The largest lake in Ecuador at 2,660 metres above sea level, Laguna de San Pablo sits in a natural bowl at the foot of Imbabura volcano, about 5 km south of Otavalo. On a clear day the reflection of Imbabura's cone in the water is one of the finest views in the northern Andes. The reed-fringed shores are home to the Huarmi Maki community, who still fish and farm here as their ancestors did. Kayaks can be rented at the lakeside, and the road around the perimeter makes a rewarding cycling loop.