Mindo or the Amazon: How to Experience Ecuador’s Rainforest

The Amazon Rainforest is unsurprisingly on many people’s bucket lists, it is the lungs of the world, a riot of colour and endangered animals.


That is until they are confronted with the costs to enter the Amazon, which as such a remote environment is without the independent travelling that enable you to cut costs elsewhere.


This is where Mindo comes in. It is a village in the cloud forest, just 2 hours from Quito, which contains much of the jungle experiences at a fraction of the cost....

Backpacking Uruguay Travel Guide (BUDGET TIPS 2026) 

The Broke Backpacker is supported by you. Clicking through our links may earn us a small affiliate commission, and that's what allows us to keep producing free content 🙂 Learn more.

The Broke Backpacker is supported by you. Clicking through our links may earn us a small affiliate commission, and that's what allows us to keep producing free content 🙂 Learn more.

Backpacking Uruguay felt very different to the rest of South America, even Argentina, its bigger but closely related cousin. There was...

Lake Titicaca Travel Guide: The Lake at the Top of the World

It is hard to express the feeling one gets from visiting Lake Titicaca for the first time. By all logic it just should not be there. 3800m up, an inlet of the sea lies among bleached, drought stricken lands. 


These hypnotically blue waters were believed by the Incas to be the origin of all life, and remain sacred to indigenous communities today.


The waters are freckled with islands, some solid and home to important Inca ruins and others artificial, the home of the Uros people who have liv...

Huayhuash vs Santa Cruz: I Did Both (Here's What I Think)

Huayhuash or Santa Cruz — this is the dilemma that grips anyone looking for a multi-day hike in Huaraz. Do you go for the shorter, more comfortable option, or push yourself to hike along the roof of Peru for a week? (Or even opt for a clever compromise between the two?)


I chose to answer this question by completing both hikes. 


On the tail end of my 6-month South America backpacking trip, I hiked the 4-day Santa Cruz trek, and was entranced by the crisp mountain air, the sunlight dancing o...

Peru’s Southern Desert Route: Huacachina, Paracas & Nazca

Rather than rushing straight from Lima to Cusco or Arequipa, as some tourists do, why not explore the beguiling desert region on the capital’s doorstep? 


Of all my four months in Peru, one thing that really stuck with me was a sunset over the Huacachina oasis. This is not just because the iridescent purple glow over an ocean of sand dunes was such that I could not suppress a cry of wonder.


That morning I flew over the Nazca Lines, just a few hours away, enabling me to sit on that sand dun...

Peru's Cordillera Huayhuash Circuit: The Complete Guide

If you’re planning a visit to Peru, chances are you’ve heard of the Inca Trail. However, the hike whose name you often hear echoing through bars and hostels when you get into the country isn’t this classic trek. No: those in the know are talking about the Huayhuash Circuit. 


With strict limits on permits and spiralling costs, the Inca Trail is not the easiest trek to get onto, and if you are seeking pure, sublime nature, it might not even be your best option. 


That’s where the Huayhuash Ci...

Mancora: Peru’s ultimate chillout spot

While Peru has thousands of miles of coastline, it is not normally known as a beach destination. Why? Because the cooling Humboldt current makes its waters surprisingly chilly and brings a persistent fog known as La Garua.


The exception? The tiny Northern corner beyond the current, crowned by Mancora that enjoys constant sunshine and warm bath-like waters. Throw in surf, amazing nightlife and whale watching, you are onto a winner that stacks up against the best of Colombia’s Caribbean coast....

Huaraz by Altitude | Guide From City Sights to Epic Treks

You’ve definitely seen the mountains of Huaraz before — even if you don’t realise it. Mount Artesonraju is actually what the iconic logo of Paramount Pictures is based on, so you’ve surely seen it countless times… but the real thing is even more dramatic. The jagged crests of the mountains surrounding this hiking Mecca easily deserve similar worldwide fame.


The beauty of visiting Huaraz is that you can see such sublime beauty as glaciers, soaring 6000m peaks and glittering azure lakes as day...

Peru’s Sacred Valley | A Deeper Guide To Towns, Treks & Ruins

Most visitors will see the Sacred Valley through the window of a bus during a whistlestop day trip from Cusco or while darting for Machu Picchu.


Yet, this beguiling, ancient region has buckets of the magic that draws throngs of tourists to Cusco and Machu Picchu each year. Come for the ruins and nature, stay for the living Quechua culture and intangible enchantment in the air.


I had initially planned a five-day trip but I ended up staying for 12 days. Let me share the very best of my exp...

The ULTIMATE 7-Day Sacred Valley Itinerary (2025 Guide)

The Broke Backpacker is supported by you. Clicking through our links may earn us a small affiliate commission, and that's what allows us to keep producing free content 🙂 Learn more.

Dreaming of lost cities, surreal landscapes and vibrant living culture? Want to dive into Incan ruins, history and soak in the epic Andean mountains? Wanting to not just see, but experience this magical place but feel like Cusco and Machu Picchu alone will not satiate your wanderlust?Well, Just beyond Cusco lies a p...

What is Love? Philosopher Simon May explains

I came across May's book Love: A History, quite by chance in a charity book shop. I was Immediately intrigued by why a history was even necessary – surely there is nothing more universal and natural than love? The pages of May's Book, laden with millennia of Western philosophy suggest otherwise. It is an ever-shifting phenomenon that has been understood very differently by each age. The musings of modern luminaries like Cardi B are only the latest iteration in a line that goes back to the Hebrew

Orpheus and Eurydice - creative writing

I've been experimenting with writing some Greek myths to improve my fiction. This was my favourite of the handful I wrote, and has now become my favourite myth. It is devoid of the banal love at first sight, or cruel incomprehensible deities that cloud others like Perseus and Medusa. It is the purest of love stories that also captures the ephemerality of life and fortune.

Hymen, in raven-form, circled above the wedding. Although it was Orpheus’ honeyed song that hailed him, it was a different s

Edith Hall: “if you can’t be a proper moral agent, then you’re never going to be truly happy”

Edith Hall is one of our greatest experts on the vanished universe of Aristotle and Aristophanes, author of 30 plus books, and frequent television and radio contributor. Yet she still lives very firmly in our own world, as she campaigns tirelessly for a just Classics bereft of the classism that has long plagued the discipline. Profile initially spoke to Edith about her bestselling book, Aristotle's Way. It was mesmeric to hear Aristotelian wisdom freed from dusty, leather-bound volumes to be so

Dr Philip Rushbrook: joining the real world

When Napoleon first beheld the island of St Helena, the site of his second and final exile, it is said that the emperor contemplated it in dread silence. This has defined its place in our imaginations since; the rocky prison where Bonaparte spent the remainder of his life, shivering and slowly succumbing to illness. This dot of Britain lost in the blue immensity of the South Atlantic between Angola and Brazil has been inhabited by thousands for more than two hundred years since. I spoke with Dr

Nathan Law: “we’re not entitled to lose hope”

In the seventh century BC, Thrasybulus, the brutal tyrant of Miletus was asked how he managed to maintain his throne. He responded by taking the man on a walk through a field of wheat, stopping to scythe down the tallest and best plants. The message conveyed was that the tyrant pre-empted challenges to power by removing those outstanding individuals powerful or brave enough to threaten him. This ancient parable told in the oldest work of history is just as relevant to despots today as in antiqui
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Mancora: Peru’s ultimate chillout spot

While Peru has thousands of miles of coastline, it is not normally known as a beach destination. Why? Because the cooling Humboldt current makes its waters surprisingly chilly and brings a persistent fog known as La Garua.


The exception? The tiny Northern corner beyond the current, crowned by Mancora that enjoys constant sunshine and warm bath-like waters. Throw in surf, amazing nightlife and whale watching, you are onto a winner that stacks up against the best of Colombia’s Caribbean coast....

Huaraz by Altitude | Guide From City Sights to Epic Treks

You’ve definitely seen the mountains of Huaraz before — even if you don’t realise it. Mount Artesonraju is actually what the iconic logo of Paramount Pictures is based on, so you’ve surely seen it countless times… but the real thing is even more dramatic. The jagged crests of the mountains surrounding this hiking Mecca easily deserve similar worldwide fame.


The beauty of visiting Huaraz is that you can see such sublime beauty as glaciers, soaring 6000m peaks and glittering azure lakes as day...

The ULTIMATE 7-Day Sacred Valley Itinerary (2025 Guide)

The Broke Backpacker is supported by you. Clicking through our links may earn us a small affiliate commission, and that's what allows us to keep producing free content 🙂 Learn more.

Dreaming of lost cities, surreal landscapes and vibrant living culture? Want to dive into Incan ruins, history and soak in the epic Andean mountains? Wanting to not just see, but experience this magical place but feel like Cusco and Machu Picchu alone will not satiate your wanderlust?Well, Just beyond Cusco lies a p...

What is Love? Philosopher Simon May explains

I came across May's book Love: A History, quite by chance in a charity book shop. I was Immediately intrigued by why a history was even necessary – surely there is nothing more universal and natural than love? The pages of May's Book, laden with millennia of Western philosophy suggest otherwise. It is an ever-shifting phenomenon that has been understood very differently by each age. The musings of modern luminaries like Cardi B are only the latest iteration in a line that goes back to the Hebrew

Orpheus and Eurydice - creative writing

I've been experimenting with writing some Greek myths to improve my fiction. This was my favourite of the handful I wrote, and has now become my favourite myth. It is devoid of the banal love at first sight, or cruel incomprehensible deities that cloud others like Perseus and Medusa. It is the purest of love stories that also captures the ephemerality of life and fortune.

Hymen, in raven-form, circled above the wedding. Although it was Orpheus’ honeyed song that hailed him, it was a different s

Edith Hall: “if you can’t be a proper moral agent, then you’re never going to be truly happy”

Edith Hall is one of our greatest experts on the vanished universe of Aristotle and Aristophanes, author of 30 plus books, and frequent television and radio contributor. Yet she still lives very firmly in our own world, as she campaigns tirelessly for a just Classics bereft of the classism that has long plagued the discipline. Profile initially spoke to Edith about her bestselling book, Aristotle's Way. It was mesmeric to hear Aristotelian wisdom freed from dusty, leather-bound volumes to be so

Dr Philip Rushbrook: joining the real world

When Napoleon first beheld the island of St Helena, the site of his second and final exile, it is said that the emperor contemplated it in dread silence. This has defined its place in our imaginations since; the rocky prison where Bonaparte spent the remainder of his life, shivering and slowly succumbing to illness. This dot of Britain lost in the blue immensity of the South Atlantic between Angola and Brazil has been inhabited by thousands for more than two hundred years since. I spoke with Dr

Nathan Law: “we’re not entitled to lose hope”

In the seventh century BC, Thrasybulus, the brutal tyrant of Miletus was asked how he managed to maintain his throne. He responded by taking the man on a walk through a field of wheat, stopping to scythe down the tallest and best plants. The message conveyed was that the tyrant pre-empted challenges to power by removing those outstanding individuals powerful or brave enough to threaten him. This ancient parable told in the oldest work of history is just as relevant to despots today as in antiqui

Travels with Long Covid: an itinerary in books

In June, having unfortunately succumbed to ;long Covid', my summer took on a shape I did not imagine after I had finished my third year. However, my itinerary has been no less exciting than I first imagined, and actually involved much more travelling. When you read, the concerns of your body dissipate as your mind contemplates the contents of the pages. It is an exercise that requires only rational faculties, which mercifully survived the onslaughts of the virus. Reading enabled me to escape my

DUHS Academic Journal 2018/19

This Autumn, we're delighted to bring you the latest instalment of the DUHS Journal, a revival of our old and long-lost publication! Offering students various opportunities to get involved with history is at the core of DUHS, and this journal represents our latest efforts to give students the chance to have their works published on-line and in-print. The journal contains a range of essays on everything from biomedicine in colonial Africa, to sexuality in India, to the Marxist historiography of m

Up 32%: is the best still to come for the Meta share price?

The content of this article was relevant at the time of publishing. Circumstances change continuously and caution should therefore be exercised when relying upon any content contained within this article.

On the back of a giddy 32% increase in the last month, is the best still to come for the Meta share price? I am inclined to say yes.

Up 32%: is the best still to come for the Meta share price?

Battered by Apple’s new privacy settings that hampered its key online ad business, and investor sco

What’s going on with Tesla stock?

The content of this article was relevant at the time of publishing. Circumstances change continuously and caution should therefore be exercised when relying upon any content contained within this article.

Here’s why I believe Tesla stock turmoil isn’t just co-founder Elon Musk’s fault, and why it isn’t as dire as it first seems.

To say that 2022 was a rough year for Tesla (NASDAQ:TSLA) is something of an understatement. In fact, it was its worst on record and has got some commentators announci

What Is Tom Tugendhat's Net Worth In 2022?

MP Tom Tugendhat is aiming to succeed Boris Johnson as the leader of the Conservative party and Prime Minister of the UK.

Having never held a cabinet position, and widely regarded as an outside ticket, it is not likely he will succeed in his bid, but nevertheless, we will hear increasingly more from the former lieutenant colonel in the coming weeks.

The MP for Tonbridge and Malling’s star had been rising slowly but surely as he first took office in 2015.

He has chaired the Foreign Affairs Com

Mancora: Peru’s ultimate chillout spot

While Peru has thousands of miles of coastline, it is not normally known as a beach destination. Why? Because the cooling Humboldt current makes its waters surprisingly chilly and brings a persistent fog known as La Garua.


The exception? The tiny Northern corner beyond the current, crowned by Mancora that enjoys constant sunshine and warm bath-like waters. Throw in surf, amazing nightlife and whale watching, you are onto a winner that stacks up against the best of Colombia’s Caribbean coast....

Huaraz by Altitude | Guide From City Sights to Epic Treks

You’ve definitely seen the mountains of Huaraz before — even if you don’t realise it. Mount Artesonraju is actually what the iconic logo of Paramount Pictures is based on, so you’ve surely seen it countless times… but the real thing is even more dramatic. The jagged crests of the mountains surrounding this hiking Mecca easily deserve similar worldwide fame.


The beauty of visiting Huaraz is that you can see such sublime beauty as glaciers, soaring 6000m peaks and glittering azure lakes as day...

Peru’s Sacred Valley | A Deeper Guide To Towns, Treks & Ruins

Most visitors will see the Sacred Valley through the window of a bus during a whistlestop day trip from Cusco or while darting for Machu Picchu.


Yet, this beguiling, ancient region has buckets of the magic that draws throngs of tourists to Cusco and Machu Picchu each year. Come for the ruins and nature, stay for the living Quechua culture and intangible enchantment in the air.


I had initially planned a five-day trip but I ended up staying for 12 days. Let me share the very best of my exp...

The ULTIMATE 7-Day Sacred Valley Itinerary (2025 Guide)

The Broke Backpacker is supported by you. Clicking through our links may earn us a small affiliate commission, and that's what allows us to keep producing free content 🙂 Learn more.

Dreaming of lost cities, surreal landscapes and vibrant living culture? Want to dive into Incan ruins, history and soak in the epic Andean mountains? Wanting to not just see, but experience this magical place but feel like Cusco and Machu Picchu alone will not satiate your wanderlust?Well, Just beyond Cusco lies a p...

What is Love? Philosopher Simon May explains

I came across May's book Love: A History, quite by chance in a charity book shop. I was Immediately intrigued by why a history was even necessary – surely there is nothing more universal and natural than love? The pages of May's Book, laden with millennia of Western philosophy suggest otherwise. It is an ever-shifting phenomenon that has been understood very differently by each age. The musings of modern luminaries like Cardi B are only the latest iteration in a line that goes back to the Hebrew

Orpheus and Eurydice - creative writing

I've been experimenting with writing some Greek myths to improve my fiction. This was my favourite of the handful I wrote, and has now become my favourite myth. It is devoid of the banal love at first sight, or cruel incomprehensible deities that cloud others like Perseus and Medusa. It is the purest of love stories that also captures the ephemerality of life and fortune.

Hymen, in raven-form, circled above the wedding. Although it was Orpheus’ honeyed song that hailed him, it was a different s

Edith Hall: “if you can’t be a proper moral agent, then you’re never going to be truly happy”

Edith Hall is one of our greatest experts on the vanished universe of Aristotle and Aristophanes, author of 30 plus books, and frequent television and radio contributor. Yet she still lives very firmly in our own world, as she campaigns tirelessly for a just Classics bereft of the classism that has long plagued the discipline. Profile initially spoke to Edith about her bestselling book, Aristotle's Way. It was mesmeric to hear Aristotelian wisdom freed from dusty, leather-bound volumes to be so

Dr Philip Rushbrook: joining the real world

When Napoleon first beheld the island of St Helena, the site of his second and final exile, it is said that the emperor contemplated it in dread silence. This has defined its place in our imaginations since; the rocky prison where Bonaparte spent the remainder of his life, shivering and slowly succumbing to illness. This dot of Britain lost in the blue immensity of the South Atlantic between Angola and Brazil has been inhabited by thousands for more than two hundred years since. I spoke with Dr

Nathan Law: “we’re not entitled to lose hope”

In the seventh century BC, Thrasybulus, the brutal tyrant of Miletus was asked how he managed to maintain his throne. He responded by taking the man on a walk through a field of wheat, stopping to scythe down the tallest and best plants. The message conveyed was that the tyrant pre-empted challenges to power by removing those outstanding individuals powerful or brave enough to threaten him. This ancient parable told in the oldest work of history is just as relevant to despots today as in antiqui

Travels with Long Covid: an itinerary in books

In June, having unfortunately succumbed to ;long Covid', my summer took on a shape I did not imagine after I had finished my third year. However, my itinerary has been no less exciting than I first imagined, and actually involved much more travelling. When you read, the concerns of your body dissipate as your mind contemplates the contents of the pages. It is an exercise that requires only rational faculties, which mercifully survived the onslaughts of the virus. Reading enabled me to escape my

DUHS Academic Journal 2018/19

This Autumn, we're delighted to bring you the latest instalment of the DUHS Journal, a revival of our old and long-lost publication! Offering students various opportunities to get involved with history is at the core of DUHS, and this journal represents our latest efforts to give students the chance to have their works published on-line and in-print. The journal contains a range of essays on everything from biomedicine in colonial Africa, to sexuality in India, to the Marxist historiography of m

Up 32%: is the best still to come for the Meta share price?

The content of this article was relevant at the time of publishing. Circumstances change continuously and caution should therefore be exercised when relying upon any content contained within this article.

On the back of a giddy 32% increase in the last month, is the best still to come for the Meta share price? I am inclined to say yes.

Up 32%: is the best still to come for the Meta share price?

Battered by Apple’s new privacy settings that hampered its key online ad business, and investor sco

What’s going on with Tesla stock?

The content of this article was relevant at the time of publishing. Circumstances change continuously and caution should therefore be exercised when relying upon any content contained within this article.

Here’s why I believe Tesla stock turmoil isn’t just co-founder Elon Musk’s fault, and why it isn’t as dire as it first seems.

To say that 2022 was a rough year for Tesla (NASDAQ:TSLA) is something of an understatement. In fact, it was its worst on record and has got some commentators announci

What Is Tom Tugendhat's Net Worth In 2022?

MP Tom Tugendhat is aiming to succeed Boris Johnson as the leader of the Conservative party and Prime Minister of the UK.

Having never held a cabinet position, and widely regarded as an outside ticket, it is not likely he will succeed in his bid, but nevertheless, we will hear increasingly more from the former lieutenant colonel in the coming weeks.

The MP for Tonbridge and Malling’s star had been rising slowly but surely as he first took office in 2015.

He has chaired the Foreign Affairs Com