Places to Visit in Otavalo, Ecuador, America

Places to Visit in Otavalo, Ecuador, America

Otavalo is an indigenous town belonging to the province of Imbabura in Ecuador, is the seat of Otavalo Canton, located around 25 km southwest of the provincial capital, Ibarra and 95 km northeast of the national capital, Quito Canton.

Otavalo is especially noted for indigenous market which was designed by Dutch architect Tonny Zwollo in 1970 and the market offers a wide range of weaving textiles, tagua nut jewelry, dream catchers, indigenous costumes, spices and typical handicraft products. Saturday Market is very special which attracts visitors of Ecuador.

Other than market, Otavalo is also famous for its traditional music festivals that take place during the summer months with great enthusiasm and fervor.

Geography of Otavalo:

Otavalo is geographically positioned between 0°14′ N latitude and 78°16′ W longitude, surrounded by the three prominent mountains such as Imbabura, Mojanda and Cotacachi.

Connectivity to Otavalo:

The closest airport to Otavalo is Mariscal Sucre International Airport which is situated in Tababela, around 89 km away from the heart of Otavalo.

It takes around 2 hours from Quito to Otavalo by bus and buses generally depart from Terminal Carcelen in Quito to Otavalo, charging US$2.

The Otavalo and Las Lagos are the major bus companies providing services between Otavalo and Ibarra (provincial capital).

Tourists can use taxis or buses for local travel, taxis generally cost US$1 to move within the town.

Culture, Food and Shopping in Otavalo:

White trousers and dark blue ponchos are the traditional wears of Otavalo’s men while women wear white embroidered blouses and dark over skirts and white under skirts as their traditional dress.

Saturday Market is very popular and other markets include Otavalo Artisan Market and Mercado 24 de Mayo.

List of major food corners in Otavalo include:

Taco Bello
Cafe Pachamama
Hacienda Pinsaqui
The Red Pub

Things to do in Otavalo:

Purchase traditional handicrafts
Waterfalls
Mountains

Places of interest in Otavalo:

Otavalo indigenous market:

The traditional market of Otavalo is the identity of the town and there is a Mercado Artesanal at Plaza de Ponchos where tourists can purchase a wide variety of crafts and souvenirs such as typical jewelry, clothes, paintings, Panama hats and stone carvings. Mercado 24 de Mayo and Mercado de Animales are other special markets in Otavalo.

Peguche Waterfall:

Apart from the markets, Otavalo is a known for its natural attractions like Peguche Waterfall, Imbabura Mountain and San Pablo Lake. Peguche Waterfall is located around 3 km away from the town centre measuring a length of 18 meters.

Cuicocha Lake:

Situated about 14 km from Otavalo at the foot of Cotacachi Mountain, Cuicocha Lake is a beautiful lake attracting nature lovers from all around the country. It measures a length of 4 km and width of 3 km.

Other places of interest near Otavalo include:

Cerro Cayambe
Cotacachi Mountain
Chachimbiro hot springs
Cotacachi Village
Museo del Pueblo Kichwa
Laguna Cuicocha
Condor Park
Plaza De Los Ponchos Mercado
Galeria Gabriel Ceballos Ulloa
Amauta Pena Bar

Best time to visit Otavalo:

Summer months are best to visit Otavalo, especially Saturday is ideal to explore Otavalo Market.

Accommodation options in Otavalo:

Otavalo is a colorful town packed with full of traditional shops, food corners as well as upgraded accommodation centres. The prominent hotels in Otavalo are listed below: