Home > Quito > Otavalo Marketplace with Optional Lunch
USD $65.00
Otavalo Marketplace with Optional Lunch
Quito, Ecuador
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!
Depart from Quito through the Pan-American North Highway until arriving to Cayambe, where the passengers will have the opportunity to taste the delicious “Bizcochos de Cayambe”, a type of cracker or bread baked in a clay oven (greatly paired with local cheese or caramel sauce).
Afterwards, we will make a brief stop at “Miralago”, to admire a wonderful view of Lago San Pablo, amazing views. The tour then continues to Otavalo where Otavaleños (natives) set up a market in which a bartering manner of shopping is taken place. The market hosts a variety of different handcrafted items.
Passengers may choose between staying longer in Otavalo or go to visit to the leather shops at Cotacachi. On the way to Cotacachi, we will visit a traditional workshop of Andean instruments "Ñanda Mañachi" located in Peguche and then reach Iluman, land of shamans and healers.
In Cotacachi you have enough time to visit the village, the shops of leather goods and free time for lunch.
We didn’t need the stop to see the traditional faith healer. The local who came on board the bus to sing and sell her products was annoying. Otavalo needs to improve. Vendors don’t sell unique one of a kind handmade products. All Looks factores made.
Review by: Paul D, November 2017
Loved our time at the Otavalo Market! Bought gifts for stocking stuffers this holiday season!
Review by: Julia B, August 2017
Great tour! My only complaint was that, since I wasn't actually staying at my pickup hotel, it was hard to find out what time the bus was actually coming to pick me up. I had to ask my hotel to call the night before.
Review by: Giovanna N, August 2017
This tour was amazing!
Review by: Ann F, June 2017
The weather and sights are amazing in June. This is a full day. The street market in Otavalo was colorful and fun. Quite a contrast to the leather town of Cototaxi. The lunch spot was an authentic Ecuadoran restaurant filled with locals, delicious and a good value.
Review by: Albert P, February 2017
Excellent tour...William our English guide was very informed of the people's, cultures and area...we learned a lot about Ecuador..well worth the price..unbelievable sized market with foods and handcrafted items..a must see..
Review by: mvillars, January 2017
Excellent guide,time at stop,expert drivernot an easy task up and down those hilltop roads. Great restaurant,time for shopping, biscocho break ...everything was great! Timely pick up too.
Review by: kedwards01, December 2016
Great tour that provided a great insight to the marketplace and surrounding area. The lunch was a bit disappointing and pricey when compared to other food choices in Ecuador.
Review by: johnlill54, October 2016
We enjoyed the day driving through the countryside. Our guide was very good, explaining the local customs. We stopped at a fruit stand to sample local fruits, stopped at three different places along the way to Otavalo to see the views and sample biscottis and were serenaded on the bus by a young woman singing native songs. Our time at the Otavalo market was sufficient to do our browsing. We then stopped at a weaving shop where they demonstrated the use of old hand operated looms and had a wonderful selection of woven items for sale. We drove on to the town of Cotacachi for lunch and leather shopping before returning to Quito.
Review by: walker_jan, October 2016
Very good trip. Very informative. The trip was listed as being approximately 8 hours long but we were gone for 12 hours.
Review by: Eileen P, July 2016
Very good tour. Would have liked more time to shop in Otavalo. Too much to see in an hour! Could have done without visit to the shaman. Restaurant was very accommodating with adjusting our food choice for lunch.
Review by: Christine G, June 2016
The tour included lots of stops along the way that gave us insight into how the indigenous live. Very interesting and well organized.
Review by: huppmeister, April 2016
Juan was a great tour leader. I really enjoyed the tour and beautiful scenery. The day was a lot of fun
Review by: Edward F, March 2016
We enjoyed this tour primarily because it got us out of Quito and into the countryside. The Otavalo market itself is not outstanding during the week we were told is is much larger on Saturdays but our tour was on a Tuesday. Our guide was bilingual and was excellent at letting us know what all the sights and insights were as we cruised along. She also was flexible enough to allow us to stay at the market while the rest of the tour went along to another stop. Going into the tour I could not imagine how the biscuit stop could be special but it was with its impressive human assembly line and wood-fired oven. All in all it was a fine day in Ecuador.
Review by: michael a, March 2016
Exceeded expectations in every way - enjoyable, informative and a day well spent.
Review by: Kathleen L, March 2016
Unfortunately we didn't speak Spanish and most of the guests on the bus were Spanish speaking. The guide was very well intended, but was limited on his English speaking ability, especially when answering questions.
Review by: floridaeyesurgeon, February 2016
My wife and I really enjoyed this trip. The market was very interesting with great crafts and food. We would have liked more time there but we also enjoyed going to the Leather shops later that day.
Review by: karen n, January 2016
great day out of the city, really loved the visit to the shaman's house
Review by: Ross M, January 2016
Very enjoyable and interesting day. Liked the small group. Guide was great and provided enough time at each of the stops. Well organized.
Review by: Rhiannon F, January 2016
The tour was great- lots to do in a day but definitely get your money and #39;s worth!
Review by: Angela R, December 2015
LOVED this tour! Our bilingual tour guide, Maria Alicia, was wonderful. There was so much packed into this day but it was lovely from start to finish. We made stops to see the Lago San Pablo San Pablo Lake, where the views are just breathtaking, we stopped to visit a local Shaman at Ilumán, a small town in the Imbabura province, we stopped at the famous Otavalo market of course and Cotacachi, known for its leather, and also in Peguche, where we learned about indigenous music of the Andes, we also stopped in a town famous for its bizcochos and watched how these treats are made. The only part I didn't love was the lunch, which we had pre-paid. We ate at La Marquesa restaurant in Cotacachi and it was pretty bad. We ate it because we were hungry but it was bland and greasy and just kind of gross. Even the fries were bad and it's hard to mess up fries. The other plates looked just as unappealing so I'm not sure it was an isolated thing. We would have been better off bringing a sandwich from home or eating elsewhere. Other than that, it was a wonderful experience. On our day it was a small group so we definitely got personal attention. Thank you Maria Alicia!
Review by: Yael P, September 2015
The tour was more of a taxi to Otavelo than a tour_br/_ Later I understood from other travelers that there are more things to do in Otavello- like the animal market and I was disappointed by the superficial tour
Review by: L K D, September 2015
Our guide Maria was excellent especially since she had to say everything twice spanish and English. We were given plenty of time to roam free around the market.
Review by: MACRINA F, May 2015
This tour would be better if there's extra time to explore the market in Otavalo and the leather stores in Cotacachi.
Review by: John A, March 2015
I had wanted to go to Otavalo for a longtime, and this was a very good way to do so.I would, however, have liked to stop at the animal market as well, if only for an hour. We did have sufficient time at the craft market, the lunch stop was good, and the stop at the equator line a nice bonus. I don't know if the option of an included lunch was necessary. We signed up for it while everyone else on the bus paid a la carte which I actually would have preferred as there was just too much food for me as a lunch. I did appreciate the fact that the tour seemed well organized, on schedule, and informative.
Review by: gabymansour32, March 2015
because of the guide Wilson.......simply fabulous
Review by: Ed D, February 2015
GREAT TOUR AND VERY INFORMATIVE GUIDE. MY ONLY RECOMMENDATION IS FOR THE GUIDE TO LEARN MORE ENGLISH SPEAKING SKILLS.
Review by: Nicholas L, February 2015
Late bus, unable to go through the market for longer than an hour, poor timing
Review by: Frank D, December 2014
What an experience! Otavalo was incredible. The optional lunch in Cocapache was an excellent addition and Wilson was a good guide. be careful though, while they say they stop at Mitad al Mundo, it is not the place with the monument but a different location where the road crosses the equator.
Review by: Uwe R, October 2014
only a Little bit far away from town but was very good
Review by: Joshua S, September 2014
We were only allowed 1 hour and 15 mins in Otavalo which was very rushed. We didn't have a choice to stay behind in Otavalo when the tour went to Cotacachi. Would have much rather spent the time in Otavalo.
Review by: Linda M, August 2014
Was disappointed that I had to make my own way to the pick up point! Highlight of this tour is obviously the Otavalo Marketplace. It was totally amazing. However, having under two hours actually there to wander around and explore definitely was not enough time. I had chosen the tour which included the optional lunch. When lunch was over I was asked to pay $17. Apparently only $10 was allowed for lunch!! No where in the description of this tour did it mention that this would be the case! Eventually the tour guide refunded the difference. It took over two hours to actually get out of Quito and its surrounds because the bus had to pick up around 10 other couples who were staying at various hotels - many not on time! Again, the same when people were dropped off! I had given the tour guide the number of the taxi driver who was to pick me up from the hotel, so that he could phone him and let him know the approximate arrival time. It was estimated that we should be arriving back at 5:30 p.m. My taxi driver waited from that time, till well past 7:30 p.m. because the tour guide neglected to phone him as promised! All that waiting for a $2 taxi fare! I was so grateful to this driver for not abandoning me - I graciously gave him a $20 tip!! The majority of the tour group were Spanish- only around 5 of us could not understand the language! I felt that the tour guide could have made more of an effort to speak in English as much as he spoke in Spanish to other people! On the whole I was extremely disappointed in the organisation of this particular tour! My fault in part because I do not like to travel in large groups and somehow should have done more research on this particular tour.
Review by: Grims, August 2014
We were very pleased with the organization of the tour. Our guide Wilson was one of the best guides we came across in SouthAmerica, and the driver was calm when faced with mega traffic at times. The food at the chosen restaurant was of a good standard. We were given enough time at each location and enough tips and knowledge to make our way on our own when we felt like it. We definitely recommend this tour and this guide.
Review by: Dianekay10, August 2014
Had a great time - travel host as well as driver were awesome. We saw everything and more of what we originally thought we would see.
Review by: Jenny M, July 2014
It was a small group of 11 - our tour leader spoke good English. The markets were great. The lunch stop and leather stop a little too long - perhaps a bit extra time at the markets
Review by: Michel T, July 2014
The way to Otavalo market is pretty following part of the Andean range. I found the market very tourist like. People who would like to see a market have a choice to see the artisans market in Quito and then choose another tour.
Review by: Jacques G, July 2014
A great tour. Our guide, Gabriel, was informative and mindful of the group's needs. He provided assistance whenever required and was always engaged and enthusiastic.
Review by: Zaida A, June 2014
We were about disappointed about the quality of the market and the wares. A lot of things but not enough variety. The tour was organized and well led; tour guide was very good.
Review by: Satish B, June 2014
First of all, I have no issues with the tour guide, driver, and bus facilities. The guide's English was so-so, but he tried hard to explain things. My problem lies with the destination itself, which is why the 1 star. No matter if the journey was comfortable; I paid to see the market and was unimpressed. Otavalo is a super hyped place, and I did not find anything in the market that is not available in Quito, for more or less the same prices. It was ridiculous and disappointing to spend so much money and 10 hours to visit a market that had nothing new to offer. 99% of the stalls are selling the same thing: textile materials and clothes. I was hoping to see some artisan work there, but nothing. I recommend shopping in Quito. Otavalo is not worth the money or effort.
Review by: Patricia S, May 2014
The time at the market was not long enough, the trip to the rose farm was unnecessary. It would be better to go straight to the market, followed by lunch then the rest of the programme if there is time to fit it all in - the whole point of the trip was to go to the market.
Review by: ngoc thuy d, April 2014
excellent.
Review by: Nancy B, March 2014
An enjoyable day with several interesting stops! We were able to stand on the equator and very much enjoyed the visit to the greenhouses to see the process of rose production. We would have liked additional time at Otavalo as the one hour went very quickly. It is a fascinating place.
Review by: Angelito A, March 2014
This was a good tour but it would have been better if the guide would take the same time explaining in English what he explained in Spanish. There were about 3x when he completely forgot to repeat what he said in Spanish. I had to raise my hand the 4th time (soon have done it sooner) for him to say in English what he just said in Spanish. Also, because I understand some Spanish I know that he cut out some information when he said it in English. The places were interesting and the food was good. Guide was cordial. Overall, since many English-speaking people are discovering Ecuador as a destination to visit, it would be help your tourist industry to invest in preparing good English-speaking guides to do the tours. All I am saying is, there is certainly a room for improvement.
Review by: Joy A, February 2014
Fantastic all day tour.Tour of of the rose green house where they export roses was great.We bought items at Otavalo market.Great trip.
Review by: ldellal, January 2014
The market was great, lots of nice things to buy for yourself and for gifts. Also interesting to meet Kichwa girls and hear them singing songs and explaining their dress. Other stops included a beautiful view of a volcano and lake, and Cotacachi for lunch and leather shops. Driving in the Andes you get some great views as well.
Review by: Melanie F, January 2014
Disappointed we were only allowed to spend an hour at the market and far too much time at other places, the tour says Otavalo market so should have spent more time there! The lunch option was good, restaurant choice and menu offered something for all tastes.
Review by: Michael R, January 2014
This was the highlight of our Quito trip, I literally shopped till I dropped. Bring an extra suitcase so you can carry all your handmade bargains back home. The Ecuardorian lunch was excellent, and our tour guide William Torres exceptional. He even took us to the Equator and we did a muscle test, Wow!
Review by: papillon, December 2013
It felt like a lot of driving to see a small market for tourists only... Our guide was great but the day itself was not really worth it.
Review by: John, August 2012
This trip was good except that it would have been better with more time at the market . An all day tour with only 1 1/2 hours at the market indicates too much time spent at other sites .
RSS Feed