Otavalo and the famous Saturday markets

After 5 days of Spanish lessons in Quito we were well and truly ready to get the hell out of the city. We hopped on an afternoon bus to Otavalo, to go check out the famous Saturday markets. We had to see for ourselves what all the fuss was about.

The journey from Quito to Otavalo took a little less than 2 hours, and cost only $2.50. Once we arrived in town we found our hostel, dropped our things and went for an explore to find dinner.

The next morning we woke up bright and early to go the the animal markets. The animal markets, unlike the other markets, are not for tourists. I mean tourists are more than welcome to visit them however there aren’t things to buy here, unless you’re in the market for a new bull, duck or guinea pig. The animal market begins around 6am and is well worth checking out, even just to see how the locals go about getting their new rooster, pet puppy or turkey.

After the animal markets we headed back to the hostel for breakfast before heading out to the famous markets. The markets were HUGE, lining multiple streets, the main square and more. You could buy just about anything your heart desired from art to jewellery, to rugs, hammocks, jumpers, bags and sandals. They had it all, and the pricing was good too. I was worried that as it is so hugely popular with tourists that the prices would be inflated to match, however llama and alpaca wool jumpers and such were running about the same price as they do in Bolivia. 

We browsed for a few hours and I even purchased a couple of new silver rings and necklaces. All in all the 2 days spent in Otavalo were a success. the town is much quieter and more traditional than Quito. Locals in the street seemed to be much friendlier towards us and it felt a lot safer. The next day we got up early for a walk in the hills on the edge of town. That little stretch of the legs was just what the doctor ordered before jumping on a bus again and heading back to Quito.