TIPS IN AND AROUND OTAVALO
OTAVALO
In Otavalo you can find some small museums:
  • The Obraje Ethnographic Museum specializes in all that has to do with the fabrication of the world-famous weaving products of Otavalo.
  • A little out of center, but only a 15 minutes walk, the Otavalan Institute of Anthropology (Instituto Otavaleño de Antropología) houses a museum (and bookstore). In July of 2003 the Institute started functioning as the town’s first university.
You can also take short walks or bus/taxi rides to:
  • The San Pablo Lake (or Imbakucha) crossing the mountain range east of the town, where you may find the legendary tree El Lechero, protected by the imposing Mount Imbabura (4.609 m./15.121 ft.).
  • On top of this mountain range you'll find the Parque Cóndor, a rescue center for the Andean Condor and other wild birds, with a stunning view and flight shows two times a day. From the park you have beautiful views of the valley and the San Pablo Lake. (see our “links” page).
  • The sacred waterfall of Peguche.
  • Near to Otavalo you’ll find a lot of Indian villages, like Peguche, Ilumán, Agato, San Rafael and others where you’ll find the producers of the weavings sold in the Otavalo market. Ilumán is also famous for its shamanism. You can visit these villages, the weavers and other artisans, if you like with a guide.
A bit further away, but easy for a day trip:
  • At maximum 45 minutes in taxi or pick-up, the crater of Mojanda with its tree beautiful lakes and the top of the volcano Fuya Fuya (4.263 m./13.986,22 ft.), waiting to be conquered.
  • At 20 minutes in bus or taxi you’ll find the town of Cotacachi, famous for its fine leather products, two museums and good local restaurants.
  • At 12 kilometers/7,5 miles – 20 minutes en taxi – you’ll find the impressive Cuicocha Lake with the two isles in its center, situated in the old volcanic crater of the volcano Cuicocha. If you walk around the border of the crater there’s a good chance to see the top of the Cotacachi mountain (4.939 m./ 16.204 ft.) and with a little luck also the top of the snow-capped mount Cayambe (5.790 m./18.996 ft.) On Sundays and holidays you can take a boat trip and tour the lake.
  • About 20 minutes north of Otavalo along the Pan-American Highway, the village of San Antonio de Ibarra shows its many wood art stores.
  • 10 Minutes more to the north and you’re in Ibarra, the capital of the Imbabura province. The historic museum of the Banco Central is worth visiting to get to know something about the pre-Inca history of the region.
  • From Ibarra you can visit the Yahuarcocha lake (10 minutes), the museum Atahualpa in Caranquí (10 minutes), the thermal springs of Chachimbiro (1 hour) or the fertile Chota valley (about 1/2 hour), a subtropical region where a fraction of the Afro-Ecuadorian people live. They came to Ecuador centuries ago as slaves. Nowadays the valley is more famous for being the birth ground of a lot of Ecuadorian soccer players that made it to the world cup of 2002 and 2006, like Agustin “Tin” Delgado and Edison Mendez.
The Valley of El Chota
Parque Cóndor