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Private Tour to Otavalo & Surroundings: Discover Imbabura's Colorful Markets
5.0
30 Ratings
Guayllabamba
Join us for a private tour to Otavalo and surroundings in Imbabura, Ecuador. Discover the colorful markets, stunning landscapes, and delicious food of this region with a local guide.
Join us for a private tour to Otavalo and surroundings in Imbabura, Ecuador. Discover the colorful markets, stunning landscapes, and delicious food of this region with a local guide.
Duration:
8 hours
Cancellation:
24 hours
Highlights
- Guayllabamba - We will drive 2 rac{1}{2} hours to the northern side of the Andes, where we will tour one of the most visited areas by foreigners and local tourists known as ‘The Lakes Province’. Our drive will go across Guayllabamba Valley where we can enjoy delicious fruits.
- Cayambe - Then we will continue our trip through an area with…
- Guayllabamba - We will drive 2 rac{1}{2} hours to the northern side of the Andes, where we will tour one of the most visited areas by foreigners and local tourists known as ‘The Lakes Province’. Our drive will go across Guayllabamba Valley where we can enjoy delicious fruits.
- Cayambe - Then we will continue our trip through an area with several viewpoints, these are the perfect places for people who like photography.
- Otavalo Market - We will visit Otavalo Indian Market, which is very famous for its quality handicrafts, and its exportation to all over the world.
- Cascada de Peguche - Then we will take you to visit a wonderful waterfall known as Peguche, it’s a sacred place where the locals renew their energies and you will also do!!!
- Cotacachi - Then we will visit Cotacachi Area, which is known for its famous-quality cow and sheep leather articles and also for lunch, there are several typical dishes and you can have a chance to try guinea pig if you desire.
What's Included
- All sightseeing mentioned above
- Private transportation
- Bottled water
- English-Spanish speaking Certified Guide
- Park admission fee
- All sightseeing mentioned above
- Private transportation
- Bottled water
- English-Spanish speaking Certified Guide
- Park admission fee
What's Not Included
- Lunch
- Gratuities
- Anything not specified in program
- Lunch
- Gratuities
- Anything not specified in program
Additional Information
Imbabura or known as the Lakes Province is absolutely one of the favorite tours on visitor’s trips while in Ecuador. The main attraction is Otavalo Market. It is a massive Saturday crafts market (But there is a market every day too)
- one of the biggest of South America! Tons of traditionally-attired Quechua locals take over the streets of the whole…
Imbabura or known as the Lakes Province is absolutely one of the favorite tours on visitor’s trips while in Ecuador. The main attraction is Otavalo Market. It is a massive Saturday crafts market (But there is a market every day too)
- one of the biggest of South America! Tons of traditionally-attired Quechua locals take over the streets of the whole town center, selling beautiful artwork, handicrafts, livestock, and clothing, anything you can imagine! You will also LOVE the food at Cotacachi also known as the Leather Town, and all the great but cheap restaurants around town. The waterfall that after a short walk ,you will be impressed by its beauty .Finally amazing views of the Andes on the way back to Quito. We invite you to join us to this very colorful tour with a local taste
Location
Guayllabamba
Cancellation Policy
For a full refund, cancel at least 24 hours before the scheduled departure time.
For a full refund, cancel at least 24 hours before the scheduled departure time.
Customer Ratings
5.0
(30 Ratings)
5 stars
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1 star
Jimandthefamily
Jul 28, 2025
Best day in Quito - We had the best time thanks to joel. He was incredible and was able to tailor the trip to everything we wanted. Our driver Ricardo(I hope I remembered correct) was excellent. They watched over us and made sure that we always felt safe. Joel was awesome and connected with our 5 kids ages 16-20. He was always making us laugh and provided enough facts to make it interesting. I thought it would be a boring drive, but he made sure to interact with us and had special surprises that made the drive time fly by. He helped us in the market get the best deals, and found a place that everyone in our group loved the food. I would highly recommend joel and his driver because they were professional, intelligent and very interested in making sure we had fun and learned about the country they love
Review provided by Tripadvisor
Bronsyn
Jun 2, 2025
Great Day ! - Great private tour, we were picked up at our hotel on time, visited Bizcochos bakery, delicious tasting opportunity, learned about the Agave plant. Visited Middle of the Earth solar museum in Cayambe.... on to Otavalo Market, we took the time we wanted to visit the merchants and shop... Next on to Cotacachi where we visited a loom weaver with beautiful wall hangings, blankets among other things, demonstration of how the wool is dyed using the base Cochineal a red dye derived from a scale insect and the deviations of how additives such as baking soda, ash and sulphur changes the colors of the dye. Could not leave here without buying a reminder of this wonderful reflection of Equadorian culture. A musical instrument shop with demonstrations of all the hand made instruments ...had to buy something here too 😊 . Finally, a great meal at Casa Lenador and a chance to browse the stores. Our tour guide did a wonderful job, the days was ours to enjoy and we were never rushed. Our guide Josue Santamaria made our day the best we could have hoped for !
I would highly recommend this tour company.
Review provided by Tripadvisor
Daniell608
May 18, 2025
Exceptional Private Tour with Joel Rivera – Highly Recommended! We recently took a private tour to Otavalo and Suruwand - Exceptional Private Tour with Joel Rivera – Highly Recommended!
We recently took a private tour to Otavalo and Suruwandering as a group of six, and our experience with Joel Rivera as our guide was outstanding. Mr. Rivera is truly one of the best guides I’ve ever had. His knowledge of the region, history, and culture was impressive, and he communicated everything in excellent English.
What stood out most was how he fully customized the itinerary to suit our group’s preferences and was always open to adjusting plans based on our interests. His professionalism, warmth, and flexibility made the day smooth, informative, and memorable.
If you’re looking for a personalized and enriching experience in Ecuador, I highly recommend Joel Rivera without hesitation.
Review provided by Tripadvisor
Hcanuck
May 14, 2025
Exploring Otavalo area - Had a great day out with Ricky exploring the area around Otavalo. He was v professional and we learned a lot about the history of Ecuador from him. Highly recommend him as a guide
Review provided by Tripadvisor
Bronwyne619
Apr 25, 2025
An interesting Artisan and cultural experience - Eric was our guide and Carlos our driver.
Eric was friendly, knowledgeable, enthusiastic and very helpful. He responded to our interests and was flexible with our itinerary. When we expressed interest in the rose industry he made sure we stopped at a local distributor and walked us through their process. This was a highlight of the trip.
Carlos was also friendly and very helpful.
We really enjoyed the flower excursion (mentioned earlier), and the stop at the artisan shop. The Otavalo market was interesting, but quiet on a weekday (made it easier to browse!). We enjoyed the walk to the waterfall and Eric made sure that we experienced and understood the relevance of the Inty Watara.
We really enjoyed the time browsing around Cotacachi. It’s a lovely city. The streets were interesting and there were some great shops. We particularly enjoyed our coffee stop.
Note that it’s a long drive (2 hours each way). We left at 7:30am, and weren’t back until close to 6pm. It was comfortable for the four of us in the vehicle provided.
Review provided by Tripadvisor
Melodie_l
Mar 8, 2025
Great experience - Amazing! Great trip. Our guide Erick was friendly and knowledgeable and brought us to wonderful views, great shops in Otavalo, and a nice restaurant for lunch. Would highly recommend this trip.
Review provided by Viator
Buenviaje2121
Feb 17, 2025
Excellent guide led us through heartland of indigenous art and culture of Northern Ecuador - Our guide Erick was outstanding. We were able to not only see the traditional Otovalo market but also exllore wonderful art murals in sevral villages, the excellent Cotacaci museum and cathedral, two great restaurants and cafes, and lewen a lot about Ecuadoran and indigenous history and culture from Erick's fount of knowledge. He was courteous, professional, and amiable. Could not recommend any guide more highly and will definitely use hum again in the future!
Review provided by Tripadvisor
Abbie
Jan 2, 2025
Great tour to Otavalo Matket! - Otavalo Market Tour with Driver
You will not find a better guide (Erick) and driver (Carlos) to help you navigate the market. So many beautiful items and people to see.
The waterfall at Peguche was lovely.We stopped at Cotacachi, a beautiful little town, where we had a wonderful lunch and enjoyed seeing all the handcrafted leather goods. Throughout the tour, Erick filled us in on the culture of the people and land- especially interesting was the information about the volcanoes. Could not have had a better day.
Review provided by Tripadvisor
Leah
Jul 4, 2024
Otavalo and the “Way of the Roses” - Our family of four (two adults two teens) was promptly picked up by Erick the guide and Pablo the driver. Erick approached us straight away at our hotel pick up and explained what was happening for the day. He was kind and sincere.
We knew we were going to Otavalo and the markets but it was the shade houses of roses that intrigued me on the way. Erick could see I was very interested and so stopped at a roadside florist for me to see all the roses they were selling.
We always felt safe and looked after. It was our last day in Equador and we had a great time walking to the waterfall.
I would definitely recommend this private guided tour.
Review provided by Tripadvisor
Robert_w
Nov 24, 2023
Excellent day trip journey to markets & waterfall - We really enjoyed the sights and scenery of the trip out of Quito to the markets and seeing the waterfalls! Joshui was an excellent tour guide and highly recommend this tour. Friendly, smooth and great recommendations.
Review provided by Viator
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