Saturday
Otavalo market day trips from Quito
Otavalo market day trips from Quito are built around Saturday, when the square is full. Other days are smaller. The price is on the partner’s page.
Photograph by David Adam Kess, CC BY-SA 3.0.
Listings
Ways to book
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GetYourGuide
Market, lake, and Peguche
A private Saturday with the square, the water, and a weaving stop.
The market, a boat on Lago San Pablo, and Peguche. The listing describes the ride from Quito as about 2.5 hours and Peguche as an 18 m waterfall.
See prices -
GetYourGuide
Cayambe and the ponchos
A fuller valley day that starts before Otavalo.
Cayambe, a stop on the equator line, Mercado de Ponchos, Peguche, and Casa Ñanda Mañachi.
Photograph by Ymblanter, CC BY-SA 4.0.
See prices -
Klook
More Otavalo days
A wider shelf of northern-valley trips.
Klook’s Otavalo destination, if you want a wider set of days.
See prices
Buttons above are paid partner links. How that works.
On the ground
Trip tips
- Quito
- E35 north
- Otavalo
- Peguche
- Cuicocha
The highway runs north through the Cayambe valley, with Imbabura in view on a clear day. Cayambe and the equator line show up on one booked day before the market.
When
Saturday morning. The animal market is at dawn. The textile square is the middle of the day. Heading back by about 3 p.m. is the advice for a same-day return to Quito.
Weather
One Quito day-trip guide calls June to September the drier months. Otavalo sits at about 2,532 m, a little lower than Quito at about 2,850 m.
Stops
Peguche after the market, Lago San Pablo for the boat, and Cuicocha or Cotacachi if the day is long. Ask before you photograph people. Bargaining belongs with crafts.
Altitude and what to bring
The town is about 2,532 m. Cuicocha is listed at 3,068 m and is windier than the square. You are still in the highlands, just not at Cotopaxi’s refuge.
Sources: Quito Trip · Community Hostel · Pack Lightly . Rewritten here. Fees, hours, and roads change.
Before you go
Good to know
- Saturday is the full market. The animal market is the early scene; the textile square fills after that.
- The private listing is 8 hours and names the market, a San Pablo boat, and Peguche.
- The 9-hour listing adds Cayambe and the equator line before the square.
Landing at Mariscal Sucre and would rather not start in a city taxi? UIO Transfers is a private car from the airport. It is the owner’s company, not a third-party ad.
Questions
Before you click
Which day should an Otavalo market day trip land on?
Saturday is the full market. Plaza de Ponchos is described as lively from about 8 a.m. until about 3 p.m., and busiest around 9 a.m. to 2 p.m. The animal market, west of the square, is about 5 a.m. to 9 a.m. Other days are smaller. One guide says craft stalls run about 7:00 to 17:00.
How far is Otavalo from Quito?
About 95 km north on the E35. Published drive times run from 1.5–2 hours to about 2–2.5 hours. A direct bus from Carcelén is described as about 2.5 hours.
How long are the listed tours?
One private listing says 8 hours. A full-day listing says 9 hours.
What belongs in the same day, if there is time?
Peguche is about 15 minutes north of town. Cuicocha is about 30 minutes west, and that crater lake is listed at 3,068 m. One guide suggests leaving Otavalo by about 3 p.m. if you want to be back in Quito before dark.