Private land tour · 7 days / 6 nights · 4-star hotels
Seven days with the weavers, embroiderers and musicians of the northern Andes of Ecuador: the market of Otavalo, Peguche, the Cuicocha crater lake, the embroidery of Zuleta, a pamba mesa in San Clemente, the pyramids of Cochasquí and the Middle of the World.
At a glance
A private tour with your own English-speaking guide and transport, 4-star hotels and the meals and excursions of the itinerary. The itinerary is a sample: it can change with local conditions and adapt to your interests.
| Travel style | Luxury, with 4-star hotels |
|---|---|
| Highlights | Indigenous communities, local markets, textiles and embroidery |
| Fitness level | Fair condition |
| Start and end | Quito |
| Price | From US$1,622 per person (price for larger groups) |
Day by day
Day 1
Welcome to Ecuador! We meet you at Quito’s international airport (UIO) as soon as you collect your luggage, and take you to your hotel.
Day 2
Morning. If the weather is clear, we start at Quito’s best viewpoint: the TelefériQo cable car rises from 3,117 m on the edge of the city to Cruz Loma, at 3,945 m on the slopes of the Pichincha volcano, one of the highest aerial lifts in the world. Bring warm clothes. Lunch at a local restaurant.
Afternoon. A private walking tour of the old town of Quito, one of the first two cities in the world declared a UNESCO World Heritage Site, in 1978, with some 40 churches, 17 squares and 16 convents and monasteries. We visit La Compañía church, with its altars covered in gold leaf, the best example of Baroque architecture in Ecuador, and end at Independence Square, the political heart of the country.
Day 3
Morning. With your guide, a deep introduction to local culture at the Otavalo market. Saturday is the best day: besides textiles and crafts, the Kichwa families of the surrounding villages come to sell their own produce. After a walk through the market, we visit workshops that make Andean wind instruments, such as panpipes and flutes, and string instruments like the charango, the mandolin and the guitar.
Afternoon. Depending on how long you stay at the market, we visit Peguche, a peaceful village just outside Otavalo. The railway that once ran through it has been silent since the 1980s; its families live from farming and weaving, and are known as talented musicians. Back to the hotel before sunset.
Day 4
Morning. A drive of about two hours to Otavalo and a visit to the Condor Park, a rescue centre for birds of prey taken from illegal captivity or unsuitable places, where they recover and, when possible, are released; none of its birds were taken from the wild. The highlight is the flight demonstration of the birds of prey.
Afternoon. On to Cotacachi, a whole town devoted to leather goods, for lunch at a local restaurant. Then the Cuicocha crater lake, «the Lagoon of the Gods», at 3,068 m in the Cotacachi–Cayapas Ecological Reserve: time and weather permitting, a 30-minute boat ride around its islands. Back to the hotel before sunset.
Day 5
Morning. North to the small community of Zuleta, where the women turn embroidery into works of art, with landscapes, flowers and birds of the highlands. They have kept this hand-embroidery tradition alive for almost a hundred years as a source of income for their families.
Lunch. In the San Clemente community, a pamba mesa: in the indigenous communities of the Andes, a shared meal laid out on a cloth on the ground, an act of solidarity with deep traditional meaning. Activities with the community in the afternoon.
Day 6
Morning. A visit to the Cochasquí archaeological site, with its 15 grass-covered truncated pyramids, built by the Caranqui people between about 1250 and 1550, before the Inca conquest. A short walk, with the chance to feed the llamas and learn about the people who lived here.
Afternoon. After lunch, the Middle of the World monument (La Mitad del Mundo), which marks the line calculated in the 18th century by the French expedition of Charles Marie de La Condamine, with its viewing platform and its museum of the indigenous cultures; then the interactive Intiñán museum and its experiments on the equator.
Day 7
Transfer to the airport for your international flight: we take you three hours before your departure time.
The itinerary may change with local conditions, and it can be adapted to your interests and to what your guide considers feasible. Your guide has the final word on what can and cannot be done if circumstances change.
Where you go
The capital sits at about 2,850 m in a valley below the Pichincha volcano. Its old town, one of the best preserved in the Americas, was one of the first two cities in the world declared a UNESCO World Heritage Site, in 1978.
North of Quito, the province of Imbabura is the land of the Kichwa Otavalo people, famous for their weaving and their market, of crater lakes such as Cuicocha and Cubilche, and of communities that welcome visitors, like Peguche, Zuleta and Angochagua.
Where you stay
Every night is in a comfortable 4-star hotel, chosen for its location so the drives stay short and the mornings start well.
Combining your land tour with a Galápagos cruise? Book the cruise with us and your nights in Mindo Cloud Forest are complimentary.
Compare
| Tour | Route | Highlights | Price per person |
|---|---|---|---|
| 5 days: Northern Andes Trekking | Otavalo · Cochasquí · Cuicocha · Cubilche | Hiking crater lakes in the north | From US$1,149 |
| 5 days: Central Andes Trekking | Antisana · Quilotoa Loop · Quilotoa | Hiking the páramo and the Quilotoa crater | From US$1,303 |
| 7 days · you are here | Quito · Otavalo · Cuicocha · Zuleta · Cochasquí | Markets, embroidery and communities | From US$1,622 |
| 7 days: Nature, Adventure and Culture | Quito · Cotopaxi · Baños · Otavalo · Cuicocha | Volcanoes, waterfalls and markets | From US$1,630 |
| 12 days: Avenue of the Volcanoes | Otavalo · Antisana · Cotopaxi · Quilotoa · Baños · Chimborazo · Cuenca | The Avenue of the Volcanoes, end to end | From US$3,465 |
| 13 days: Cloud Forests, Indigenous Markets and Colonial Cities | Quito · Mindo · Otavalo · Cotopaxi · Quilotoa · Cuenca | Cloud forest, markets and colonial cities | From US$3,437 |
Only have a day? See our day trips from Quito. Going further? Our Peru tour with Machu Picchu, the Galápagos cruises and the birdwatching tours. See all our land tours.
Price
| 7 days / 6 nights | From US$1,622 per person |
|---|
The price per person depends on the size of your group and your dates: the price shown is for larger groups. We send you the exact quote within 24 hours.
Questions
At Quito’s international airport (UIO): we meet you as soon as you collect your luggage and take you to your hotel.
Yes: your own English-speaking guide and private transport, just for you and your companions.
Yes: tell us your dates and interests, and we adapt the days, the pace or the hotels, or create a custom program.
Yes. We combine land tours with Galápagos cruises, Amazon lodges and a stay in Mindo Cloud Forest, with all the transfers coordinated.
Much of the tour is above 2,800 m. Take the first days easy, drink plenty of water and bring warm layers: the Andes can be cold and windy, especially at the volcanoes and lakes.
That’s why you choose Dana Tours
Tell us your dates and how many people are traveling. We confirm the guide and the hotels and send you the final price within 24 hours.
Or write to us at [email protected]
