Machu Picchu: Is it Worth the Hype?
Machu Picchu is one of those places you can’t avoid hearing about when traveling in Peru. While Peru has an abundance of amazing sights to visit, Machu Picchu garners the attention of the world. I remember seeing pictures of it in textbooks in elementary...
Discovering Cuenca & Cajas
Cuenca is a very pretty city in southern Ecuador. Although still a good-sized city, it has a much more relaxed feel than the capital of Quito. The historic center of the city is beautiful, with 16th and 17th century Spanish colonial buildings still lining...
Quito
If you’re traveling through Ecuador, it’s hard to avoid Quito. It is the transportation hub of Ecuador, connecting to amazing destinations such as Quilatoa, the Galapagos, Cotopaxi, the Amazon region, and pretty much anywhere you wish to go in Ecuador....
Otavalo & Laguna Cuicocha
Otavalo is a small city in the northern part of Ecuador, located about two and a half hours by bus from Quito. It is most famous for the Saturday artisan market, where indigenous tribes from the region come into the city to sell their products and...
Hiking the Quilotoa Loop
When I first started planning my South America trip, one of the first recommended places I came across was Laguna Quilotoa. I remember seeing the photo of the deep blue crater lake online and thinking “I definitely need to go there”. When I found out I...
Hiking Volcanoes in Ecuador: Imbabura, Rucu Pichincha, and Cotopaxi
Ecuador is a country of volcanoes. With around 50 volcanoes in the country, some active and others long since inactive, Ecuador is a hiker’s paradise. Cotopaxi and Chimborazo tend to get the glory, but there are plenty of other volcanoes in Ecuador worth...
Guide to the Galápagos on the Cheap
The Galápagos are famous throughout the world for the plethora of animal life there. Species of plants and animals that can be found nowhere else in the world are native to the islands. Because there was never an indigenous population in the Galápagos, the...
Experiencing Colombian Coffee in Salento
Salento is a small town south of Medellín in Colombia nestled amongst the mountains. It is a perfect location for growing coffee and in fact the majority of the coffee produced in Colombia comes from this region. Great coffee in combination with beautiful...
Wax Palms and Mountains: Cocora Valley vs. Samaria Valley
Cocora Valley is one of the main attractions in the coffee region of Ecuador. It is close to the town of Salento, making it easy to combine a trip to Cocora Valley with some time exploring coffee farms or relaxing in Salento. You can read about my...
Guatapé City of Lakes
Guatapé is famous for it’s lush green hills surrounded on all sides by gorgeous lakes as well as its very colorful town center. Only a couple of hours away from Medellín, many people visit Guatapé as a day trip, but there is plenty to do here if you have...
