Escapada de un día a Otavalo desde Quito: Mercado de artesanía y el Parque Cóndor

Pablo y nuestro conductor fueron excelentes en esta increíble excursión privada de un día. Aprendimos mucho sobre Ecuador y Pablo fue la guía más maravillosa. El Parque Cóndor fue perspicaz y los Mercados de Otavalo bien vale la pena ver. Lo más destacado del día fue el almuerzo en una casa local de Otavalo con auténtica cocina ecuatoriana.

We had Jorge as a guide and he was fantastic! He even made extra stops that he thought were important. We had an amazing time with him and the market and condor park were great.

After a false start in the morning guide at my hotel, I was at Quito Hotel waiting, the long drive to Otavalo Market began. The guide was informative about the countryside we passed and I would have liked to have spotted a spectacled bear, puma or panther, but we were just passing by. I was left to wander the market on my own which I thoroughly enjoyed with my rudimentary Spanish bargaining for jewelry, socks, etc. The stop at the Parque Condor was interesting with all different kinds of birds, but with only one pair of condors,a bit of a disappointment. Be sure to wear mosquito repellant there as I was bitten all over my legs. Cotapachi was interesting to visit a crafts person and the meal at a fast food place all made from scratch was a gourmand's delight. Passing through the place where our roses come from was also interesting. Rain predicted, but it didn't until late afternoon so I wasn't dressed appropriately layers is always best so all my photos have me with a rain hat on to ward off the sun.It was also interesting to visit the falls where the locals go to cleanse themselves. All in all, an interesting day.

We took a all day tour and it was very good. The driver and guide did a excellent job. We learned a lot about the country.

Amazing tour. I enjoyed my visit. Very knowledgeable tour guide.

the bird sanctuary was great with a large number of owls and eagles, but the Indian craft market a bit of a disappointment with all the stalll pretty much selling the same stuff which clearly wasn't made by the people selling it. Lunch at the old hacienda however was me the highlight of the whole day, the food was beautiful but seeing how the upper class lived a couple of hundred years ago was incredibly interesting as were the antiques.