www.ecuadors.org

Zachely · Joined: 26 Aug 2006 Posts: 1

To all you thorntree folk,

I am in Quito at the moment and I am planning a 7 - 10 day trip to the north of Ecuador. Otavalo, Cotacachi, Ibarra and its train ride, Tulcan and its topiary gardens, and some 1-2 day walks in the El Angel NP.

Can you helpful people give me some other suggestions for places to visit in this area and your opinions on places I have mentioned. The 7-10 day time scale is only a ballpark figure, I am very flexible on how long I can spend in places, I am on a 12 month trip and only 4 weeks into it.

Any info will be much appreciated

Jael · Joined: 06 Jul 2006 Posts: 14

Chachimbiro thermal springs can be reached from Otavalo or Ibarra and have cheap cabins plus a cable car and zip line which can be ridden over the complex and rather fun.
I also had a trip to Chota which I enjoyed as the children in this town are so friendly and happy.
Tulcan can be quite cold so take something warm to wear. Ibarra and the other towns are warm most days so I guess layers of clothes is the best bet. I didn't see any train running then though the tracks were there however we may have been there the days it doesn't run. We were there about 2 weeks ago on a Thursday and Friday.