Otavalo & North Andes

THE ANDEAN HIGHLANDS

A series of fertile valleys between two main mountain ranges of scenic beauty are dotted with small colorful villages and charming colonial cities like Ambato, Riobamba and Cuenca, each with its own peculiar characteristics. Snow-capped mountains on both eastern and western Andean corridors the most famous being mount Chimborazo, (6,310 meters/20.697 feet above sea level) Ecuador’s highest mountain and Cotopaxi the highest active volcano on earth (5,907 meters/19.400 feet.

Riobamba, the starting point of one of the world's most exciting narrow gage railroads and, as part of it, the “Devil's Nose,” a masterpiece of engineering where a series of “switchbacks” bring you hundreds of feet down an almost vertical wall.

INDIAN MARKETS

Ecuador’s high Andean sierras and their spectacular landscapes are full of small towns with their own cultural expressions and events. Otavalo -famous for its Indian market, the best known and most colorful of South America. Anything from wool textiles, native fruits and fresh vegetables, to jewelry, ceramics, baskets, woodcarvings, naif paintings, embroidery, assorted tools and even domestic animals all for sale or trade.

Markets in Ecuador are the most colorful and traditional places of the country. They are rich cultural sites where natives meet with their friends and relatives while engaging in ancient bargaining routines, where socializing may be more important than financial reward.