Combine culture with nature on this full-day tour of Otavalo Marketplace and Cuicocha Lagoon, ideal for first-time visitors with limited time in Ecuador. Departing Quito, you’ll travel to Otavalo Marketplace, one of Latin America’s largest markets, to browse stalls for colorful, artisan souvenirs. See, too, the Peguche Waterfall and Cuicocha Lagoon, on which you;ll enjoy a short boat ride.

Full-day tour of Otavalo Marketplace and Cuicocha Lagoon from Quito
Ideal for first-time visitors with limited time in Ecuador
Visit Otavalo Marketplace, one of Latin America’s largest markets, to browse stalls for colorful, artisan souvenirs
Admire Peguche Waterfall and take a boat ride on Cuicocha Lagoon

What's Included

Tourist transport
Bilingual guide (English / Spanish)
All entrances
Hotel pickup

Details not especified
Food and drinks
Tips

Departure & Return

Departure Point

Traveler pickup is offered

Departure Time

7:00 AM

What To Expect

Additional Info

Confirmation will be received at time of booking
Infants must sit on laps
Not wheelchair accessible
Most travelers can participate
This tour/activity will have a maximum of 12 travelers

Operated by Quito Tour Bus

Cancellation Policy

You can cancel up to 24 hours in advance of the experience for a full refund.

For a full refund, you must cancel at least 24 hours before the experience’s start time.
If you cancel less than 24 hours before the experience’s start time, the amount you paid will not be refunded.
Any changes made less than 24 hours before the experience’s start time will not be accepted.
Cut-off times are based on the experience’s local time.
This experience requires a minimum number of travelers. If it’s canceled because the minimum isn’t met, you’ll be offered a different date/experience or a full refund.

about cancellations

Frequently Asked Questions

The answers provided below are based on answers previously given by the tour provider to customers’ questions.

Q:What is the policy on face masks and attendee health during Otavalo Tour from Quito Visiting Cayambe, Indigenous Market, Small groups?

A:The policies on face masks and attendee health are:

Face masks required for travelers in public areas
Face masks required for guides in public areas
Temperature checks for travelers upon arrival

See all safety measures taken by Otavalo Tour from Quito Visiting Cayambe, Indigenous Market, Small groups.

Q:What is the policy on sanitization during Otavalo Tour from Quito Visiting Cayambe, Indigenous Market, Small groups?

A:The policies on sanitization are:

Hand sanitizer available to travelers and staff
Transportation vehicles regularly sanitized

See all safety measures taken by Otavalo Tour from Quito Visiting Cayambe, Indigenous Market, Small groups.

Q:What is the social distancing policy during Otavalo Tour from Quito Visiting Cayambe, Indigenous Market, Small groups?

A:The policy on social distancing is:

Social distancing enforced throughout experience

See all safety measures taken by Otavalo Tour from Quito Visiting Cayambe, Indigenous Market, Small groups.

Traveler Photos

Traveler Tips

Bring a jacket as it got cold on the boat ride on the lake and it rained for a few minutes so Im glad we had a jacket in hand.

Reviews

158 reviews

Total review count and overall rating based on Viator and Tripadvisor reviews

Reviews by Viator travelers

Showing 1-10 of 158 reviews

Good trip.

James_S, Jan 2022

Nice trip. Guide was great. Charging double for going solo will keep me from booking in the future. The stop at the lake is unnecessary. Fill that with something interesting.

Misleading title

carlos_r, Jan 2022

The driver and guide were nice however gave barely any history on Ecuador. Loved talking about 2 local fruit. We started by going to a Café in front of the real mitad del mundo. A local makes biscoche (flaked bread that comes out crispy and you eat it with a slice of cheese and some cajeta). It's a tourist trap because the aim is for you to buy their products which are absurdly overpriced (15 dollars for a tiny bottle of jam). We spent way too much time there. Way too much time. Almost 2 hours doing that and then having a basic breakfest and I mean basic as in eggs and cofee. Then we took pictures at the mitad mundo. We then went to Lake San pablo. We literally got out for 30 mins and just stared at the lake. It is surrounded by 3 volcanoes. It is not a special lake. It is not crater lake. It is NOT Laguna Cuicocha like the ad says. I repeat they did not take us to what the ad says we do. We didn't even take a boat trip. I overheard the driver and guide talk about where is the boat. They then talked amongst themselves some more and we all literally sat there at just looked at the lake. There was a small boat disembarking. We then got back on the van. We then proceeded to go down a very twisty messed up road to take us to the falls. That was the highlight. It was nice (although after leaving the falls, there was a quicker flat surface route as evidenced by our drive out of there). At some point we went to a local artisan house where the woman artisan said o let me go get dressed in traditional costume. Came back and started carving a flute and then played. Another tourist scam. It said it was a music academy. Lots of flute trinkets to buy. I walked out after the mini performance hoping to spur others to come out as we were just sitting there looking at each other. We then went to eat in Otavalo(1 block from the market). That restaurant was actually good and very well priced. We then got 1.5 hours foe the market . The market was ilon a Wed. And was so so. This is not the Tours fault. The market is typical of any other market in peru or ecuador. Same stuff and the prices are barely lower than the city....15 to 18 dollars for a blanket negotiated vs 25 26 in the city for example...tip forego the long excursion to literally save a few bucks and waste hours. And that's it. Back on the road. With traffic. We got back around 730pm. We left at 715am. Had I known we were not going to the crater lake, I would have rented a car. Got the market, lake and falls done and been back before 3pm. A lot of time was wasted at that Cafe and the "artisan" house. So this tour promised something and it did not deliver. I asked the guide on the way back. And she started bumbling and then said "we are not in charge of the itinerary, the tour company gives us the itinerary, we were not aware that the app says we would go to that lake." Fair enough I don't expect the workers to know what people bought and what they expected. I would never do this again and I would never book with this tour again, next time. I'm grabbing a rental car or some other company that actually takes you to where they say they will when they sold the package. The vans seats don't recline which was just irritating but whatever. It's there for details.

Response from Host, Jan 2022

Dear Carlos, our tour doesn´t have a misleading title, on the tour that you booked the title says that you will visit Cayambe and the indigenus market, on our itinerary we never mention Cuicocha lake, our itineraries are clear. We make a stop at Cayambe to visit a family that makes bizcohos for more that 80 years and they give you a free tasting of all the products, is a shame that you dind´t apreciate their kaindness because they just want to share with you their culture, you are not forced to buy any product, also the products are not as expensive as you mention. San Pablo lake is a very nice place to enjoy the view and to take good pictures of the Imbabura volcano. In Peguche we visit a family, they have a music academy Ñanda Mañachi, they build their own products and as a family they have a band, you can research about them because are very important for the Otavalo culture. Otavalo is more than a market, is nature, culture, gastronomy and music. We are sorry that you just wanted to rush and you didn´t really want to visit locals and learnd about aour culture. In our tour we always include local families because is important to suport them to keep their traditions and of course we are proud of our people and their jobs. We hope you can come back to Ecuador to learn more about our culture and give a try to talk with the people to understand that they are not making a tourist trap.

I had a fantastic experience

DAVID_F, Dec 2021

Patricia and Alex were fantastic I had a great day they were very knowledgeable and enjoyed the day.

Disappointing

Linda_M, Dec 2021

This was a poorly managed trip - from pick up to drop off, the tour lasted 12 hours and 35 minutes. The first 90 minutes of the tour was picking up the last 2 parties joining the trip. The ad says 30 minute stop at Cayamba - we were there over 90 minutes - long delay for breakfast stop. We had to pay for visit at equator (only $3). Enjoyed the visit at the textile shop but again we were late and only saw last part of presentation. Stopped for lunch outside the market, again - very slow service, we left without eating after 45 minutes and the lunch had been preordered. Finally got to the Otavalo market at 3:45 pm. Left the hotel at 7 am so it was a very long, slow trip. Sorry, can't recomend this vendor.

Wonderful Ecuador experience

David_B, Nov 2021

Our guide was Marco and was wonderful. We received much more than was described. There was plenty of time and never felt rushed.

1 traveler found this review helpful

Awesome and fabulous!

Janet_D, Sep 2021

Fabulous tour! Our driver Marlon and guide Diana were friendly and knowledgeable and we had a lot of fun! Highly recommend this tour, especially to see something other than Quito!

Amazing experience with cultural immersion

raqhtheworld, Sep 2021

This was an amazing tour of Octavalo where we were able to immerse with the local culture and see Ecuador in a completely new way. All 4 of us heavily enjoyed meeting the locals, learning about the culture, and our guide was fun and energetic. It was a perfect day and included roundtrip transportation as well. We even stopped for lunch once we arrived to the market so we could eat and talk together! Please book you won't be disappointed :)

Excellent!

Steven_D, Jul 2021

Erica was very knowledgeable about Ecuador, and answered all of our questions about the culture, history, and food. The sights were incredible, the market was amazing, and we really enjoyed seeing the demonstrations of traditional, indigenous textiles being made. The pickup/drop off was on time, and we really got to see a lot of the Ecuadorian countryside we otherwise would have missed. I highly recommend this tour for anyone visiting Quito. It exceeded all of our expectations!

Highly Recommend Otovalo Tour

Emilia_M, Mar 2020

The Otovalo Tour was wonderful! Daniel was a great tour guide, providing information in English and Spanish. It was just the right amount of tour and self-guided time. We learned a lot and were able to do so much in one day without feeling rushed. This is a great value tour. Highly recommended!

1 traveler found this review helpful

Great way to see the area outside of Quito

Arlene_F, Mar 2020

Excellent investment for a day to discover Otavalo and the beautiful surroundings. The trip included a visit to the true center of the world (not the traditional tourist location), a boat ride on a volcanic lake and a short hike in a national forest to a waterfall, plus a few hours in the Otavalo market. My only single complaint is that we did not stop as a group anywhere for lunch. I was picked up at 9 am and dropped off at 7:30 pm, and other than some coffee and crackers did not get the opportunity to eat. Not enough of a problem to reduce this from 5 stars. Well worth the money and the day.

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Product code: 18715P4

Otavalo Tour from Quito Visiting Cayambe, Indigenous Market, Small groups

From $79.00

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What's Included

Departure & Return

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What To Expect

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