Saquisili Market & Quilotoa Loop

Day 10:

Thursday is a big market day at Saquisili (similar to Otavalo´s Saturday Market). We planned our trip so we could experience the market and the Indigenous culture at Saquisili. We arranged a tour to the market with the hotel ($53 for two). The tour included an English speaking guide, transportation, and lunch.

We left at 8 am and it took 20 minutes to reach the market. The first place we went to was the animal market – where you can buy live pigs, cows, lambs, and alpacas. The animal market was huge (larger than the animal market at Otavalo). There were so many animals that you felt like you were on a farm. Several dozens of people tugging their “dinner” around with a rope or carrying them under their arms. It was a sight to see (we took lots of pictures). Our favourite was a very large pig. He was so cute that we felt bad that he was “on the market.” Poor Wilbur.

The Saquisili Market is divided into several different markets throughout the town. One area is the fruit and vegetable market. Another area is the craft and trade market. Another area is the bean and grain market. Another area is the animal market. The Saquisili Market is more for the locals than tourists (the Otavalo Market is more for the tourists).

After going to the Otavalo Market we kind of seen everything these markets had to offer. We zipped through the Saquisili Market in two hours and were ready to go. It was now 10 am and we finished sightseeing earlier than planned. Therefore, we wanted to see if we could go to Quilotoa Crater Lake via the Quilotoa Loop. We asked our English speaking guide (who barely said anything) about adding the Quilotoa Loop to our tour and the cost. He said we had to go back to the hotel to get a price.

At the hotel they wanted to charge us for both tours (Saquisili Market and Quilotoa Loop) $122. We said “Can we check out?” They did not want us to leave and brought the price down to $100. Like most things in Ecuador you have to bargain for services or products in order to get the lowest price. At the Saquisili Market we bought a tea kettle and sugar cup set. The vendor originally wanted $15. After bargaining back and forth we settled for $8. That is almost half the price.

We agreed on the $100 for both tours, which is actually a good deal because Quilotoa Crater Lake is approximately 2 hours one-way, with lunch included (which is $20).

We went on the Quilotoa Crater on the southwest route of the Quilotoa Loop. The road is very winding but the patchwork hills of the Andes countryside is beautiful.

We finally arrived at the Quilotoa Crater Lake. We have one word - BEAUTIFUL! Seeing the lake was well worth the drive. The emerald green waters that fill the crater is amazing. The Quilotoa Crater Lake is pretty high at over 11,000 feet. You can feel the altitude when you´re up there.

We hiked down to the waters of the lake which took us 40 minutes. We were still a little sore from our hike up Tungurahua Volcano a few days ago. However, we were not going to hike back up. We arranged for a couple of mules to bring us back up to the top before we descended to the waters.

After spending a few minutes exploring the waters we were ready to head up. Two young Ecuadorians brought our mules down to us - Byron (13 years old) and Blanca (15 years old). We hopped on the mules and headed back up. We asked the two teens how many times a day they make the trek up and down the crater walls and they said on average 3 times a day. What? We barely can make it up one time. Riding the mules was a real treat. It costs $5 each (we would have paid $20) and well worth it.

We headed back to the hotel for a nice dinner as we reflected on our trip thus far. We really loved Banos and it was kind of hard to top that. Staying at San Mateo is a different experience and can be a great get away for a family. We wanted Banos again.