Safari to Otavalo

stronghold for indigenous Quechua people

Set amongst beautiful farmland and surrounded by the northern peaks of the Ecuadorian Andes, around 50km north of the capital Quito, Otavalo is the centre of a large rural community of great cultural interest.

This area is a stronghold for indigenous Andeans, whose first language is Quechua, the tongue of the Inca and other pre-Spanish peoples.

Historically this has been a very productive farming area, thanks to the constantly mild mountain climate and the rich volcanic soils.

In recent years an increase in tourism has led the local people to become increasingly focused on their traditional artisan crafts, especially their famously colourful textiles and confusingly named Panama hats (which actually originate from Ecuador).

Otavalo and the surrounding villages have become increasingly renowned for their markets. As well as the traditional livestock and farm produce markets (usually on Saturdays), there are now extensive areas of street vendors, purveying a mind-boggling range of locally-made wares.

If you take the time to explore some of the smaller villages (such as Cotacachi, Ibarra, Agato and Peguche), then you should get the chance to actually meet with some of the artisans who produce these wonderful goods. Most villages have their own particular speciality, with Cotacachi being a major centre of leather-working and San Antonio specialising in wood-carving.

Although Otavalo can easily be explored on a day trip out of Quito, the best way to visit is to spend a few nights at one of the area’s fabulous rural haciendas (some of which were actually founded by the original Spanish conquistadors), where you can really experience the best of rural Ecuador.

We often recommend staying up here as an alternative to heading into the middle of Quito, especially for guests who prefer the countryside over the city.

Activities in the area include horse-back riding, hiking, mountain-biking and various farm activities.

The best time to visit Otavalo is generally considered to be during the Jun-Sep dry season.

Otavalo has a subtropical highland climate. Temperatures are almost constant year round, with the two seasons being largely defined by the variation in rainfall.

During the Jun-Sep dry season conditions are usually warm and dry, with lots of sunshine. Average daytime temperatures usually reach around 21C/70F, with nighttime lows holding up around 16C/61F. Rainfall is relatively low, at around 25mm (1”) per month. Sunshine is up around 8 hours per day, which is around 70% of daylight hours.

During the Oct-May rainy season conditions are usually warm and wet, with more overcast skies. Average daytime temperatures usually reach around 21C/70F, with nighttime lows holding up around 16C/61F. Rainfall is relatively high, at around 100mm (4”) per month, rising to 175mm (7”) in Mar-Apr. Sunshine drops to around 6 hours per day, which is around 50% of daylight hours, but can be considerably lower during that core Mar-Apr period.

Getting there

Otavalo is located around 50 km (30 miles) north of the capital Quito and can be reached by road in about 90 minutes, depending on the traffic coming out of the city.

The Bosque Nuboso (cloud forest) areas lie about 50 km (30 miles) west from Otavalo, so the three locations can easily be combined.

Where to stay

By far the best lodge in the Otavalo area is the superb and rather upmarket Hacienda Zuleta

The next best option is the similarly historic, but considerably lower cost Hacienda Cusin.

a lovely rural alternative to staying in Quito