We just finalized our trip to Galapagos/Quito (yea!!) and we will have two full days (Tuesday and Wednesday) before our cruise(3 nights) and part of the day we return from our cruise (Thursday) before we head out on Friday. Is Otavalo market worth it on a weekday? Everything I read says Saturday is the big day. Should we try one of the other markets? And are there any other day trips you would highly recommend?? Any advice would be greatly appreciated as this will be our first venture to South America.

YES! Need I say more, except be prepared to want to buy everything. There is an ATM on the corner of the square. And, when I was there, police with rifles guarded me as I pulled out even more money to spend !

The woven goods, scarves, textiles - all beautifully done. Check out the wool duffel bags too. I've been using mine for 4 yrs now as a gym and overnight bag.

Have fun. It is worth the trip.

annergizer, thanks so much for the response!!! this forum is nothing like the costa rica forum...lol...i think we'll do the day trip for Otavalo then. who knows, maybe we'll do a second market since we have 2 days...and some city time. if you have any other suggestions, let me know...any info is greatly appreciated!!! thanks again!

if you have a free day before your cruise, also check out bellavista cloud forest. you will never see more hummingbirds! also in otavalo, peguche falls is a nice diversion. if you have a full day, try to get to cuicocha lake. really pretty!

thanks quimbymoy...i am definitely doing otavalo and may do one of the extended day trips....the cloud forest sounds great!

Steph---As a long time resident of Otavalo, there is so much more to see than the market! However, Wednesday is the 2nd biggest day and bigger than any of the other days. As previous poster said, the Peguche Waterfalls, and the nearby weavers and tapestry galleries, Cotacachi the leather town with 3 long blocks of leather stores, 20 min. from Otavalo, and 25 min. from Cotacachi is the deepest volcanic lake in South America--Cuicocha lake with small boatrides around the lake to see the volcanic bubbles. There is San Antonio, the Wood-carving town, there is the Condor Park, so many nice walks and hikes--and Otavalo is safe (be careful though at the big Sat. market because we have pickpocketers from Quito coming out here for a 'visit'). If you have a car, spectacular scenery can be seen on out of the way roads. Not to mention, the Otavalo Indigenous culture--folklore music, and lots of textile workshops to visit in the area. And Otavalo is just 2 hours outside of Quito. When in the area, visit the Ali Shungu--4 blocks from the Indian market. They have a great restaurant as well as heated rooms, free wi-fi, free breakfast and lots of hummingbirds in the garden.