Take a bus to Parc Aquatico
Just behind the town of Otavalo is Lago San Pablo and the Aquatic park. To get here you need to jump on the bus from the main bus station in Otavalo to Araque but make sure you tell the driver that you want the Parque Aquatico or you might find yourself off at the wrong stop and having to walk for approx 5km to get to the Parque. Once there you have the opportunity to go on a boat trip round the lake, hire a boat, take a pony ride, have lunch or just enjoy the lake and all the local people out having family time. If you want some local food then there is a round restaurant near the water where an army of local ladies cook up a variety of local specialities, which looked delicious and was great value for money. Chris had the fried fish and I had shrimp and it was a fantastic lunch.
Visit the indigenous museum – Museo Viviente Otavalango
The Museo Viviente Otavalango was one of the best things we did in Otavalo. Its a living museum and tells the story of the indigenous people of the region and the changes to their lives and livelyhoods when the Spanish arrived and settled. The story tells how they worked, lived, celebrated both life and death and it was fascinating. To get there you can walk there or get a taxi. If you walk its about a 45 min walk south of the town on fairly main roads so its safe and if you get a taxi then it will cost about $4.00 approx. When we were finished the tour our guide offered to call a taxi for us but we caught the bus out on the main road and headed back to the main bus station which cost us $0.80 each. The cost to enter the museum is $5.00 per person but try not to visit on a Wednesday or Saturday as you won’t see the weavers working as they’ll be selling their products at the market.