Mama Negra 2026: A Guide to Latacunga’s Wildest Parade (Saturday 7 November)

Milk sprayed from horseback, a whole roast pig carried through the streets and five characters the whole city has been waiting for since September. Here's what Mama Negra is, who's who this year and how to enjoy it well.

Guayusa: The Amazon Leaf Ecuador Drinks Before Dawn (and What the Hype Gets Wrong)

A caffeinated holly, a 3 a.m. fire and a family trading dreams. The real story of guayusa, the most Ecuadorian way to get a buzz that's 100% legal.

Cajas National Park: A Free Day Hike Above the Clouds, 40 Minutes from Cuenca

Thousands of glacial lakes, paper-bark forests and a hummingbird found almost nowhere else on Earth. How to hike El Cajas on your own, safely, this long weekend.

Masks On: A Beginner’s Guide to Halloween Role-Play for Couples

One night a year, everyone gets permission to be someone else. Here's how to turn the costume into a game you'll both want to play again, without feeling silly.

Guayusa: The Amazon Leaf Ecuador Drinks Before Dawn (and What the Hype Gets Wrong)

Is Weed Legal in Ecuador? The 2026 Reality Check for Travelers and Expats

The Still Life: Building a Home Corner That Slows You Down

Masks On: A Beginner’s Guide to Halloween Role-Play for Couples

Behind the Mask in Guápulo

The Last Room in Mindo

Halloween in Ecuador 2026: Costumes, Cemeteries and a Curfew on the Four-Day Puente

Ayampe, Olón or Montañita? How to Pick Your Slow-Life Town on Ecuador’s Coast

What It Really Costs to Live in Ecuador in 2026

Cajas National Park: A Free Day Hike Above the Clouds, 40 Minutes from Cuenca

Three Days, Three Villages, One Turquoise Crater: Hiking the Quilotoa Loop on Your Own

Galápagos on a Budget: Island-Hopping Without a Cruise

Mama Negra 2026: A Guide to Latacunga’s Wildest Parade (Saturday 7 November)

Cuenca Turns 206: A Guide to the November Fiestas, the River Craft Fair and the Republic That Lasted 47 Days

Purple, Spiced and a Little Haunted: The Story Behind Colada Morada and Guaguas de Pan