Planning a Trip

Getting There & Departing

By Plane -- The closest airport with regular traffic is Quito's Aeropuerto Internacional Mariscal Sucre (tel. 02/2430-555). From the airport you can hire a taxi or shuttle to Otavalo .

By Bus -- Buses leave Quito's main bus terminal, Terminal Terrestre, roughly every 20 minutes between 5am and 10pm. Two former rivals, Cooperativa Los Lagos and Cooperativa Otavalo (tel. 02/2585-360 in Quito, or 06/2920-668 in Otavalo) have partnered and now have a monopoly on this route -- although buses may be labeled with either name. The ride takes 2 to 2 1/2 hours, and the fare is $2.60 (£1.45). Buses to Ibarra and Tulcán drop off folks along the highway just outside of town, and do not enter the main bus terminal of Otavalo.

Otavalo's main bus terminal, Terminal Terrestre, is located on Quito and Atahualpa, about 8 blocks -- or a 15-minute walk -- from Plaza de los Ponchos. Taxis are always available at the bus terminal.

By Shuttle -- Every hotel desk and tour agency in Quito sells day tours to Otavalo and shuttle tickets aboard minivans and buses. The rate runs around $5 to $12 (£2.75-£6.60) per person each way for just transportation, and around $25 to $45 (£14-£25) for a day tour, including lunch. These shuttles and tours will pick you up at most hotels in Quito.

If your hotel desk can't set one up for you, contact Grayline Ecuador (tel. 02/2907-577; www.graylineecuador.com) or Metropolitan Touring (tel. 02/2988-200; www.metropolitan-touring.com).

By Taxi -- A taxi holding up to four passengers should cost $40 to $50 (£22-£28) from Quito to Otavalo.

By Car -- To reach Otavalo by car, take the Pan-American Highway (E35) north out of Quito. It's a fairly straight shot, and Otavalo is located just off the highway. You will pass first through the towns of Calderón and Cayambe. There are two $1 (55p) tolls between Quito and Otavalo. The ride takes around 1 1/2 hours.

Getting Around

It's easy to get around Otavalo and the surrounding area by taxi and local bus. Taxis are plentiful. A ride anywhere in the city of Otavalo itself should cost only $1 (55p).

If you're traveling farther afield and looking to explore Imbabura province, taxis can be hired for $5 to $8 (£2.75-£4.40) per hour. A one-way taxi fare to Cotacachi or San Antonio de Ibarra should cost $5 to $6 (£2.75-£3.30).

If you need a taxi, call Taxis El Jordán (tel. 06/2920-298), Taxi Otavalo (tel. 06/2920-301), or Taxilagos (tel. 06/2923-203).

Most of the surrounding communities, towns, and cities are connected to Otavalo by local bus service. Buses leave Otavalo every 5 minutes or so for Ibarra. Other buses head to Intag, Cayambe, El Quinche, Peguche, and Cotacachi. Your best source of information is to simply head to the bus station on Quito and Atahualpa. Bus rides to nearby towns or villages run 15¢ to 50¢ (10p-25p)

Orientation

Otavalo is a compact city. Streets here are set on a squared-off grid running at an approximately 45-degree angle to true north. The main arteries through town are the parallel streets of Sucre and Bolívar, which run from southwest to northeast. There are two main plazas of note. Parque Bolívar is located on the southwestern end of the city and is Otavalo's civic center, with the main Catholic church on its northwest side and the municipal hall on its southwest side. The streets that border Parque Bolívar are Sucre and Bolívar, on two opposite sides, and Juan Montalvo and García Moreno. Toward the northeastern edge of the city lies the Plaza de los Ponchos, which is ground zero for the weekly market, and which has become a de facto artisans market every day of the week. The Pan-American Highway skirts the city to the north.

Visitor Information

The Otavalo Chamber of Tourism (Cámara de Turismo de Otavalo; tel. 06/2921-994) runs a helpful information office on Calle Sucre and Calle García Moreno. You'll find another, similar office run by the Municipal Tourism Office (Oficina Municipal de Turismo; tel. 06/2921-313) on Avenida Bolívar near Calle Juan Montalvo. Your best bet, though, is your hotel tour desk or a local tour agency. My favorite local agency is Runa Tupari Native Travel , located right on Plaza de los Ponchos, between Sucre and Quiroga (tel. 06/2925-985; www.runatupari.com). They are not-for-profit and work to support rural indigenous communities.

Fast Facts -- If you need to contact the police, dial tel. 101, or tel. 06/2920-101. The main hospital in Otavalo, Hospital San Luis (tel. 06/2920-444), is located on Sucre and Estados Unidos. The post office is adjacent to Plaza de los Ponchos, on the corner of Salinas and Sucre; it's on the second floor of a dreadful building that is constantly under construction. Yes, it looks as though the building has been condemned, but it hasn't, so head up the stairway and walk past the miniconstruction site to the post office.

Banks are abundant in Otavalo. There's a Banco Pichincha (tel. 06/2920-214) on Bolívar 614, near García Moreno, and a Banco del Pacífico (tel. 06/2923-300) on the corner of Bolívar and García Moreno. You'll find another branch of Banco Pichincha just north of Plaza de los Ponchos, on Sucre between Quiroga and Quito.

There are plenty of pharmacies around downtown Otavalo. The Farmacia Otavalo (tel. 06/2920-716), at Colón 510 between Sucre and Juan Jaramillo, is very helpful. Pharmacies work on a turno system, which means that each pharmacy periodically takes responsibility for being open 24 hours.

It's easy to find an Internet cafe in Otavalo; there are over a half-dozen within 2 blocks of the Plaza de los Ponchos. Fast connections can be found at Native C@ffee Net (tel. 06/2923-540), on Calle Sucre between Colón and Morales. Rates run around 50¢ to $1.50 (25p-85p) per hour.

Learning the Language -- If you want to learn some Spanish, check in with the Otavalo Spanish Institute (tel. 02/2925-475; www.otavalospanish.com), which offers a variety of intensive plans with one-on-one instruction, a home-stay with a local family and three meals daily, and various extra-curricular activities. They even offer classes in Quichua. Rates run $220 to $270 (£121-£149) per week, depending upon the number of hours of study per day.