South America

Quito’s markets shine a spotlight onto her traditions, customs and the kaleidoscope of daily life. But the Mercado San Francisco near the Old Town has a secret of its own…

In a quiet corner on a dusty shelf in the highest capital city on earth, the tip of a paintbrush moves slowly. In one small workshop, the extraordinary can happen.

The cloud forests of Ecuador are not awash with colour. Instead, they pick a single one and run with it.

Green isn’t just green here, it’s gob smacking, gut punching, grandstanding green, a green that explodes with greedy, reckless abandon.

And you can visit. At 2000 metres above sea level, here’s how you can visit the cloud forests of Ecuador.

Pre-Columbian Art in Ecuador and the Surprising Question It Asks Christopher Colombus. One nation’s hero, one continent’s despair. Endless generations of schoolyard amusement when English speakers realised that his real name was Colon. But I want to move past him for now, and focus instead on the art scene in Ecuador, the one that flourished … Read more

Some say it’s a sixth sense to know when someone’s broken into your room. Cold prickles on the neck. A shadowy presence in the corner.
Well, that wasn’t the case for me. The first five were enough.

It’s a dream destination for many of us. But once you’re on the ground, leaves fluttering overhead, glittering eyes in the dark, what is there to do in the Amazon Rainforest?