Otovalo

About two hours north of Quito, Otovalo is a city most famous for its market. The Otovalo market covers a city block with vendors offering a stunning array of ponchos and other clothes made from wool, often alpaca, as well as Incan masks, trinkets made or carved, as well as jewelry and art. 

Sights at the Otovalo Market

The market is at its most bustling on Saturday mornings, when the live animals market is open as Vendors spill out between the markets to fill the streets for blocks surrounding the central market as well. Bargaining is expected -- many of the vendors will explain the price is "20 dollars, but we can bargain …" The vendors can be pushy and at times grumpy. Try a couple ponchos or scarves on and then making no purchase will sometimes send the seller off in a bit of a huff.

The town itself has about 40,000 people and is quiet busy and bustling at the center. There are a couple European-style churches and a town square, as well as some small grassy areas. The area around Otovalo is stunning. The rolling hills above the city are rural farmland, primarily used for grazing livestock.

Around Otovalo

The farmland above Otovalo