Otavalo and the Plaza de Ponchos

The region’s largest open-air craft market, at 2,550 metres below Imbabura

Otavalo sits at 2,550 metres, at the foot of Imbabura, two hours northeast of Quito along the northern Panamericana. Its weavers’ square has operated by decree since 1870 and now holds some fifteen hundred permanent traders. On Saturdays it spills into the neighbouring streets. Otavaleño weavers sell in Europe and Asia, then come home.

What you will see

The Plaza de Ponchos

Open daily with some fifteen hundred stalls; Saturday spills into the surrounding streets and Wednesday is the second market day.

Peguche Falls

A Kichwa sacred site where the ritual Inti Raymi bathing takes place, a short step from town.

Cuicocha and the Parque Cóndor

A caldera lake with two islets inside Cotacachi-Cayapas, and a rehabilitation centre for Andean condors and raptors.

Wildlife & flora

The Parque Cóndor rehabilitates Andean condors and other highland raptors. On Lake San Pablo, totora reed is still cut and woven into mats and figures. Around Cuicocha lagoon, Andean forest and páramo within the Cotacachi-Cayapas Ecological Reserve. Temperatures run between 12 and 25 degrees year-round.

From our own visits

The Otavalo tour is much more than the market: the lakes are where the charm is. At Cuicocha, a caldera with two islets, you can take the boat ride between them. On Lake San Pablo, at the foot of Imbabura, there is a marina and a boat outing, and some people swim in open water. The Plaza de Ponchos is open every day, but Saturday is the big day and Wednesday the second. Getting to know Imbabura slowly is a luxury.

What you should know

Saturday is the big day and also the pickpockets’ day in the square: carry little and keep it close. The dawn livestock fair can be hard going for sensitive travellers. Bargaining is expected, but moderate. At 2,550 metres, allow a day to acclimatise if you arrive straight from sea level.