THE NORTHERN ANDES
IMBABURA VOLCANO
Mountains, Lakes & Folklore The Northern Sierra offers magnificent scenery of volcanoes, sparkling lakes and patchwork-covered hills. Taking the Panamericana highway north of Quito, the first highlight is the Cayambe volcano (18,997 ft), crossed by the Equator. This snowpeak overlooks the city with the OTAVALO
same name, which in the last decade has grown in importance because of the rose plantations. Flowers are Ecuador’s fourth largest export. Renowned in Cayambe are the home-made cheese and bizcochos (buttery biscuits). Further north is the province of Imbabura (see map on next page). A visit to Ecuador is never complete without at least a few days spent here, the province of lakes and mountains, inspiring landscapes and folklore. This province is only 50 miles north of Quito on the PanAmerican Highway.
ATTRACTIONS IN IMBABURA SAN PABLO LAKE This is the largest lake in the province. Indigenous people fish 58
early in the morning in their straw canoes, and also bathe and wash their clothes in this lake during the day. There are inns, farms and restaurants where you can spend a weekend or just a day full of entertainment around the lake. You can also take a boat ride around the lake, or enjoy other water sports such as sailing, water skiing, jet skiing, etc.
OTAVALO INDIGENOUS MARKET Otavalo is a small city of about 50,000 inhabitants. It lies at 8,300 ft above sea level in a spring-like valley, situated between the Imbabura volcano (15,118 feet) and the Cotacachi volcano (16,200 feet). The most famous indigenous market in Ecuador is held here. Although the market is bigger on Saturdays, you can visit it any day and find an impressive variety of all kinds of