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Otavalo, Cotacachi and Cuicocha Tour With Optional Hotel Pick-Up - "Small Group"

Quito, Ecuador

Likely to Sell Out

From $60.00

Select Date and Travelers

up to 24 hours before the experience starts (local time)

9 hours (approx.)
Pickup offered
Mobile ticket
Offered in: English

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Overview

Journey through Ecuador’s incredible landscapes and stop on route for photos and to visit Otavalo Market on this tour from Quito. Head north along the Pan-American highway, taste biscuits in Cayambe, and hop out at Otavalo Market to experience the local shopping culture by bartering for handicrafts. Then, stop at Cuicocha Lagoon—a crater lake below Cotacachi Volcano—to snap photos and perhaps take an optional boat ride (additional cost).

Otavalo Market, Cotacachi, and Cuicocha Lagoon tour from Quito
Combine scenery and shopping in one effortless day
Buy crafts at Otavalo and sail on Cuicocha Lake (extra cost) below Cotacachi
Upgrade to add pickup and drop-off at select Quito hotels

What's Included

Hotel Pick-Up and Drop Off (if you select this option)
Professional guide

Gratuities
Food and drink

Meeting and Pickup

You can head directly to the meeting point, or request pickup

Meeting point

Hotel NH Collection Quito Royal
Luis Cordero 444, Quito 170143, Ecuador
The meeting point is the NH Collection hotel at 7:30am.

Pickup points

Select a pickup point

Start time

07:40 AM

End point

This activity ends back at the meeting point.

Pickup details

If you choose the option with pick-up from hotels, you can choose from any of the following list: Patio Andaluz 07:00 AM Hilton Colon 07:15 AM • Mercure Alameda 07:20 AM • Reina Isabel, Rio Amazonas, 07:25 AM NH Collection, Swissotel 07:30 AM • Holiday Inn 07:35 AM • J.W. Marriott 07:35 AM • Wyndham Garden 07:40 AM • Dann Carlton 07:50 AM • Le Parc 07:50 AM • Sheraton 07:50 AM The meeting point is the NH Collection at 7:30am.

What To Expect

Leave Quito and head northward on the famed Pan-American Highway.

Head to the town of Cayambe, where tasty "bizcochos" biscuits are made fresh each morning. Watch as local men and women bake off the cookies in traditional wood ovens and sample a few of the buttery delights while they are still warm.

Then, make your way to Otavalo, where you meet Otavaleños (natives) as they prepare for market. Peruse the wares and barter for interesting items found only at this colorful marketplace.

Continue on to Peguche, which is known for its handmade leather bags, belts, and traditional workshops making Andean instruments. You have plenty of time to visit the village and do some shopping here.

Next, in Cotacachi, visit the Cuicocha Lagoon for the chance to take a small-boat ride (additional cost) and admire the changing colors of the volcanic waters.

Enjoy some free time for lunch (own expense).

On the way back to Quito, pick up passengers who stayed in Otavalo.

Fabrica de Bizcochos San Pedro

15 minutes • Admission Ticket Free

Otavalo Market

1 hour 45 minutes • Admission Ticket Free

Peguches'art

15 minutes • Admission Ticket Free

Laguna de Cuicocha

1 hour • Admission Ticket Free

Additional Info

Confirmation will be received at time of booking
Not wheelchair accessible
Near public transportation
Infants must sit on laps

Most travelers can participate
Optional pick-up and drop-off from selected hotels at an additional cost.
This tour/activity will have a maximum of 20 travelers

Cancellation Policy

You can cancel up to 24 hours in advance of the experience for a full refund.

For a full refund, you must cancel at least 24 hours before the experience’s start time.
If you cancel less than 24 hours before the experience’s start time, the amount you paid will not be refunded.

Any changes made less than 24 hours before the experience’s start time will not be accepted.
Cut-off times are based on the experience’s local time.

Traveler Photos

Reviews

4.0

110 reviews

Total review count and overall rating based on Viator and Tripadvisor reviews

Reviews by Viator travelers.

We perform checks on reviews

Showing 1-10 of 110 reviews

Great Quito Tour Guide!

Matthew_M, Sep 2023

Our Quito tour with Daniel was great! His deep knowledge of the city's history, culture, and hidden gems were exceptional. He balanced historical insights with explanations of present-day Quito, often addressing a number of off-topic inquiries from us (modern tech influence, economic factors, global dynamics, ecological processes, etc). His commitment to responsible tourism and community support was exceptional. Highly recommended! Simple notes: Clean spacious SUV car We spoke English and he was fluently bilingual Excellent and informative Daniel was particularly patient with our oddball curiosities

Amazing tour, too many stops , we prefer more time in Otavalo and Cotacachi

Shai_D, Jun 2023

The tour was great, excellent driver and guide. We prefer having more time at the market(only 1.5 hours) and in Cotacachi (too short).in my opinion , too many stops on the way to Otavalo , just for biscuits tastes and short outlook. I recommend to the organiser to specify the full itinerary (for example - 1 hour pick up, than 2 hours trip to Otavalo, 2.5 hours market etc., Bottom line, we enjoy every minute

Amazing tour!

Buruk_G, Aug 2022

Our tour guide, Francisco, was very knowledgeable and attentive to our needs. I was promptly picked up from my hotel and the tour went according to schedule. We visited all sites stated in the itinerary. Francisco went out his way to ensure it was a smooth experience for all of us. I thoroughly appreciated it and it was an overall fantastic tour! Highly recommend

As Promised

avoicewithspirit, Apr 2022

The trip was convenient and plentiful. One shortcoming: the restaurant was only tourists and mediocre quality.

More frustrating than enjoyable

Katie_K, Feb 2022

Unfortunately, I don’t have many positive things to say about our experience with this trip. They largely center around the guides time management. First, it’s not really a 9 hour tour but 11-14, so don’t make plans for that night. The guide arrived late and had a hard time collecting all the other people in our group so we left an hour after intended. That set the whole day off by missing other events. At 1:30 PM we had to ask him to have lunch and he explained it would be after the next activity, a boat ride around the crater which we missed due to poor timing. We ate lunch at 3:30 PM and ended up skipping the last stop entirely in order to arrive back in Quito by 7 PM. The market was fine, but not sure it was worth the journey as most things are factory made and can we bought in Quito. Overall the tour was more frustrating than enjoyable.

Otavalo

nedbandojo, Jan 2020

I thought the market will not have as much sellers, as I went on a Tuesday (which is a non-peak day), but it seemed complete with not so many buyers. Perfect if you want to avoid the stress of an over-crowded area! 🙂 Cotocachi was fantastic which even had a short yet scenic hike! Thanks Heidi for being a wonderful guide!

Response from Host, Mar 2020

Thank you for your comment, your feedback is very important for us!

Great tour!

Allison L, Jun 2019

This tour was great! We got to visit a musician and all of the instruments he made. We also was able to visit the Otavalo market where we were able to buy goods made by the indigenous people of the area. Our tour guide, Juan David, was excellent and knowledgeable. Due to the diversity of the group, Juan had to converse in Spanish and English for the entire tour. There was one woman who was very demanding of Juan's time during the tour. He was very patient in answering all of her multiple questions with a smile, even though the rest of us were getting annoyed with her. He showed a lot of class and patience. The only negative was the lunch. It was just average. We had eaten very, very good food during our trip to Ecuador and the Galapagos and this lunch was only so-so. Sad it was our last meal before we left for home. I can't remember the name of the restaurant, but it was Italian. Other than the meal, this tour was very educational and fun.

Otavalo and Cotacachi

Kay_W, Mar 2019

Experienced and wonderful guide was provided. Some of the smaller stops could have been deleted so the trip wasn’t 11 hours. The recommended restaurant seemed a bit pricey and full of other bus tourists. There was confusion on hotel pickup which they need to clear up online.

Otavalo experience

Mabel_C, Oct 2018

What a fun trip! It was like getting 4 or more mini trips all in one. The guide was fantastic!Thank you tour operators with coordinating with our hotel for pickup.

We didn’t need the stop to see the...

Deryck_G, Jan 2018

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.

Loved our time at the Otavalo...

Paul D, Nov 2017

Loved our time at the Otavalo Market! Bought gifts for stocking stuffers this holiday season!

Great tour! My only complaint was...

Julia B, Aug 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.

The weather and sights are amazing...

Ann F, Jun 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.

Excellent tour...William our English...

Donna_P, Feb 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..

Excellent guide,time at stop,expert...

Maria_V, Jan 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.

Great tour that provided a great...

Kevin_E, Dec 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.

We enjoyed the day driving through...

John_L, Oct 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.

Very good trip. Very informative...

Janice_W, Oct 2016

Very good trip. Very informative. The trip was listed as being approximately 8 hours long but we were gone for 12 hours.

Very good tour. Would have liked...

Eileen P, Jul 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.

The tour included lots of stops...

Christine G, Jun 2016

The tour included lots of stops along the way that gave us insight into how the indigenous live. Very interesting and well organized.

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