OTAVALO + CUICOCHA (RELAX) I 2 DAYS / 1 NIGHT | FROM $495
Duration
Tour Type
Explore Tours
IMPORTANT NOTES:
- Reservations are subject to availability and may change without prior notice UNTIL YOUR RESERVATION IS CONFIRMED
- To make a reservation, 50% of the fare per passenger must be paid, NON-REFUNDABLE
- Rate applies with a minimum of 2 passengers
- Please inquire about rates for groups
- Itinerary subject to changes due to: weather problems, operational inconveniences, or situations that may endanger the passenger
- The operator is obliged to change to a hotel of the same category assigned to the client in case of emergencies.
TERMS AND CONDITIONS:
- The quotation is valid for 24 hours after the date of submission
- The price may vary after this date if there is no prior confirmation
- The total amount must be paid in full 30 days before the reservation entry date.
Included/Exclude
- Comfortable transportation
- Certified English/Spanish-speaking guide
- 1 Breakfast, 1 Lunch, 1 Box lunch
- Traditional Bizcochos (biscuit)
- Quitsato project (middle of the world) entrance fee
- Visit ¨Ponchos¨ indigenous market
- Visit Sacha Warmi community + rose plantation
- Accommodation based on double occupancy, 1 night at Pinsaqui Hacienda hotel
- Boat ride at Cuicocha crater lake
- International flight and airport taxes
- Meals and drinks not specified in the itinerary (estimated budget $20 per person)
- Entrance fees not mentioned in the itinerary (estimated budget $20 per person)
- Alcoholic beverages
- Tips and personal expenses
- Medical and travel Insurance (MANDATORY)
- Guide services in other languages are available at an additional cost. Contact us for more information.
Quito - Quitsato - Poncho Market - Visit to Sacha Warmi Community.
Our journey begins around 08:00 at the designated meeting point for this tour. We will head north of the city, where approximately 1 hour and 30 minutes away lies Quitsato, a large Sun Clock with a diameter of 52 meters. It is made with a mosaic of stones that mark the different lines of the solstices and equinoxes, as well as the hours of the day. These are indicated by the shadow projection of a large 10-meter-high pole located exactly in the center of this large circular platform. Here, you will learn about the fascinating history of geodetic missions in the Ecuadorian Andes and the significant importance of solstices and equinoxes worldwide.
Afterwards, we will proceed to Otavalo, where we will visit its traditional and renowned Poncho Market, the most recognized Indigenous market in South America. Here, you can find a wide variety of handicrafts: exquisitely woven fabrics, wool ponchos, hats, tapestries, hand-knitted sweaters, scarves, carved tagua jewelry, and even Andean musical instruments.
Just 25 minutes away is the parish of Gonzales Suarez, where the Sacha Warmi project (women of the mountain) is located. Here, we will enjoy a delicious lunch and take a tour of the astromelias, the orchard, roses, and strawberries, and you will be part of the preparation of ají and the community.
We will then head to Hacienda Pinsaqui for check-in. You will have the afternoon free to explore the area and rest for the following day.
Included: accommodation at Hacienda Pinsaqui in standard double room and lunch.
Not included: breakfast and dinner.
Peguche Waterfall - Boat Ride on Cuicocha Lagoon - Cotacachi - Quito.
After a delicious breakfast, we will head towards Peguche Waterfall. This beautiful tourist spot boasts an 18-meter waterfall and is considered an indigenous ceremonial site due to its purification baths.
This sacred waterfall is located within the 40 hectares of a protected forest, known as "Peguche Waterfall Protective Forest," and is renowned as one of the most beautiful forests in northern Ecuador.
Around 10:00 AM, we will arrive at the Cotacachi Cayapas Ecological Reserve, where we can visit Cuicocha Lagoon. Situated at an altitude of 3,068 meters above sea level, at the foot of Cotacachi volcano in the Western Andes of Ecuador, in the province of Imbabura, Cuicocha is a nearly circular dark blue lagoon, 4 km long by 3 km wide, formed within a deep volcanic crater. Inside the lagoon, two islands can be seen, the smaller one called Yerovi, and the larger one, Teodoro Wolf, separated by a channel called the "Channel of Dreams." Here, we can enjoy a boat ride.
Next, we will visit Cotacachi, a city known for its leather industry. Here, you can do some shopping if you wish and enjoy a delicious box lunch before returning to Quito.
Included: breakfast and box lunch.
Not included: dinner.
