2-Day Otavalo Tour with a Kichwa Homestay near Cotacachi

Reviews

 
 
 
 
  Excellent rating  
 Based on 703 reviews 
 
 
  
  
 
 
 
 
 
 
  
An in-depth and active trip through the Ecuadorean Andes
Rebecca Adventure Travel worked closely with us to organize a private tour through the Cordillera Occidental. We were interested an active trip; with hiking, biking and in-depth cultural exposure in and around the "Avenue of the Volcanos" of central Ecuador. After several days in Quito to acclimate ourselves to altitude and explore Quito's abundant cultural and colonial charms, we were able to see and visit so much. Beyond Quito, our trip included Otavalo, Cayambe, Cotacachi, Cuicocha, both hiking and biking in Cotopaxi National Park, wandering around Quilotoa lagoon and experiencing the charming town nearby, exploring Chimborazo National Park (including hiking to an elevation of 5,100 meters above sea level!), visiting and learning about a wonderful program for school children in the town of Guamote and gaining a greater understanding of Ecuador today as we traveled through charming towns and vistas a long the way to Cuenca. There we were treated to a comprehensive tour and orientation to this pleasant and welcoming city. At every stop along the way comfortable lodging arrangements were made for unique and memorable lodging. We cannot thank Rebecca Tours enough for having paired us our tour guide, Pablo Salazar, whose competence and knowledge went beyond exposing us to breathtaking Andean landscapes and architecture; helping us to understand both ancient and recent history, important Ecuadorean events, flora and fauna, music, literature arts and society. Rebecca Adventure Travel was a wonderful discovery. Having focused on the Andean areas we now realize there is so much more to learn about and experience in Ecuador and we will not only recommend Rebecca Adventure Travel to our friends, but also use this wonderful company for future visits.
  
 
 
 Patrick M 
 
28/04/2025
 
 
 
 
 
 
  
Amazing tour by Rebecca Adventure Travel!
Amazing tour by Rebecca Adventure Travel! They made it super easy to set up the tour and responded quickly with any questions we had before the trip. They also made it easy to pick us up in a different location each time. We loved our first tour so much we set up a second tour for our long layover in Quito on the way home. Our first tour was in Quito (Crater, Equator museum, Old Town, Panecillo) and we enjoyed all of it. Giovanni was our guide and he was very knowledgeable and friendly. Our second tour was to Otavalo (Waterfall walk, Walk & lunch around Guinea Pig Lake/Volcanic crater lake, Otavalo market). Angél was our tour guide and picked us up at the airport. We went to breakfast at a nice local restaurant on the way. We were supposed to go to a bird sanctuary instead of the Volcanic crater lake but the lake was our favorite part of the tour! Angél was a great tour guide too! He was very knowledgeable and friendly and made sure we got to see all that we wanted. We would definitely recommend Rebecca Adventure Travel tours! We went with our almost 6 year old and it was great ;)
  
 
 
 Nicole H 
 
06/05/2023
 
 
 
 
 
 
  
So happy we booked through local experts!
If you are thinking of going to beautiful Ecuador then you are thinking of making one of the best decisions in your life. We spent three weeks in mainland Ecuador and Galapagos and we loved it! The beautiful and diverse nature, the nice people, the fresh and delicious food all allow for a perfect holiday. We had initially planned a small group tour with a European travel agent but they cancelled on us due to lack of participants. I am so glad they did as we then found Rebecca Adventures and thanks to Angelica we got the best possible trip. Angelica listened to our needs and planned the trip. She even asked feedback during the trip and changed some of it as she learned what we liked best. We first spent a good day visiting the main sights in Quito and then went on to Amazon jungle where we totally connected with nature thanks to excellent native tour guides. After this we toured through the breathtakingly beautiful Andes mountains visiting Papallacta, Otavalo, Quilotoa, Baños and Cuenca. Finally we flew to the amazingly beautiful Galapagos islands where we stayed on both Isabela and Santa Cruz. Our trip was custom made based on the shared group concept. What this means is that we pretty much had a private trip in terms of hotels and transportation between places but hooked up with group excursions and sometimes had a private tour. New tour guides in new places kept the trip fun and interesting. We love this concept as you meet new people all the time and different guides allow for different insights and perspectives. This experience confirmed to us that you definitely get the best experience through an agent based in your destination. Don’t hesitate, contact Rebecca Adventures and get them to propose you your next best trip in your life.
  
 
 
 Emilio72 
 
15/06/2020
 
 
 
 
 
 
  
Otavalo is worthwhile visiting
We visited Otavalo with our own group. We had lunch for just 5 dollars, which was basic but good food! The market in Otavalo is worhwhile visiting, do not buy your handicrafts and jewelery elsewhere! There is a lot of choice!
  
 
 
 Cocky R 
 
20/03/2020
 
 
 
 
 
 
  
Otavalo Tour
Muy buena, todo se hizo muy organizado y seguro. El guia nos explico todo muy bien e hizo que el viaje fuera ameno. Disfrutamos todo.
  
 
 
 Angeles 
 
17/11/2019
 
 
 
 
 
 
  
What a great find!
The most insane signup process for a day trip I've ever suffered through, but an incredible day going from Quito to Otavalo and seeing everything in-between. All in all, totally worth the cost for a fun, small group and a great guide. I can't wait to travel back to Ecuador and do another one of their longer tours.
  
 
 
 LostAndyTravel 
 
26/03/2019
 
 
 
 
 
 
  
An amazing adventure
My friends and I contacted Rebecca Adventure Travel for a trip to the Galapagos and Ecuador. They responded immediately with an itinerary that fit us, after some small tweaks, perfectly. We wanted to pack in as many experiences as possible and we were not disappointed. We were greeted at our first hotel by Rebecca (who gave us a bagful of gifts) and her father. We were met by her delightful staff at every step of the way and felt quite comfortable moving from place to place. As indicated by our detailed itinerary, the inter island ferry could be, and was, a rough ride so Dramamine was more important than the rain jacket. The animal experiences were amazing. I never needed my binoculars but be sure to have enough memory in your camera for photos. I bought a small go pro clone and love my snorkeling photos of sharks, colorful fish, sea tortoises, sea lions, sea horses and more. Bring your own mouthpiece for the mask and snorkel as one loaner set was nasty. Rent the wetsuit for the chilly water because if you like animals, you will stay in the water as long possible. Upon returning to our hotel after a snorkeling trip we discovered discovered a credit card “situation.” Not knowing what to do we called Rebecca’s office on WhatsApp. Rebecca responded immediately and even came to our hotel to help us. She dealt with the boat’s owner and crew, insisted on restitution, contacted Ecuador’s department of tourism, and within days cameras were installed in the boat. She personally took the tour, with a new guide, to ensue this highly unusual situation would not happen to other tourists. She is amazing!!! I cannot recommend her and her staff more. And then we returned to Quito to see the sights. Our wonderful tour guide Telmo took us out and about. We saw the city, Otavalo market, the equator museum (don’t miss it), the leather town, Papallacta Hot Springs, a rose farm, bird sanctuary and much more. What a great trip. On to Peru with Rebecca Adventure Travel.
  
 
 
 goconto 
 
18/07/2018
 
 
 
 
 
 
  
Excursies Otavalo en paardrijden Cotopaxi - SUPER VERZORGD!
Op vrijdag 28 april vertrokken wij naar Quito waar wij 4 dagen verbleven alvorens verder Ecuador en de Galapagos te ontdekken. Gelijk op de zaterdag gingen wij met onze dochter (die momenteel in Quito stage loopt), met privé chauffeur naar Condor Park, Otavalo en Cotacachi. Een leuke excursie van Rebecca . Wij werden bij het hotel opgehaald door Ivan en onderweg vertelde hij veel over het land en stopte op leuke foto plekjes. Onze eerste stop was bij Condor Park. Uiteraard was er een show wat leuk was om te zien en daarna kon je door het mooie park lopen en de verschillende vogels bewonderen die ze daar houden. Ivan kon ons heel veel vertellen over de vogels. Daarna zijn we naar Otavalo gegaan waar wij samen met Ivan hebben geluncht in een restaurant (dit was inbegrepen). Na de lunch, zijn we over de kleurrijke markt gegaan en hebben leuke souvenirs gekocht.Hier zie je veel Ecuadoranen in traditionele kleding. Onze laatste stop was bij Cotacachi, een plaats in het teken van leer. De één na de ander winkel verkocht iets van leer - jassen, tassen, schoenen, riemen enz. Als je ervan houdt, kun je hier je hart ophalen. Het was een lange dag maar onze reis in Ecuador kon niet beter beginnen! De auto was super ruim, er was genoeg water en reizen met een persoonlijk chauffeur was ons super goed bevallen! Rebecca werkt samen met goede organisaties die aandacht hebben voor leuk en persoonlijk contact! Op de maandag hebben wij een tweede excursie gedaan via Rebecca Adventure Travel. Deze keer gingen we paardrijden bij de Cotopaxi. We werden weer opgehaald door Ivan. De rit daar naar toe was erg mooi. De natuur is fantatisch en onderweg zie je alpaca's of lama's. Bij de entree van het park, konden we wat drinken en/of het toilet gebruiken. Omdat het koud was, smaakte de hete chocolade melk wel! Ook, hebben we lekkere wollen handschoenen gekocht (mutsen en truien waren er ook). Na weer een stuk te hebben gereden kwamen wij bij de startpunt in het restaurant aan om te verzamelen. De gids: Angel, heette ons welkom, gaf ons instructies en nadat wij de rijlaarzen, cap en evt. poncho aan hadden, zijn wij met de groep (ca. 8 personen) gaan paardrijden. Het was koud, maar de handschoenen waren achteraf niet echt nodig geweest. De rit was super mooi en de natuur prachtig met iedere keer de Cotopaxi wel of niet in zicht omdat hij weleens verstopt was achter de wolken. Angel hield iedereen en de paarden goed in de gaten. De picknick hield in: een hartige snack en een appel. Dit was prima want na afloop werd er een heerlijke maaltijd genuttigd in het restaurant waarna wij weer met dezelfde privé chauffeur als de heenreis werden 'thuis gebracht'. Dit was wederom een goed verzorgde excursie welk zeker geschikt is voor de niet ervaren paardrijders. Wat een top dag!
  
 
 
 Inge P 
 
15/06/2017
 
 
 
 
 
 
  
Fantastische daytour gedaan naar Otavalo, super aardige gids die erg goed Engels sprak en ons de hele weg kostelijk heeft vermaakt met interessante verhalen over Ecuador en ook leuke grappen maakte. De tour was fantastisch geregeld en puur genoten !
  
 
 
 saskya muysson 
 
10/06/2017
 
 
 
 
 
 
  
Otavalo Tour: Good Value for $$
I was there for work and ended up wanting to do a tour on Saturday but could only book last minute on a Friday. I called up this company because I could not book on TA. I spoke with Rickie who helped me get sorted and onto the tour for the next day including allowing me to pay on the morning of in cash. In the morning, we were met by a very pleasant Omar who was a great tour guide. He was always looking out for us, on top of things and the agenda, all while making jokes and having a good time. I was especially blown away by the fact that he never sat down, even in the tour-bus and just kept answering questions and telling us stories. All in all, I think for ~$50, you can't beat a day long trip with all the frills and experiences that we got from this company. I highly recommend!
  
 
 
 Ben Here Done That 
 
11/05/2017
 
 
 
 
 
 
  
Otavalo Market
We originally booked the Cotopaxi hiking tour through Viator but, because of altitude sickness issues I'd had earlier on our holiday, we decided to change the booking to the Otavalo Market. The booking change ended up with Rebecca Adventure Travel as our agent. We thought it would be a boring tour, as neither my husband nor I are "shoppers", but we had the best time ever! We had a bad start, however, because we ended up sitting in the bus at the Magic Bean Restaurant for 25 minutes, waiting for the guide to turn up. When he arrived he explained that it was supposed to be his day off and he'd only been contacted that morning. From that bad start, it just got better and better (thankfully!). Our first stop was at the equator line, then off to a town for coffee and traditional biscuits, then to a lovely shop with a beautiful view selling souvenirs and alpaca goods. Then we went shopping crazy at the market. We had such a great time and bought heaps. It was fun bartering and talking to the vendors. Lunch was lovely. Our guide had a good sense of humour and made the long bus trip back more enjoyable. All in all, it was a fantastic day.
  
 
 
 Warick464 
 
07/03/2017
 
 
 
 
 
 
  
Otavalo and Mitad del Mundo tours
I spent a week in Quito starting Dec 3, and pre-booked Rebecca Adventure Travel for 2 tours. We were thrilled with our guide Ivan for our private tour to Otavalo. He made a number of interesting stops and answered our many questions about the country, the development of agriculture and tourism, and the positive political situation. Imagine our excitement to learn that Ivan would be taking us on our second tour, which included Mitad Del Mundo, the Initian museum, the crater, and the Teleferico gondola ride. He stayed close and truly guided us to experience a wonderful day. I highly recommend Rebecca Adventure Travel, which adjusted to accommodate two mature female travelers. Thank you!
  
 
 
 Susan S 
 
12/12/2016
 
 
 
 
 
 
  
Otavalo day tour (Equator, Otavalo, Cuicocha-lake & Cotacachi)
Had an excellent day out organized by Rebecca Adventure Travel, with a very informative and funny/entertaining guide (Omar). As the picture on the website suggests, Rebecca can indeed be reached at all times :) Unfortunately I did not have time for another tour, but for sure I would have booked it via her. On the day tour we visited several places, including a stop for breakfast and a late lunch. Started off at the Quitsato Mitad del Mundo equator point with nice info about the solar system and how the world map should actually be looked at. Then stopped in Cayambe at a restaurant/biscuits factory for an optional breakfast and look at the bizcocho production, followed by a lookout point over Otavalo & San Pablo lake, where also a small "Panama" hat producer was located. In Otavalo we had sufficient time to stroll across the market and enjoy all the indigenous products and do some souvenir shopping. On the way back from the market we stopped at the Cuicocha crater-lake and walked along one side of the lake. After which we drove to Cotacachi for a late complementary lunch (I finally had a chance to try "cuy"... guinea pig, which is extra, if you dare...) and some leather-ware shopping if you wish.
  
 
 
 meew 
 
10/12/2016
 
 
 
 
 
 
  
Cayambe, Otavalo, Cotacachie lake, rafting and biking in Baños
I'm a solo traveller and enjoyed all of the tours booked with Rebecca. Everything is well explained and communicated in advance, they give it all a very personal touch. Even when I was on road and wasn't on time for the next tour there would always be a communication by mail or phone. The Papagayo Hosteria at Cayambe is a must do, just amazing after climbing the Cayambe volcano, its super beautiful at night. All the guides were very professional and entertaining. The rafting in Baños was a super experience and handled very professionally. I can recommend all the tours of Rebecca, especially if you are a solo traveller like me. She takes pretty good care of you and everything! Thanks to all the team of Rebecca Adventure travel. Ecuador has been e real adventure to me.
  
 
 
 Anissa R 
 
28/08/2016
 
 
 
 
 
 
  
Excellent Communication and Great Tour
I booked three tours through Rebecca and really enjoyed all of them. After hearing from others that had booked their trips though other agencies, the big thing that made Rebecca stand out was the level of communication. Rebecca prepared and sent a very informative itinerary with meeting points and information on the activities of each day and how to prepare for each day. Those who booked through other agencies weren't so lucky and were left not knowing where their meeting points were or what time they'd be picked up. On communication alone, I'd highly recommend Rebecca. I did two group tours to Quilotoa and Otavalo, both which had fun and informative guides and packed a lot of activities into the day. The private tour to climb to the summit of Ruminawi was the highlight of my trip and the guide, Luis, was very friendly, knowledgeable, and was able to keep me on a good pace throughout the hike, which helped with the altitude. Also, Rebecca booked a stay at Hosteria Papagayo, which had a great atmosphere and very friendly staff.
  
 
 
 Ian 
 
09/07/2016
 
 
 
 
 
 
  
Otavalo
Last week, we went to Otavalo on a Saturday. First we made a stop at Mira Lago to drink some coffee and enyoy the Lake. After that we went to see the huge condor and some Hawks at a "bird show". For lunch, we went to a typical Ecuadorian restaurant in Otavalo to have a simple but good lunch. After the lunch we spent some time on the market to buy Ecuadorian handcrafts. Finally we visited a waterfall in the neighbourhood of Otavalo. Our guide was very kind and relaxed and he was able to tell us many things about everything we saw.
  
 
 
 Elma S 
 
27/06/2016
 
 
 
 
 
 
  
Otavalo market
S morgens vroeg opgehaald en met jan Carlos als gids vanuit het drukke Quito naar het mooie platte land van ecuador gereden. Onderweg lekker een kopje koffie met de plaatselijke specialiteit genoten. De markt in otavalo is indrukwekkend en de mensen heel vriendelijk. Veel met de hand gemaakte spullen. De vrouwen maken ter plekke van alles. Daarna nog naar een vulkaan. uiteindelijk heerlijk gegeten met elkaar. Echt een aanrader om ecuador te kunnen zien in al haar glorie.
  
 
 
 Sonja D 
 
05/04/2016
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 Verified by Trustindex  
Trustindex verified badge is the Universal Symbol of Trust. Only the greatest companies can get the verified badge who has a review score above 4.5, based on customer reviews over the past 12 months. Read more