| HIGHLIGHTS |
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Immense variety of local hand crafts, from hand-weaved
textiles to jewellery.
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Fantastic opportunities for cultural photography.
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Chance to do lots of souvenir shopping.
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Less than two hours away from Quito.
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Great opportunities to practice your bargaining abilities.
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Interesting places to observe the cultural diversity
of the Central Ecuadorian Andes.
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SUGGESTED
COMBINATIONS |
OTAVALO
Cuicocha Trekking Excursion
3.200 m / 10,496 ft
Pambamarca
Trekking Excursion
3.900 m / 12,792 ft
Cayambe
Climbing Excursion
5.790 m / 18,991 ft
SAQUISILI
Rumiñahui Trekking
Excursion
4.631 m / 15,189 ft
Iliniza
Climbing Excursion
5.125 m / 16,810 ft
Cotopaxi
Climbing Excursion
5.897 m / 19,342 ft
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| OTHER
CULTURE & RELAX EXCURSIONS |
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Depending
on the area where you want to climb, in
between excursions we can organise a visit
to some colourful indigenous markets of
Ecuador. The most well known are:
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Otavalo
Otavalo
is one of South America’s most important
indigenous markets, and the most visited centre
of ethnic tourism in Ecuador. The local inhabitants
known as Otavaleños are proud and prosperous
people, who have achieved international recognition
not only as successful weavers and textile
exporters, but also as a symbol of cultural
fortitude among the indigenous people of Ecuador
and the whole continent.
The Otavaleños are the descendants
of former "mitimaes", people who
were forced immigrants brought by the Incas
as a way to establish political domination
and control, when they invaded this part of
the Andes just a few decades before the Spanish
arrived.
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the market you will have a chance to buy local textiles
and hand crafts. It is open every day, although
Saturday is still the best day to visit. The textile
industry is so big in this region, that the Plaza
de Ponchos is now filled with vendors all the time.
The Otavaleños also sell some textiles and
crafts from other parts of Ecuador, Peru and Bolivia.
If you plan to go there on a Saturday we recommend
to visit first the interesting animal market as
it starts very early in the morning. Bargaining
is appropriated in the market and in shops.
The variety
of shapes, colours, goods and people make the
Otavalo market a paradise for photographers, who
will enjoy a delightful experience. |
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| Itinerary
in Brief |
Day
1
• Pick up at around 7:30
• Drive to Otavalo
• Three hours aprox. to explore
freely around the market
• Lunch at a local restaurant
• Back at Quito by 18:00
Note:
This schedule is subject to change due
to unforeseen difficulties.
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Saquisili
If
your itinerary includes some trekking or
climbing around the Cotopaxi area, the Saquisili
market on Thursdays would be a very interesting
place to visit. The village is located in
the middle of the Cotopaxi Province.
According to a local economist, Saquisili
has been for many years the largest indigenous
market of Ecuador. It is famous for the
way in which it’s seven plazas and
most of it’s streets become packed
with people, many of them are local indians
of nearby villages, and some even come from
other provinces attracted by the variety
of products and good prices.
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| The
market primarily serves the needs of the indigenous
communities, with few tourist customers. The market
has different areas to visit like the fruit &
vegetables plaza, the textile area where the is
plenty of weavings available, and the animal market
where you can find all kinds of animals being sold,
from llamas to guinea pigs. It is an interesting
place for cultural photography! Another
good reason to visit it, is the opportunity to
observe and understand the variety of ethnic groups
among the indigenous people of the Central Andes
of Ecuador. |
|
| Itinerary
in Brief |
Day
1
• Pick up at around 7:30
• Drive to Saquisili
• Four hours aprox. to explore
freely around the market
• Lunch at a local restaurant
• Back at Quito by 18:00
Note:
This schedule is subject to change due
to unforeseen difficulties.
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