How to Visit Otavalo Market from Quito, Ecuador

Are you planning a visit to Otavalo Market from Quito? If so, then in this blog post you’ll find everything you need to know about how to get to Otavalo from Quito, when the best time to visit the market is, how long to stay for and what else there is to do around the city whilst you’re there.

Our independent trip to Otavalo didn’t start off too well. We ended up arriving late in the afternoon on the best day for the Otavalo Market rather than in the morning. By that time, the market was much emptier than it would’ve been earlier in the day.

In addition to that, after returning from our Amazon Jungle tour we got pretty ill for one full day. So we ended up having to skip our planned hike around the second most popular attraction in Otavalo. Despite these hiccups, we still enjoyed our time in Otavalo and decided to write this guide to help you plan your trip; hopefully a little better than we did.

Introducing Otavalo and Otavalo Market

Located about 90 km to the north of Quito is the beautiful town of Otavalo. Sitting at 2,532 m (8,307 ft) above sea level, the city is surrounded by impressive volcanoes such as Cotacachi, Imbabura and Mojanda. Otavalo is also home to many picturesque crater lakes and waterfalls.

Despite all the natural beauty, the main reason the city has become a popular tourist attraction is its indigenous market.

The residents of Otavalo, known as Otavaleños, have been well-known for their weaving and textile skills since pre-Incan times. However, the Inca and Spanish conquests changed the lives of these communities forever. For hundreds of years the indigenous people provided textiles for the Incas, and then the Spanish set up workshops for them so they could make large profits from their work.

Luckily, Otavaleños kept their traditions, and after the Spanish left they took advantage of growing tourism in the 70’s and 80’s. Today, Otavalo Market has become one of the largest indigenous markets in Latin-America. 

Did you know? – Apart from Spanish, Otavaleños also speak Kichwa, which is a variant of the Quechua language.

How to Get to Otavalo Market from Quito

Public Bus

If you’re visiting Otavalo independently and are planning on staying for a few nights, you can easily get there from Quito by bus.

First you’ll have to get to Quito’s north bus station called Terminal Carcelén. Depending on where you’re staying or how much luggage you have, you can get there by taxi, Uber or public bus. Taxi’s and Uber’s can cost between $5-10 USD depending on traffic. If you take the bus, then you’ll need to take the Trolebus line all the way to the northern bus stop. A one way ticket is $0.35 USD.

Once you’re at Terminal Carcelen, you’ll need to buy your bus ticket to Otavalo from one of the ticket booths. They should have Otavalo signs in front, so they’ll be easy to find. After purchasing your ticket, just find the platform your bus is leaving from. A one-way ticket is around $2.50-3 USD per person.

It should take around 2 hours to reach Otavalo’s bus terminal. The bus won’t have toilets and won’t really make any rest stops either.

Note that these buses can get very busy, so make sure to have your belongings close to you. Keep your backpack on your lap instead of on the floor or in an overhead compartment.

Organised Tour

Most people visit Otavalo Market from Quito by joining an organised day trip. These are perfect if you don’t have much time in Ecuador and can’t stay overnight.

By joining a tour, you won’t need to worry about how to get to Otavalo on your own or be on a crowded bus. It’s definitely a more comfortable and convenient option than visiting independently.

Most tours will offer transport to and from Otavalo and visit the market as well as other natural attractions nearby, such as Laguna Cuicocha.

Best Time to Visit the Otavalo Market

Luckily, Otavalo Market is open every day from about 7AM until 6PM. However, the best day to visit the market is on Saturdays. This is when the market will expand beyond Plaza de Ponchos and most of the surrounding streets will be filled with vendors too. Although we read in a few other posts that Wednesdays are bigger market days as well.

For this reason, if you can, plan your visit to Otavalo on either a Wednesday or a Saturday. Don’t worry if you really can’t make it to the city on those days though. There’s a market at Plaza de Ponchos every day, you’ll just see less stalls and smaller crowds.

Just like most markets around the world, you’ll want to arrive earlier in the day rather than later in the afternoon. The morning is when you’ll see the most vendors. We got to Otavalo in the afternoon, and even though it was a Saturday, most vendors were already packing up.

If you’re on a day tour from Quito, you’ll be arriving to the market around 10AM. If you’re visiting Otavalo independently and want to avoid the big tourist flux, then arrive the night before and just head out earlier in the morning.

What to Expect from a Visit to the Otavalo Market

If you manage to visit on a Saturday, then you can really appreciate just how massive the market is. On Saturdays vendors fill up the nearby streets around Plaza de Ponchos and the entire city centre basically becomes one big, open-air market.

On other days, the market stays mainly around Plaza de Ponchos. Whilst it’s more compact during the week, you’ll still be able to find plenty of handmade products to buy.

Vendors sell anything from colourful sweaters and ponchos, to smaller items such as bags and purses. There is also a lot of handmade silver jewellery, which is the perfect gift or souvenir if you don’t have much space in your luggage. That’s not even mentioning all the artsy products such as paintings and sculptures.

Look around and get an idea of how much vendors are selling items that you wish to buy for. Once you know the average cost, then make sure you barter a bit to get the best price.

Otavalo Market is a big tourist attraction. So you’ll see plenty of European and American travellers looking for souvenirs. However, the quality products also bring a lot of Ecuadorians, Colombians and Peruvians to Otavalo.

Other Things to Do in and around Otavalo

If you can spare longer than just a day trip to Otavalo, then make sure you do. The city and surrounding area has a lot more to offer than just the market. Below we’ve listed a few additional things you can consider doing during your visit.

1. Visit Other Markets

If you’re a big fan of markets, then we have good news. There are plenty of other markets in nearby towns you can visit as well.

On Saturday mornings there’s actually an animal market in Otavalo too, where farmers bring a variety of animals such as chickens, pigs, llamas, and guinea pigs to trade. Obviously, we wouldn’t recommend walking away with a llama but it could still be a fun experience, especially if you’re visiting with kids.

You can also visit Cotacachi, located about 12 km to the north of Otavalo. Cotacachi is known as the centre of the country’s leather industry. As you would expect, you’ll be able to buy leather based products in this town.

Lastly, San Antonio de Ibarra, located about 16 km northeast of Otavalo, is a place which is synonymous with wood carving. If you want to get some unique wooden handicrafts, then San Antonio is the place to go.

2. Hike Around Laguna Cuicocha

Probably the second most visited attraction in Otavalo after the market is Laguna Cuicocha. It is a 3 km wide crater lake that was created over 3,000 years ago by an eruption.

Sitting at nearly 3,250 m (10,650 ft) above sea level in front of the 4,995 m (16,388 ft) tall Cotacachi Volcano, the lake is a spectacular place to visit.

If you’re wondering about Laguna Cuicocha’s name because you know a little Spanish then yes, it translates to ‘Lake of the Guinea Pig’ because apparently the island in the middle resembles a guinea pig.

Based on the research we did beforehand, you can get to the trailhead by a bus and taxi combo. First you’ll have to take a local bus from the main bus station to Cotacachi. From there you can hop in a taxi that will take you to the crater lake. Just make sure to agree on a pick up time with the driver, otherwise you might be waiting for a long time for a taxi to come.

The whole loop around the lake is around 14 km, which should take around 3.5 – 4 hours to complete. Make sure that you have acclimatised in Quito already before attempting the hike.

Unfortunately, living in the Amazon Jungle for 4 days took a bit of a toll on our bodies and we couldn’t visit Laguna Cuicocha during our stay in Otavalo. It’s a real shame, because the photos we saw online were stunning. Plus, if we hadn’t been too poorly to go for a hike, we could tell you if the island looked like a guinea pig or not…

Luckily, we managed to visit Laguna Quilotoa, another stunning crater lake in Ecuador, which almost made up for having to miss Cuicocha Lake in Otavalo.

3. Visit Peguche Waterfall

If you’re spending a few days in Otavalo, then you can add a visit to Cascada de Peguche to your itinerary.

Only a short drive from Plaza de Ponchos, you’ll find yourself in a tranquil nature preserve. The park’s main attraction is the impressive 30m tall Peguche Waterfall. There are some easy trails leading to it offering a relaxing and quiet walk compared to the hustle and bustle of the market.

You can admire the waterfall from a distance, or if you don’t mind getting wet, then definitely get a closer look. To top it all off, there’s also a small cave you can crawl through if you’re not claustrophobic, to enjoy a hidden waterfall behind Peguche.

You can either take a 45 minute walk from the centre, hop on a local bus or take a short taxi ride to get there. There are some souvenir shops and restaurants just before the entrance. The entry fee is around $1 USD per person.

4. Visit Parque Cóndor

Another place you can visit in Otavalo is Parque Cóndor, located only a short drive from the market. It’s a rescue centre for birds of prey such as the Andean Condor. All the animals in this facility are either recovering from serious injuries or were rescued from illegal trafficking.

The park is open between 9:30AM and 5PM from Wednesday to Sunday. Entry fee is $6 USD for adults and $3 USD for children. You can easily reach the park by taxi. Unfortunately, we couldn’t make it to Parque Condor due to time constraints, but we visited a similar rescue centre in Cuenca.

5. Try the Best Pie in Otavalo

If you have a bit of a sweet tooth then you can definitely indulge yourself with one of the best pies in Ecuador.

Shenandoah Pie Shop is located at Plaza de Ponchos and definitely has some mouth watering pies on display. As well as looking good, they tasted even better than we imagined.

There are many different flavours you can try, so make sure to get a few different slices whilst you’re in Otavalo.

6. Walk Around Parque Simón Bolivar

It’s always fun to wander around a new place. Whilst without doubt Otavalo’s main attraction is its market at Plaza de Ponchos, we still recommend having a mooch around other parts of the city as well.

For example, Otavalo’s main square, called Parque Simon Bolivar, is only a few minutes walk from Plaza de Ponchos. This is also where you can see Otavalo’s oldest church, Iglesia Católica San Luis de Otavalo.

The square is definitely less hectic than the market area of Otavalo, so you can just relax on a bench and watch the locals going about their daily lives.

How Long Do You Need in Otavalo

If you’re currently planning out your Ecuador itinerary, you’ll want to know how many days you should allocate to visiting Otavalo.

First of all, it really depends on your interests. Do you just want to see Otavalo Market or do you want to visit some natural attractions too? If you’re just here for the market, then there are many day tours you can join that leave from Quito in the morning and return in the evening. If you wouldn’t mind adding a few more attractions to your day, there are tours that include a visit to Laguna Cuicocha as well.

If you can spare an extra night, then we definitely recommend staying a night in Otavalo. That way you can wander around the market after arriving and even visit Peguche Waterfall. Then the next day, you can take a trip to Laguna Cuicocha.

To make the most of your visit, ideally you’d want to spend two nights in Otavalo. That way, you’ll have enough time to see all the main attractions around the city without rushing.

Is Otavalo Safe to Visit?

Otavalo is definitely safer to visit than other cities in Ecuador. We felt completely safe walking around and we also had our phones and cameras out. Although we always try to be as discreet as possible.

Despite feeling safe, we would still caution you because pickpocketing can happen. The market can be very busy, so always keep an eye on your valuables whilst browsing the colourful products.

If you do some outdoor activities, than make sure to wear appropriate clothing and footwear. As always the weather can change quickly in the mountains and we always recommend checking the weather forecast before you set off. Of course, you should also make sure to have acclimatised before attempting any high altitude hike.

Final Thoughts on Visiting Otavalo Market from Quito

We really enjoyed the short but sweet time we spent in Otavalo. We loved browsing the market even though we were a bit late to the party. At least we didn’t miss out on trying some delicious pies, which on their own were worth visiting Otavalo for.

It’s a real shame we got sick after our trip to the Amazon Jungle and didn’t feel fit enough to visit the main natural attraction: Laguna Cuicocha. Well, at least it gives us a good reason to return to Otavalo in the future. (And eat more pies!)

Have you been to Otavalo Market before? If so, did you go for a day trip or did you stay a few nights in Otavalo? If not, would you add Otavalo to your Ecuador itinerary? Let us know in the comments below.