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
Karina C
2023-05-19
Tour a Quilotoa! Realizamos el tour a Quilotoa con Best Trip Ecuador y fue una excelente decisión. El lugar es hermoso, el recorrido lleno de paisajes bellos y una visita grata a la casa de don Julian, sin embargo lo mejor de este tour fue nuestra guía IRENE que con su carisma y personalidad demuestra pasión y amor por su país y por su trabajo. Irene te explica cada detalle con paciencia y dedicación, recomiendo 100% este tour.
Jonah S
2023-05-10
Great Trip to Cotopaxi The trip was amazing!! I loved how engaging Veronica was and how we got many opportunities to stop, take pictures and hang out as a group!
John
2023-05-03
Fantastic value! Challenging hike, but the satisfaction was worth the effort. Jessy was an amazing, knowledgeable, and very patient guide. I was fortunate to be with a great group of people, and we had a wonderful day.
Nickole
2023-05-03
Just do it! It's AMAZING! Best day ever on my trip! Jessica was out guide for 9 people on the tour and she rocked! She gave lots of details and history about Quito, Cotopaxi and the volcanoes around the area. Silvio was our driver. Kudos to his fabulous driving skills. Hiking up Cotopaxi was by far the hardest thing I have done. With hiking pokes, altitude, rain and much wind i had to stop multiple times to catch my breath and Jessica was amazing on motivating me to do it. It was a beautiful day with great views. Plus we saw over 200 wild horses, wild deer, birds native to the area and a native fox met all of us at the parking lot. Topped off with a great lunch and for me a chance to see an alpaca and Llama. I highly recommend this tour with Quito Bus Tours.
Andrew R
2023-04-28
Great guide, amazing views. Very nice and friendly tour guide. The hike was challenging but he was helpful and patient with me. I definitely recommend this day tour for some great views.
Dhiren R
2023-04-26
Adrian was a legend,highly recommended!! Fantastic experience with Adrian,great guy so knowledgeable and friendly highly recommended and the tour was very well organised
Iris P
2023-04-26
Stunning experience at Cotopaxi! Had an amazing day with Adrian as our guide.We firstly visited the cotopaxi museum and after an interesting tour we continued our trip to the vulcano. Adrian perfectly led us to the Jose Rivas Refuge and looked after everyone in the group. After reaching the top we had a hot choco and continued to descend. The views were stunning! The trip was closed by a visit to Laguna Limpiopungo and a late lunch at a nearby hacienda. Would totally recommend this trip!
Liliana R
2023-04-26
Amazing Day Tour with Adrian This was a wonderful day adventure. The tour started in Quito. We have been picked up at our Hostel. They arrived at time and we didn‘t had to wait any minute.Adrian, our guide, was very knowledgeable and caring.His explanations and well-chosen stops helped everyone prepare for the hike. We stopped at the interpretation center and Adrian gave a guided tour there.Adrian led the hike on Cotopaxi and made sure every group member had measured their physical preparation and was safe in the weather and environment.He was caring about everyone during the around 1 hour hike and made breaks when we needed.The lunch stop was a cute small restaurant with tasty food!Highly recommend our tour guide Adrian (he speaks flawless English and Spanish).
Caio C
2023-04-10
Breathtaking, challenging, and great company! What an amazing experience. Very well scheduled tour with an amazing Crew! It got to a point that it didn't even matter that the weather was not on our side, because anywhere you look, will take your breath away (the altitude helps). Tour guide Jessica was extremely friendly and knowledgeable, offering us a great informative experience!
rosaura
2023-03-20
Una experiencia inolvidable Desde el inicio Verónica y el conductor, fueron muy cálidos, en el trayecto Verónica nos fue explicando todo con muchos detalles y en ambos idiomas (español e inglés) al llegar al Parque Nacional Cotopaxi la experiencia fue alucinante, el camino demanda su sacrificio y me encantó que cuando por algunas circunstancias nos quedabamos atrás ella siempre nos esperaba y nos daba ánimos igualmente nos daba tips para hacerlo más llevadero!! También cuando necesitábamos algunas fotos siempre estaba dispuesta ❤️❤️❤️Recomendado al 100% Gracias Verónica y Carlos por mostrarnos su país de una manera tan maravillosa!
Otavalo Day Trip
from Quito
