Take a drive through Ecuador's breathtaking scenery, stopping along the way to take photos and soak up the truly amazing and diverse landscapes! Head for Otavalo Market and experience the local way of shopping as you barter for handicrafts and many other items!
Highlights
- Day trip to the Otavalo Marketplace from Quito
- Enjoy various photo stops along the way including the town of Calderon and the San Pablo lake
- Browse for locally made handicrafts and barter for your items
- Enjoy an optional lunch at Cotacachi and a visit to Peguche
- Complimentary pickup and drop off from most Quito hotels
Useful Information
Otavalo Marketplace
Departing from Quito on the Pan-American North Highway, you'll make a brief stop in Calderon, a town where the famous 'masapan' dolls are made. If time allows, you'll make a second stop at the highway's mirador to admire and take pictures of the beautiful landscape and snow capped mountains of the zone.
Crossing the equatorial line at Guachala (used to be the middle of the world monument), you'll head up to Otavalo and make a stop at Mira Lago to take pictures of the beautiful San Pablo lake. The tour then continues to Otavalo where the Otavalenos (natives) set up a market in which a bartering manner of shopping is occurs. The market hosts a variety of different handcrafted items.
Continuing the trip, you'll go to Cotacachi, famous for its leather articles. Browse the shops or upgrade to the optional lunch package to enjoy the local flavors at the well known La Marquesa restaurant. Afterwards, you'll go to Peguche, a small village known for its waterfalls and wind instruments fabrics.
Reviewed by Coleen L, April 2013
The trip was very varied and interesting. The guide (Javier) and driver (Patricio) were both excellent. The trip goes to a variety of sites all with something different to see.
I found it a little difficult to get an answer about the pick up time but that worked out fine in the end. The lunch venue was fine and we didn't choose the pre paid lunch option and were able to choose our own lunch.
Reviewed by travelman, January 2013
This was really a sight to see! I have been to many flea markets in the U.S., but this one was the largest. Quality of the merchandise was really good, too. Afterwards, we went to a nice place for lunch at very reasonable prices with entertainment included.
