Ecuador Travel

Las Palmeras to Cotacachi

Overview

In the foothills of the Cotacachi volcano, Cotacachi is an attractive northern Andean town known for its leather goods, and is located a short distance from both Otavalo and Ibarra. Shopping aside, the town is a good base to explore the Cuicocha crater lake and the Cotacachi Cayapas National Park.

Cotacachi is also well known in Ecuador for having been the first town to elect an indigenous mayor. With a large indigenous population, both in the town itself and in the surrounding villages, this was an important and groundbreaking step. There has been a great deal of energy put into creating an environment of solidarity and tolerance between the different ethnic groups of indigenous, mestizo and black residents that live here to the point that Cotacachi has won awards for its efforts in this area. The most notable of these awards was from UNESCO.

The town of Cotacachi has been kept impressively well maintained. Many of the buildings have been restored and refurbished. The town has attractive plazas and buildings that are painted yellow, green and pink. In the central square, Cotacachi’s cathedral can be found and it is worth a peek inside.

During the weekends, the town is bustling with activity. The leather craftspeople who do not own their own shops in Cotacachi, come to set up tents to sell their leather goods to foreign and national visitors. It is possible to buy various types of leather goods here such as leather jackets, boots, purses, bags, belts, shoes and wallets. Shop around to find a bargain, because each shop or stall has something slightly different to offer to the discerning buyer.

Due to its large indigenous population, Cotacachi is an important venue for observing local festivals and traditions. One of the best times to visit is around the summer solstice during late June. During this time there are a number of different important traditional festivals that take place, including Inti Raymi (the sun festival) and San Juanes. During Inti Raymi, shaman head to the Cuicocha Lake to perform a ritual cleansing bathe in its chilly waters.

Tourism in Cotacachi keeps increasing, and there are a number of different restaurants, hotels and other accommodations in the town for visitors. The town has a decent number of services considering its small size.

Highlights of Cotacachi Leather Town

Shopping for Leather Goods – Cotacachi is known for its high quality leather work, which visitors can purchase at a significantly reduced rate in comparison to their home country. Good quality leather should be soft and thin (unless the product is a sandal or belt, for which thicker leather is used) and the finish should be good. The main street for shopping for leather goods is 10 de Agosto. It is possible to bargain, but these are high quality goods.

Town Square People Watching – With its special efforts that have been taken to promote racial awareness in the town, Cotacachi is an interesting place for people watching in its pretty town square. While away half an hour watching the locals go about their business in the shadow of the town’s cathedral and other attractively restored buildings.

Markets – on the weekends, Cotacachi has a small handicrafts market where the visitor might find some interesting souvenirs. One of the best things about this is that it is less crowded than the popular Otavalo Market and some good bargains can be picked up here. There is also a food market where daily life can be observed.

Indigenous Festivals – Cotacachi is an important center for the indigenous villages surrounding it, and is a good place from which to observe some of the summer solstice festivals. Inti Raymi is important and shaman bathe in the Cuicocha Lake, a ritual for purification. In addition, Cotacachi is known for its “San Juanes” festival, where indigenous people dress up in black and dance around the main square. Beware, this festival includes a lot of alcohol consumption, and fights can break out between members of different villages.

Visiting Cuicocha Lake – a pleasant day trip can be made to the Cuicocha Lake. The energetic can hike around the lake, which can take anywhere from 3 and a half to six hours. Other visitors might prefer to visit one of the viewpoints and then take a boat trip on the lake to view the sulfuric bubbles and guinea pig shaped island in the center

Climbing Cotacachi – a short hop from the town itself, Cotacachi mountain is best climbed during the dry months of June to September, which is the dry season. Views from the top of this peak are spectacular, and on a clear day, climbers will be able to see along the Avenue of the Volcanoes, though the weather is not always clear. Climbers should note this is a technical climb and this mountain is not recommended for the inexperienced.

Getting There

Cotacachi is very easily accessible from Otavalo. To get there, the visitor should take a bus from Quito at the northern bus terminal at Carcelen.

Visitors should take a bus to Otavalo from the Carcelen bus terminal. This will cost approximately $2. The journey to Otavalo from Carcelen takes about 1.5 to 2 hours. The bus will end its journey at Otavalo’s Terminal Terrestre (bus terminal). Visitors that do this will need to then take a bus or taxi onward to Cotacachi. A taxi will cost approximately five dollars and a bus will cost less than a dollar. This journey is just fifteen minutes by road.