20 Te Travel Guide Worldwide Travel PROMOTIONAL CONTENT
Promotional Content • Saturday 13 May 2023
ECUADORIAN HIGHS
Spend six days on a road trip around the Ecuadorian section of the Andes, one of the world’s most extreme mountain ranges, to explore the country’s colossal volcanoes, Indigenous traditions and dynamic cities
county’s centre with deep crevasses and sheer cliffs. Its volcanoes have reshaped the local topography over the course of mere centuries, forming ashen hills and new lakes. In that time, only the hardiest of people have made this landscape their home. But today, travellers to this region have the chance to watch artisans working on ancient crafts — traditions preserved since before the days of the Inca — and visit historic cities born out of resilience in the high-altitude climate. Opt for the following six-day road trip itinerary to experience some of the best of Ecuador’s volcanoes, crater lakes, Indigenous towns and inventive cities.
E
cuador is home to one of the most dramatic stretches of the Andes mountain range, which scores the
Stop one: Otavalo Start your Andean route in Otavalo, less than a two-hour drive from Quito’s international airport, on a weekend if possible. Te town’s namesake open-air market (South America’s largest) brings together crafts from the surrounding province of Imbabura. And while the stalls are open for business every day of the week, Saturday is the official market day, when the streets erupt with bright reds, yellows and pinks. Shamans coax passersby into finding their futures at tables laid with ornate cards, local women in bowler hats lay out their alpaca-woven wares and, on the nearby Pan-American Highway, traditionally dressed ranchers drive herds into the animal market. Secluded high in the Andes, Otavalo has preserved its local
craftsmanships since before the era of the Inca Empire and today it’s particularly famous for its textiles — meaning the ponchos and rugs on sale here are ideal souvenirs to take back home. After a morning of browsing and
bartering, get away from the crowds by heading to Laguna de Cuicocha (literally, ‘Lake of the Guinea Pig’, a reference to its two mounded volcanic islands). A half-hour drive from Otavalo, this vast lagoon is encircled by the foothills of the Cotacachi Volcano. Boat tours offer visitors the chance to get out on its blue waters. Top tip: If visiting on a weekend, spend the Friday night at a local hacienda, then head out to the market as early as 6am. You’ll be able to enjoy the stalls without the crowds and won’t have to compete for the best deals.
MARKET DAYS
Clockwise from above: The crater lagoon of Quilotoa; the landmark New Cathedral, in Cuenca; a llama, with Cotopaxi in the background PHOTOGRAPHS: GETTY
Set in Plaza de los Ponchos, in the centre of town, Otavalo Market is the place to go for crafts from the surrounding Imbabura province, from alpaca wool jumpers and ponchos to silver jewellery, leather items and felt hats.
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