San Antonio de Ibarra
San Antonio de Ibarra is a small town located 20 km to the north of
Otavalo. This sleepy village is famous for its excellent wooden handicrafts.
Beautiful religious statues made to order, decorative trunks, furniture
and other articles made from wood are made in the various workshops
that dot the city. At the entrance of the city is a magnificent antiques
store with an incredible array of items.
Ibarra
Ibarra is called the white city because of its
charming white houses. The sprawling city is located at 2,205 meters
above sea level to the north of Otavalo. Ibarra was founded in 1606
and still conserves part of its original traces in a checkerboard
form. The main attractions in Ibarra are: the Fray Pedro Badón
Museum which contains many valuable religious art pieces; the Convent
of Santo Domingo with the Museum of Fabian Herrera Corral which contains
1,500 pieces of pre-Colombian ceramics; and the Cathedral and the
Library that belonged to the historian Federico Gonzalez Suarez.
Walking through its colonial streets while enjoying
a delicious and typical Helado de Paila (Ice cream made by
hand in a copper pan) from the famous Rosalía Suarez is truly
a pleasure.
Tulcán
Tulcan is the capital of the province of Carchi in the most
northern section of the Ecuadorian highlands. It is located at 3,001
m in altitude and a short distance from the International Bridge at
Rumichaca which is the most important area for crossing the border
between Ecuador and Colombia. Because it is a border city, there is
an intense commercial and economic movement. The Panamerican highway
passes through this town going from the Rumichaca bridge to the province
of Bolivar. The biggest tourist attraction is the Ornamental Garden
at the Cemetery.
