Otavalo was my last stop in Ecuador! I had three reasons for going: for Laguna Cuicocha, the artisanal market and lastly because it was a good final stop before crossing into Colombia.
The Otavalo Market
I arrived to Otavalo at lunchtime on Saturday, the busiest day for the market. After finding a hostel and dropping my bags, I went to the market. Jumpers, ponchos, jewellery, bags, purses, blankets, hammocks, homemade products, artwork…there’s a lot to see!
If I wasn’t travelling for another five months, I would’ve been easily tempted to get a few things. I’m determined to keep travelling light, it makes the backpacking life so much easier!
Location: Plaza de Ponchos
Days: Saturday is the busiest market day and Wednesday is the second. On a Saturday, the streets leading off from the Plaza de Ponchos will have stalls set up too.
Laguna Cuicocha
Laguna Cuicocha is another one of Ecuador’s beautiful lakes. Its name translates as guinea pig lake – the two islands in the middle are shaped like guinea pigs! I can kinda see it, but imagination is required once again!
Getting to Laguna Cuicocha is pretty simple. I went to Otavalo’s bus station and hopped on a bus to Cotacachi (it’s the green one). The buses leave every 10-15mins and cost $0.35. The ride was about 15-20mins.
I got off at Quiroga, a bit before Cotacachi, and then got a taxi (usually $5, I paid $4) to the lake.
Note: I’d read a few blogs saying to get off at Cotacachi as there were no taxis in Quiroga. I didn’t find this the case, in fact it was the opposite. In Quiroga, I had yellow taxis and white van taxis to choose between for going to the lake.
Once at the lake, I could choose whether to walk the 14km trail clockwise or anti-clockwise. Although there were more uphills and it was steeper, I walked anti-clockwise as I prefer going up to down.
Note: Clockwise still does have uphill sections, I just felt anti-clockwise had more and longer ones.
Note: There’s no entrance fee, it’s free!
The walk took me just over 4hrs, including photo taking breaks, pauses at viewpoints and lunch.
It was a really nice walk and the views were great. Thankfully the heavy rain forecast didn’t fall and I just got some drizzle, heavy clouds and bursts of sunshine.
As I was walking, I had several runners pass me. There was a race on. I’m not sure how far it was but they all looked like they were doing well.
I was able to join another group for the taxi ride back to Quiroga where I got the bus back to Otavalo.
How to get to Otavalo
Otavalo lies two hours north of Quito. Buses serving the Quito-Otavalo route leave frequently, say every 10-20mins, from Carcelén terminal (Quito’s north bus station) and a ticket costs $2.70.
I went from Mindo to Otavalo in a day. I got dropped off at Ofelia station and then got a 20min bus to Carcelén Terminal. At Ofelia, there are two stops for Carcelén: Carcelén Alto and Carcelén Bajo. Go to Carcelén Alto for the bus terminal.
If you’re coming from further north, perhaps Colombia, get a bus from Tulcan. It costs $4, takes approx 2hrs and leaves frequently.
Final thoughts
Otavalo was a nice last stop in Ecuador. Laguna Cuicocha was a great day hike and I’m so glad the weather was semi-kind to me! I was expecting heavy rain so drizzle, cloud, bursts of sunshine, blustery winds were welcome!
I also enjoyed wandering around the famed Otavalo market. I wouldn’t detour to Otavalo just for the market. However, combined with Laguna Cuicocha, and the fact I was crossing the border into Colombia next, it made sense to stop there briefly. You could also visit the Otavalo market on a day trip from Quito.
End to Ecuador
And so that’s that for my time in Ecuador. Otavalo brings my five weeks in Ecuador to a close!
Having often heard that Ecuador’s the ‘meh’ country of South America, Ecuador’s been the country that’s surprised me the most and I’ve had a wonderful time here! I’m gonna go with the Galápagos and the Quilotoa Loop as my top two highlights, although it’s always hard to pick!
Next up is Colombia which I’m really looking forward to! I’ve heard great things so no pressure Colombia!! I’m currently on the bus to cross the border now whilst I’m writing this!
