Otavalo Unveiled: Market, Artisans & Cuicocha Lagoon Tour

The good: We were taken to Peguche waterfall and Otavalo Market. These parts of the tour were great. Visited other places along the way and got a nice little taste of Ecuadorian culture. Felt a little like a selling tour as we were surprised with ‘opportunities’ to purchase from locals along the way. By the time we got to the market we didn’t feel we needed to look around to purchase much more. Bizcochos tasting was delish! The bad: we did NOT visit Cuicocha lagoon! I asked the guide (from Latin Adventures) of the trip and she said they never intended in going there. I asked a couple other guests and those who did not book through viator did not have this mix up in their itinerary. I booked this particular trip because I wanted to go to Cuicocha lagoon so this was very disappointing! The ugly: viator attempting to pass blame on Latin adventures and vice versa. I had one day left in Quito and asked both companies if they could schedule us to go to the lagoon for our final day to make up for this missed experience. In response, I received a notification from viator that a refund request has been submitted in my behalf. Latin Adventures has not replied to my messages since the tour ended. That was 4 days ago now, I’m back in Canada and no updates. In the future I will plan to book through a tour company (probably not Latin Adventures) directly instead of using viator.

Unfortunately it was raining and we had to improvise to prevent us from spending the rest of the day soaked. Too many stops to appreciate everything. If your interested in the Otavalo market only it's best to hire a cab for the day.

This experience was so much fun. We were able to do a lot of activities in the amount of time we had. This was a memorable trip. Try the cuy!

Diego was an excellent guide and managed to fit a number of stops into our day. He's extremely knowledgeable about the local culture and history. We got to see a local family makes clothing and bag articles from raw wool to the final product. The views of Lake Cuicocha were incredible. Communication with the agency was on point and our guide showed up at the hotel right when expected. Can't say enough good things about it.

Diego was an amazing tour guide! He was so kind, and knowledgeable. We absolutely loved Otavalo market. The Peguche waterfall was my favorite. We got so many amazing photos and the landscapes are just stunning along the way. Highly recommend this tour. Thank you for showing us such a great time Diego!! We learned so much and it was unforgettable.

Diego was our guide. Provided pickup from my hotel in Quito. He is a good driver, answered questions readily, and had a great knowledge base of the communities we saw and the geography of the area. We had coffee and bizcochos in the morning; lunch stop was awesome and I got my first taste of cuy which I highly recommend. Stops at the Otavalo market and Peguche workshops were well worth the visit. I could have stayed all day at the market but I was already overloaded with gifts to take back to family. Overall it was an excellent experience with breathtaking landscapes. Bring umbrella and sunglasses, will need both per typical Andean weather (but the rain only lasted 15-20 min), lovely weather the rest of the day.

Had a wonderful day with Ximena. She was very knowledgeable, took us to many places we would not have found on our own. The views were amazing, We made many stops,Ximena did not rush us but talored the day to us. She was Very pleasant and personable. I would take this tour again

The guide Carlos, very nice and patient. He explained to us in detail the name of the place and its history along the way. He accompanied us everywhere. He was excellent.The trip to otavlo market was a good experience. The restaurant we were in was great. A classy restaurant, with pleasant background music. The food was excellent, I really enjoyed the food. And the price was also very worth it. Also the visit and learning about the musical instruments, and the family playing was a wonderful experience.

This was different than I expected, our guide and driver were awesome and we had a beautifully clear day to see all the Volcanos. They took us first to a nicer shop to see the process of making some of the tapestries and the shop had excellent quality goods. Then we headed to the market which we went on a Saturday so it was huge. We gave our kid (10 & 12) some cash and they had a blast shopping. We then went to another area for lunch which was excellent. This area is known for its leather goods which shops had some really good stuff.

I hired Daniel Maldonand for this tour and he provided an excellent experience. He was friendly, nice and tailored the day to my interests. (Bonus for me is he speaks excellent English). His knowledge of his country is outstanding and he patiently explained everything to me. It was a great day and I left feeling like I had a new friend. Furthermore, after I moved on to Banos, he consistently helped me with recommendations for restaurants, clubs and even another tours while i was there. His amazing service greatly increased the quality of my overall trip to Ecuador. Please don't hesitate to book anything with him. I've traveled quite a bit and have never received this level of outstanding service. Thank you so much! AMAZING!