Otavalo Tour from Quito Visiting Cayambe, Indigenous Market
Recommended by 97% of travelers
Badge of Excellence
Quito, Ecuador
- 12 hours (approx.)
- Pickup offered
- Group discounts
- Mobile ticket
- Offered in: English
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Overview
Enjoy this full-day tour of Otavalo Marketplace, the largest Indigenous market in Latin America. Departing Quito, you’ll travel to Otavalo Marketplace, to browse stalls for colorful, artisan souvenirs and delicious flavors. See, too, the famous equator monument and stop in Peguche to visit a waterfall and a local family to learn about local music.
- Full-day tour of Otavalo Marketplace from Quito
- Ideal for first-time visitors with limited time in Ecuador
- Visit Otavalo Market—one of Latin America’s largest markets
- A small group means more attention from your guide
What's Included
- Tourist transport
- Bilingual guide (English / Spanish)
- All entrances
- Hotel pickup
- Details not especified
- Food and drinks
- Tips
Meeting and Pickup
Pickup points
Select a pickup point
Pickup details
Se confirmará la hora y lugar de pick up hasta las 21h00 pm del día anterior a su tour, si no recibe esta información debe contactarse al +593983359-796, realizamos pick ups en las 3 zonas: La Carolina, Plaza Foch, Plaza Grande, si deseas ser retirado en otra zona podemos hacer con un pago adcional/The time and place of pick-up will be confirmed until 9:00 p.m. the day before your tour departes. If you do not receive this information, you must contact +593983359-796, We make pick ups in this 3 main areas: La Carolina, Plaza Foch, Plaza Grande, if you want you can add a transfer with extra fee.
Operating hours.7:00 am
Itinerary
1
Cayambe
30 minutes • Admission Ticket Free
2
Otavalo Market
2 hours • Admission Ticket Included
3
Cascada de Peguche
45 minutes • Admission Ticket Included
4
Peguche
30 minutes • Admission Ticket Free
Additional Info
- Confirmation will be received at time of booking
- Infants must sit on laps
- Not wheelchair accessible
- Most travelers can participate
- This tour/activity will have a maximum of 20 travelers
Supplied by
Cancellation Policy
You can cancel up to 24 hours in advance of the experience for a full refund.
Traveler Photos
Featured review
Lindsay_G
Our guide Diana was so friendly, helpful and informative. The trip was worth it for the information alone. Great conversations. The Bizcochos was delicious and interesting to know the history/how they make it and similar with the Agave and at 0 0 0 my husband managed to balance an egg!! The waterfall is beautiful and watching the lady playing the instruments was very relaxing. And of course, the market was full of hoods to buy. We tried haggling (I usually hate it but they seem to love it!) and it really works - start at half the price and then work up to the middle difference. We got some bargains. For lunch Diana found a restaurant that served fish as I don’t eat meat. All in all a great day out.
Reviews
4.8
based on 416 reviews
Lindsay_G, Mar 2026
Our guide Diana was so friendly, helpful and informative. The trip was worth it for the information alone. Great conversations. The Bizcochos was delicious and interesting to know the history/how they make it and similar with the Agave and at 0 0 0 my husband managed to balance an egg!! The waterfall is beautiful and watching the lady playing the instruments was very relaxing. And of course, the market was full of hoods to buy. We tried haggling (I usually hate it but they seem to love it!) and it really works - start at half the price and then work up to the middle difference. We got some bargains. For lunch Diana found a restaurant that served fish as I don’t eat meat. All in all a great day out.
Linda_L, Jan 2026
We had a wonderful day with Adrian, Adriana and our driver Jimmy traveling through the Andes to Otavalo. Adrian threw in some surprises for us. A beautiful local woman joined us on the van to sing in Kichwa and show us her family’s handmade goods. We stopped at a waterfall and shared our gratitude to the world. Adrian is knowledgeable and friendly and easy to spend the day with. I highly recommend!!
Kellen_B, Jan 2026
All around great experience with Quito Tour Bus! Grace was incredibly helpful with our booking and answering our questions prior to the tour, and our guide Fernando was so knowledgeable and helpful during the tour! Definitely would recommend this excursion while you are in Quito!
isabel_f, Dec 2025
The worst tour I’ve been on.
Of course, there were good moments, in particular the visit to Jose the music maestro and haggling in the market. But the guide, the operator and the locations let things down.
Our guide, Fernando, acted like a teenage boy in a sulk; rude, arrogant and with serious bad vibes. Despite the company car door being broken, he never held it open for the 76-year-old woman in our party. He told us, with authority, that the blue-billed ducks at the lake were called Blue-billed Ducks (they are Ruddy Ducks). And he even managed to spoil the sacred waterfall with his monologue of pollution, human fouling and community conflict.
The operator itself was seriously lacking compared to every other tour I’ve booked through Viator. They didn’t message in advance or respond to my messages about pick-up the day before. There wasn’t an out-of-office hours contact number and when they did eventually respond – after I had to contact Viator’s live chat to request it – they were dismissive and unhelpful.
Most of the locations we went to were eerily quiet – no shops open, no tourists and no locals – which added to feelings of unsafety Fernando and the tour company perpetrated. Such a shame. Especially when Ecuador needs, and deserves, more tourists like us.
Carol_G, Aug 2025
This was a wonderful day for us. Having a private driver was a perfect way to end our vacation. Ernesto was very knowledgeable and made sure we had a wonderful day. His pride in his country was evident.
David_A, Aug 2025
We had a great time. The trip to Otavalo was beautiful, and Diana was an amazing guide; so knowledgeable. Highly recommended.
Jason_H, Aug 2025
Amazing cultural experience to learn about Ecuadorian people, music and way of life.
Irene was awesome.
ozpharmer, Jun 2025
Dany was a great tour guide, very friendly and knowledgeable about the history and culture of the areas we visited. This tour was much more than I anticipated and was full of various different fun activities all day long. Highly recommended!
Janice_O, May 2025
The entire trip was interesting. Loved the drive through the rose growing region. The market was an amazing and fun experience.
grizel_u, Feb 2025
It more of a cultural experience than just a visit to the Market . Jose was quite good at offering his passengers a good overview of Ecuador. Quite engaging and informative
Caitlin_V, Jan 2025
I was traveling solo and my tour consisted of me and one other solo traveler. Our guide Ernesto did a great job keeping us informed and entertained, while also giving us some quiet/solo time (such as when I fell asleep in the car after lunch, ha!) Highly recommended!
Jacob, Jan 2025
The tour was well run and organised. I had a good time exploring the markets, would recommend this tour and company to family and friends.
Sharon_A, Jan 2025
I enjoyed the water falls and the journey ali g the way. The market was filled with similar things. If you enjoy authentic handmade items, you will like the market. Our tour guide, Diana was sweet, warm and knowledgeable.
Lara_L, Nov 2024
I thought the market would be the main attraction of this event, but all the other stops were delightful as well. Eric (driver) and Carlos (tour guide) were fabulous! They were patient, knowledgeable, and made sure that we all got home safe. Thank you so much for a great tour!
Mary_F, Oct 2024
My guide, Carlos was knowledgeable, considerate and kind. The trip includes 5 stops and each one had a special charm. Otovalo market itself, which is why I signed up the trip, was just a small part of the experience. This is a great way to see as much as possible in a single day. We had lunch (not included in the cost of the trip) in a local restaurant and that in itself was a special treat. The meal was fabulous. My favorite part was the Cascada de Peguche which is a wonderful short hike and lots of lovely energy from the waterfall. All in all a mellow, relaxing and enjoyable tour. I will just say that they are pretty aggressive at the market and all over Quito for pushing their wares so be prepared to say no a lot. Also everyone says to negotiate but their prices are not high and so I didn’t try too hard and I felt like I got good prices. It is a bit of a tourist trap but it’s an interesting one and only one fifth of the entire trip. I found some nice pieces to purchase. All in all a great day and couldn’t be happier. I do just have to give a big thank you to Carlos for stopping at the roadside so I could purchase a chirimoya (local fruit) after I told him that I really like them. I enjoyed my chirimoya Carlos, Thank you!!
Marcus_P, May 2024
Misael was a great tour guide! A great way to learn about the history of Ecuador and experience it through the food and culture. Andres, the driver, did a great job getting us everywhere safely. Highly recommended!
Ricardo_M, Mar 2024
We went on this tour on a Saturday and were lucky enough to be the only 2 people on the tour. Carlos was our guide and was extremely professional and filled with information on our drive to Otavalo. We stopped in Cayambe for some bizcocho which is an artisanal treat (think of a cross between a breadstick and a buttery biscuit) we were able to have a quick breakfast and continued on to the lagoon and waterfall which were both breathtaking. The market was huge! It’s very easy to get lost in there but our guide was nice enough to follow us around and give us tips for haggling prices down which was great. Lunch was in a very nice restaurant, overall this is a great day trip from Quito don’t hesitate to book it and ask for Carlos you won’t be disappointed.
Sarah_H, Mar 2024
Pamela made our day to Cayembe & Otavalo very special. She is knowledgeable and enthusiastic and clearly enjoys her work. It was a special treat to have a local guide in indigenous dress for several of our tour stops.
A+++ highly recommend
Pedro_L, Jan 2024
The bizcocho café and bakery was very enjoyable. This family shared the history of this delicious pastry. The waterfall was spectacular and the music house was very informative and entertaining.
Anne_W, Nov 2023
This was a very full day with multiple stops and points of interest. Carlos is a knowledgeable guide. We especially enjoyed the walk through the forest to the waterfall, Cascada de Peguche, which was lovely. The Otavala market was a bit disappointing— more imported tchotchkes than native handicrafts. Still there were some good deals there. Our only major complaint was that we did not sit down to lunch until 3:00. Since we left our hotel at 7:15, that was a long wait. It would have been helpful to at least know that in advance.
Lilla_S, Oct 2023
Special thanks to our driver, Ivan he can drive very well and our guide Adrian ha is very smart kind and he has good knowledge.
Marge_B, Aug 2023
Trip was amazing!!! The market was great. The extra stops/attractions were splendid!!! Everything was wonderful including our guide Misto!!!
jodi_s, Aug 2023
I thought we were going to small town and market. This was basically an indigenous people flea market in a city. The goods were very nice and interesting, but I would not have spent a day on this if I realized it was JUST A SHOPPING TRIP. The local restaurants were fine, but not many were open and certainly not anything special. Typically, we enjoy Viator tours, but this description was misleading!
Nita_G, Jun 2023
Our tour with Andrea and Pablo far exceeded our expectations. We met at 0700 and they were right on time. We visited all of the sites as listed under the tour description, however Andrea and Pablo made the experience far better than we could have ever asked for. Andrea is incredibly knowledgeable and passionate about her country and Ecuadorian history. Pablo was engaging and made sure our trip felt safe and efficient. Their passion allowed us to experience the sights, sounds, and tastes of Ecuador in a way we never could have accomplished without their guidance. We were so impressed by the quality of this tour that we actually booked them immediately for additional tours to Cotapaxi and Banos. If you want to truly experience Ecuador on and off the beaten path, we highly highly recommend this tour and in particular, Andrea and Pablo. Forever grateful to you both!
Darlene_W, Apr 2023
The most memorable parts of the trips were the stops along the way: the bizcocho tasting, the waterfall, the views of the volcano at the restaurant with the two llamas and the music museum. Andrea and Pablo were fantastic!
Vicki_R, Apr 2023
Adrian was a wonderful tour guide. He was very knowledgeable about Ecuadorian history and culture. He was entertaining and enthusiastic! We had a wonderful day!
Ann_A, Mar 2023
We had a blast with the Quito Tour Bus Company and our guide Irene and river Ivan to see the Otavalo market. Along the way we stopped to experience the equator line and balanced an egg, saw a beautiful waterfall, checked out a musical instrument museum and tried delicious native chocolates and desserts. My children ages 12 and 15 loved the trip. The tour had lots of hands on experiences and stories that they have been sharing with family and friends back home. Irene made the experience especially enjoyable sharing so many animated funny stories.
Valerie_S, Feb 2023
Loved visiting Otavalo. The town is so quaint. Our your guide was awesome! She pointed out and explained different points of interest along the way.
Rebecca_T, Feb 2023
I really enjoyed our guide Joshue taking us to see how traditional weaving is done and how yummy bizcocho (crunchy, yummy baked sponge cake sticks) are made. He explained many things about the traditional life style and language. We also walked down a scenic stone walk way to see Peguche waterfall. The large artesans market was amazing, too. Artesans from all over South America sell their wares here. Great and relaxing day!
Prunella_G, Jan 2023
None really….my guide was nice, but being the only one, I found it a bit difficult. For $150 US, I think I could have done much better. I would not recommend this day tour. If you are on your own, hire a private car and pick places that you want to go to.
From $69.00
per personup to 24 hours before the experience starts (local time)
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