Culture

Visiting the Equator is one of the original tourism attractions of Ecuador that never seems to lose its charm.  But once visitors arrive at the “Mitad del Mundo” (Middle of the World), about 30 minutes from north-central Quito, they should not be surprised to find two Equators. READ MORE

Though Brazil is the largest Catholic country in the world, within its borders is a far more diverse religious melting pot often stirred by the country’s rich African roots, which are most evident in the northeastern state of Bahia. Here, Brazil’s most well-known Afro-Brazilian religion, Candomblé, maintains a powerful following. READ MORE

When tourists come to Quito they often visit the central historical district, the tourism district known as the Mariscal, and some of the other attractions around the northern half of the city.  But the largest part of Quito–the rural area–often goes unnoticed and unexplored.

Most think of Quito in an urban context, but that really is only part of the story.  Quito, in its entirety, is divided into 32 urban parishes and 33 rural parishes.  Rural Quito is much larger than urban Quito.  But what is there to find in the Quito countryside? READ MORE

To many people, Juan Valdez is just an image of a mustachioed guy in a hat – kind of like a caffeine cowboy. But in Colombia, he – and, more importantly, his namesake coffee shop – is much more than that. The cafe, run by the National Federation of Coffee Growers of Colombia, is a way for the nation’s coffee-growers to showcase their product beyond an image and bring it into people’s daily lives. READ MORE

For the greatest of aficionados it causes the heart to race even though it moves no faster than 25 miles per hour.  It is both a time machine and a modern marvel offering nostalgic voyages in a setting unlike any other on the planet.

The Ecuador railway, originally constructed at the turn of the 20^th century, has been restored in recent years and is positioned to become the star attraction in Ecuadorean tourism.  Considering that Ecuador is home to both the Galapagos Islands and Amazon jungle, that is saying a lot. READ MORE

If you read enough guidebooks, you can be forgiven for thinking that half of a country falls into the “can’t-miss” category. While this phrase is heavily abused by the travel writers of the world, some things truly cannot be missed. This is the case for landmark restaurant Andrés Carne de Res near Bogotá.

The restaurant, which has been an institution in the central Andes since it opened its first location in 1982, is nothing short of a delicious, colorful, musical all-night party. Plus, the fact that the flagship location takes up the space equivalent to a city block makes it literally impossible to miss it if you’re within a mile of it. READ MORE

If there ever was a city ripe for the gourmet food truck pickens’, it would be São Paulo, one of the best foodie cities in the entirety of the Southern Hemisphere. The obvious combination of a captive audience of 21 million hungry mouths coupled with a city that works hard, eats even harder, means this culinary hotspot should be one giant traffic-snarled gastro rush hour. Except it’s not.

Sampa has no gourmet food trucks.“Currently, there is no law that allows food trucks in São Paulo,” explains local foodie and event coordinator Mauricio Schuartz. “We see it happening in the near future but no one knows exactly how.” READ MORE

Argentina is a great place to immerse yourself in Spanish and practice your language skills. There are good, affordable schools in Buenos Aires, Bariloche, and many other popular destinations where you can pick up a few basics or perfect the skills you already have in just a few classes or month-long sessions. In fact, many travelers come to Argentina for the sole purpose of learning Spanish—and why not? The cost of living is lower than in the U.S., and the immersion forces students to practice on a day-to-day basis. READ MORE

It is one of the reason travelers migrate to Mexico and Cuzco: the stamp of times past in the ruins of civilizations long gone.

The dominant civilizations of the Americas have left legacies that are the source of hundreds of thousands of visits every year.   The Mayan pyramids of Chichen Itza and the mystical remains at Maccu Pichu are almost unmatched in their majesty.  But the Incas and those who came before have also left a trail of fascinating discoveries in Ecuador. READ MORE

Coffee? Dark, no sugar and a little milk please. I just can’t begin my day without a cup of good and tasty coffee. What about you? And what if it’s organic, fair trade and grown on the slopes of the Andes?

Peru has become the main producer and exporter of organic coffee on the continent. Most of its beans (Arabica variety) grow in the Cloud Forest and on the small local farms. READ MORE