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.

Behind the Mask in Guápulo

Reader Confessions: a Halloween party on a hillside in Quito, one rule (masks stay on until midnight) and a stranger who seemed to know exactly how I take my coffee.

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

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

Quito’s Coffee Moment: The Cafés and Farms Putting Ecuador on the Map