cotopaxi es algo pesada pero nuestra guía Dany nos dió tips para que no fuera tan difícil y todo el tiempo nos esperaba si nos quedabamos atras, también nos contó mucha información sobre el Cotopaxi y los demás volcanes, además nos contó varias leyendas muy interesantes. Un tour muy recomendado sobre todo con Dany.
Sally M
2023-08-26
Beautiful day Enjoyable day. Tour guide arrived in time to pick us up and made sure we had everything we needed during the day. The walk into the crater was beautiful but if you're older, you'll need to take your time and watch your footing. Hiking sticks helped. Unless you are in peak condition, be sure to reserve a horse for the ride up. Even the 20 something's were breathing hard and resting a lot. I would definitely recommend this tour. Great company and very organized.
Elainn
2023-08-18
Una aventura El tour estuvo muy bien, con tiempo para adaptarse a la altura y demás. Lamentablemente el clima no ayudó ya que había mucho viento. Eso hizo que la subida al refugio fuera un poco más complicada. Igual, este hecho acrecentó el sentido de aventura (aunque no obtuve las mejores fotos del volcán). Al descenso nos encontramos con dos zorros. A la hora del almuerzo fuimos a un sitio donde uno podía alimentar a las llamas y a los patos. Muy completo todo.
Elainn
2023-08-18
Un día perfecto Originalmente había contratado dos tours con la empresa, pero lo pasé tan bien que agregué uno nuevo. El tour a Quilotoa estuvo genial. Muy completo y bien organizado. Muy buena comunicación previa a la salida. Además me olvidé los lentes de sol en la combi y al otro día me los llevaron a la recepción del hostal. Jess, la guía, fue fantástica. ¡Gracias Mauricio también (él encontró mis lentes)! Hermosos paisajes y tuve la oportunidad de subir a una mula para ahorrarme la subida empinada de Quilotoa.
Lindy
2023-08-11
Fun day on Cotopaxi! My family of 4 (youngest child 11) really enjoyed this tour. Josue was very enthusiastic and kind. The hike was definitely challenging due to altitude and cold wind, but the hot chocolate at the top was delicious and worth the hike. Lunch on the way home was also very good. Overall a great day.
QQQ99999
2023-08-06
Great Tour to Cotopaxi National Park - Irene was a fantastic tour guide! We recently took a tour to Cotopaxi from Quito (booked thru Viator) offered by the Quito Tour Bus company with extended family (party of nine so we had the van to ourselves). Irene was a fantastic guide for our tour. She kept the entire trip both fun and educational! We made a stop inside Cotopaxi National Park that allowed us to pick up the necessary outerwear to make the hike to Refugio José Rivas (our luggage hadn't arrived with us in Quito so we didn't have appropriate clothing for the hike). Once we got to the trailhead, not all of us wanted to hike to the Cotopaxi base camp (Refugio José Rivas) using the same trail and she did a great job of keeping an eye on both groups as we ascended (Pro Tip: Ascend using the switchback trail and descend using the more direct but steeper and looser trail just below the hut). We made a stop at the lagoon on the way out and then stopped for lunch (there were a number of options that we could try on the menu) and some of us tried eating guinea pig while others settled for chicken plates, etc. Great time! So glad we did the tour.
Elysa D
2023-08-06
Exhilarating Hike to Cotopaxi Base Camp We had a beautiful day at Cotopaxi National Park, so that we were very fortunate in that. The views of Cotopaxi were stunning as we got closer. The hike to the Base Camp was challenging because of the high altitude. We began at the parking lot at 14,700' and reached the Refugio Jose Rivas at 15,953' to be exact. We are in our 60s and fit hikers and we were well acclimatized having been in Ecuador for 3 weeks before this tour. There were people who had just arrived in Ecuador who did not do well with the altitude and had to descend, so know yourself and be wise about the elevation. We wore hiking boots and used our poles, which helped a lot because much of the soil is soft and unstable. Otherwise, it was a short but exhilarating hike to the Camp - it took us 30 minutes. Others took longer and, as I said, some turned back. The weather was fabulous on our ascent but turned for the worse while we were at the Camp. The clouds came in and our descent was foggy and drizzly with little visibility. After the hike, we toured the museum and walked the lake and had a nice lunch. It was a great day and our guide, Josue, was fabulous and took great care of everyone.
Bhushan S
2023-07-29
Amazing tour Cotapaxi is amazing and a must visit - one of the most beautiful volcanos/mountains you could see let alone climb. The guide, tour company and group were just fabulous. Such personalized attention to detail and I cannot complement them enough. Thanks to my guide Jessica and our driver Freddy
Otavalo Day Trip
from Quito
