Trips in the City of Otavalo and Its Surroundings in Ecuador

Otavalo, located about eighty kilometers north of Quito, is mainly known thanks to the huge and unique market held there every Saturday where you can find everything. This market, known by its name Plaza de los Ponchos, is famous all over South America and is considered one of the largest and most successful markets in South America. The market sells handicrafts made by indigenous people (referred to by locals as Indigenous), mainly textile products and art, fabrics, clothing, and souvenirs, and it also has a huge animal market.

 

 

A smaller market is held in the city every day and even if you do not happen to reach the city specifically on Saturday, it is worth visiting.
But the market is only one attraction among many in the area where you can spend two full and diverse days combining culture with nature and landscapes.

♦ For those in Quito, you can book via the Viator website the following tours to Otavalo departing from Quito:

 

Recommended Accommodation Near Otavalo:

Hacienda – Lodging in Ancient Manor Houses

One of the accommodation experiences not to be missed in Ecuador is living in a Hacienda - a huge ancient manor that belonged to the Spaniards during the period when they ruled the country, where a wealthy family lived for generations as well as the many workers who tilled their lands and served them. Many of the haciendas have over the years turned into special hotels with character and atmosphere. You can feel in them the atmosphere of the colonial period and enjoy statues, paintings, and ancient and special objects. In many of the haciendas there are also lovely and well-kept gardens, farm animals, and horseback riding.
Below are two successful haciendas near Otavalo:

♦ Hacienda Cusin

A good example of a quality hacienda with character near Otavalo is Hacienda Cusin. This hacienda features huge, well-kept gardens, a farm with horses, and a variety of chickens and many other farm animals.

The hacienda has a quality restaurant with a special atmosphere thanks to the antique design. The shared guest lounge is also furnished with stylish antique furniture with a fireplace, rug, chandelier, paintings, and ancient decorations. In this guest lounge there is also free Wi-Fi.
The rooms do have an electric radiator for heating, but before bedtime, they make sure to pamper guests with a hot water bottle tucked inside the bed.

 

♦  Hacienda Hostería Hacienda Pinsaqui

Another hacienda (ancient manor house) converted into a hotel at attractive prices with large and beautiful family rooms is Hacienda Pinsaqui, located close to Otavalo and near many tourist sites in Ecuador - abounding with gardens and atmosphere with an amazing view! Known as a popular place for horseback riding. On weekends, lunches accompanied by typical dances and music take place here.
The place has two restaurants, free internet in public areas.

Or:

♦ A charming hotel named Puertolago Country Inn & Resort

This is a 4-star resort on the lake shore with a wonderful view, a gourmet restaurant, and manicured gardens.

Culture and Handicrafts

In every town in the region, the indigenous people specialize in different traditional handicrafts, characterized by a few examples:

Handmade Carpets and Fabrics

The town of Peguche near Otavalo in the Andes of Ecuador is known for fabrics, scarves, and other traditional handicrafts. It has plenty of relatively cheap shops and also (free) demonstrations of various spinning methods, starting from the basic stages of wool preparation and dyeing it with natural colors. Making a fabric the size of a large table cloth takes about two months!

 

 

Musical Instrument Demonstration

In a small museum in Peguche for local musical instruments, you can watch a demonstration of building a typical musical instrument and playing several instruments. The artist makes a playing flute within minutes and then you hear a demonstration of playing it and many other instruments. And all for free - like many things in Ecuador. You can and are recommended to subsequently purchase cute instruments made by his hands at extremely cheap prices.

 

 

Wood Carving

In Ecuador, every city specializes in something else: there is a city that specializes in leather products, another city in jeans, a city of fabric handicrafts, a city specializing in roses, in biscuits, in straw products, and more.
The city of San Antonio adjacent to Ibarra, San Antonio de Ibarra, located about 20 km northeast of Otavalo, is the "wood city" where artists specialize in wood sculpting and carving. In the city center are large wooden statues and it has dozens of shops with lovely wooden products and you can also see the artists in action (for free of course).

On Sundays, it has a nice market, where of course most products are made of wood, but it also has food stalls and other products according to the season and upcoming holidays.

 

Straw Work

In the town of San Rafael de la Laguna, located on the shores of Lake San Pablo, residents specialize in work with "Totora" - a type of straw from which they produce a variety of products: from mats and baskets to large straw furniture - sofas and armchairs.

 

 

"The Leather City"

Cotacachi is a town at the foot of a volcano of the same name where dozens of shops, mostly spread along one main street, sell leather products of all types and kinds at attractive prices.

 

 

Nature and Landscapes

Many of the artist towns described above are located on the shores of or adjacent to a large lake named Lake San Pablo, surrounded by volcanoes, which makes the whole area very impressive and successful for nature and landscape lovers.

Viewpoint

A successful viewpoint where you should start your visit in the area is El Lechero, where you will see an ancient tree associated with many legends, and locals have turned it into a holy site. The tree is located at the top of a hill offering an impressive view of the lake and the volcanoes surrounding it.

 

 

Two easy and charming nature trips in the area:

 

Peguche Waterfall Las Cascadas de Peguche

An impressive 18-meter waterfall reached by an easy and successful walking trail in a small green reserve. Those who want can get close to the waterfall and get wet from its splashes. This waterfall is also a place for religious rituals of the tribal members (who are now all devout Christians but combine ancient beliefs and old customs together with Christianity).

 

 

A Picturesque Crater Lake Named Cuicocha Crater Lake

A deep blue crater lake featuring an easy walking trail of about an hour amid impressive views of the lake and surrounding mountains and unique local vegetation.

 

 

And how can we go without local food?

Local Food

The village of Cayambe (located on the main road from Quito to Otavalo) is known for the savory biscuits produced there. This is the place to taste fresh biscuits straight out of the oven and see how they are produced using manual methods. The biscuits are eaten with typical white cheese.

 

 

For those interested in a quality lunch in a magical scenery: it is recommended to eat on the shores of Lake San Pablo in the restaurant of a charming hotel named Puertolago Country Inn & Resort

This is a 4-star resort on the lake shore with a wonderful view and manicured gardens.

 

 

 

 4 Short Videos on the Attractions in Otavalo and Its Surroundings:

 

Our Articles on Ecuador:
Destinations and Attractions in an Ecuador Trip
Trips and Attractions in the Galapagos Islands
Trip to the Ecuadorian Amazon
Trips on Santa Cruz Island in the Galapagos
Trips on San Cristobal Island in the Galapagos
Trip to Isabela Island in the Galapagos
Attractions and Trips in the City of Baños in Ecuador