Highlights: Cultural experience, nature and local cuisine of the Andes!
- Price for two people USD 160
- Price for three people USD 210
A two hour drive from Quito will take you to the ‘lake district’ of Ecuador where the city of Otavalo and its famous market is located. On the way there you will see San Pablo Lake surrounded by beautiful scenery, indigenous communities and the imposing Imbabura volcano. This will be our first stop for great views, a taste of Ecuadorian coffee and great photography opportunities.
We will continue to the Otavalo Market also known as ‘Plaza de Ponchos’, one of the biggest indigenous markets in Southamerica where you will meet the friendly people from Otavalo. They wear their traditional dress everyday, keep their traditions alive and are amazing artisans. Some of the crafts and clothing that they make and sell in the market are alpaca wool shawls, ponchos and sweaters, scarves, mittens, socks, embroidered blouses, traditional shoes known as “alpargatas”, Ecuadorian straw hats, jewelry, paintings, bags, musical instruments including panpipes, tapestry woven by hand, dream catchers, and more!
After exploring the Otavalo market we will go for a traditional lunch at Kawsaymi, which means “living our culture” in the Quichua language and is where, Claudia, the owner and chef welcomes visitors to experience the local cuisine of the Andes! Kawsaymi is also a homestay and we will walk around the organic orchard and herb garden and see the area where she and her family farm guinea pigs. You may feed them as well! So get ready to learn and enjoy the culture of the Otavalo people through your senses!
After a delicious and filling lunch we will drive to the Cuicocha Lake where you will see the beauty of nature in the Andes. Cuicocha means the guinea pig lake and it’s a crater lake that was formed about 3000 years ago after the eruption of the Cotacachi Volcano. The trail around the rim of the lake is full of wild Andean flowers such as wild lupins, achupallas and orchids and the calm waters of the lake, azure color when the sun is shining, make the views seem like a wonderful postcard.
After a lovely day trip full of culture, flavours and natural beauty we will return back to Quito and we will look forward to another day trip in Ecuador with you!
Awesome tours in Ecuador 