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From Iquitos to Santa Rosa by Boat - Crossing the Amazon Rainforest in Peru (2026 Guide)
Traveling from Iquitos to Santa Rosa by boat is the only way to reach the Peru–Colombia–Brazil border through the Amazon rainforest. In this guide, I explain the difference between the slow cargo boat and the fast boat, how much tickets cost (in PEN), where to buy them, how long the journey really takes, and how to cross the border to Leticia or Tabatinga step by step. If you’re planning to continue through the Amazon overland, this is everything you need to know before getti

Ilse
Feb 2118 min read


A Digital Nomad & Slow Travel Guide to Salvador, Bahia, Brazil
Thinking about traveling to Salvador, Brazil or staying a little longer as a digital nomad? In this guide, I share my honest experience living and working in Salvador de Bahia, including safety tips as a solo female traveller, best neighborhoods (like Barra, Rio Vermelho and Pelourinho), beaches near the city center, how to get around, internet and coworking options, and what daily life actually feels like. It’s a travel guide on what to expect in Salvador - written from my p

Ilse
Feb 1428 min read


The Boat from Manaus to Santarém and from Santarém to Macapá - Crossing the Amazon rainforest by boat in Brazil
I travelled from Yurimaguas, Peru all the way to Suriname, crossing the Brazilian Amazon rainforest and French Guiana on the way. This blogpost covers how to get from Manaus in the state Amazonas, Brazil to Santarém in the state Para, Brazil by boat, as well as how to get from Santarém to Santana by boat and from Santana to Macapá by car. Including FAQs on food, internet and where to buy tickets.

Ilse
Feb 811 min read


Festa de Iemanjá in Salvador: Celebrations in Rio Vermelho can give a Preview for Carnaval in Salvador in 2026
Experience Festa de Iemanjá in Salvador, Bahia, Brazil, an Afro-Brazilian ocean ritual in Rio Vermelho that offers a powerful preview of the energy of Carnaval in Salvador 2026.

Ilse
Jan 318 min read


From Tabatinga to Manaus by Boat - Crossing the Amazon Rainforest
As part of the series 'Crossing the Amazon rainforest by boat and bus,' this post covers all you need to know about the slow boat journey between Tabatinga and Manaus, Brazil. Besides sharing my own stories, I answer questions like what it costs to travel from Tabatinga to Manaus by boat, how long it takes, what the boat looks like, what food is like on the slow boat, and whether you have to buy tickets in advance.

Ilse
Jan 2620 min read


The 6 Best Cafes in Salvador, Brazil - Including My Digital Nomad Rating
Having lived in Salvador, Brazil for a total of six months, here is my guide to my favourite six cafes in Salvador, Brazil. Including digital nomad rating!

Ilse
Aug 5, 20254 min read


My Favorite Yoga Studios in São Paulo, Brazil - Ashtanga yoga, Kundalini yoga, Hatha yoga, Vinyasa yoga, Yin yoga and more
Discover the best yoga studios in São Paulo, including a guide to ashtanga yoga in São Paulo, but also styles such as Kundalini yoga, Vinyasa, Hatha, Yin and more.

Ilse
Sep 9, 202412 min read


The current Indigenous crisis in Brazil is real life Avatar
Avatar: Ways of Water is now available on streaming platforms. The sequence on the Avatar from 2009 tells the story of the indigenous Na’vi on the planet Pandora that is again being attacked by people from Earth: ‘sky people’. The Na’vi live in a deep connection with everything on their planet. The ‘sky people’, however, did not come to Pandora for the Na’vi’s valuable philosophy of life, but for the planet’s valuable resources. Earth is dying so they need a new one. When I w

Ilse
Jun 13, 20233 min read


The power of stories for solving the ecological crisis
Indigenous languages have the power to inspire a closer connection to nature, they can make us see the world differently and hence inspire a closer connection to our natural environment – something that is necessary if we are to change the human behavior that has led to the ecological crisis. This blogpost is about the role of stories. Stories express cultural values, traditions and philosophies of life that are related to the context people live in. The indigenous stories th

Ilse
Mar 12, 20234 min read


Indigenous Languages like that of the Yawanawa inspire a Closer Connection to Nature
In my last blogpost I wrote about what my stay in the Yawanawa village from chief Iskua Kua has taught me about the forest as a pharmacy and the role of indigenous languages in preserving that knowledge. The value of indigenous languages surpasses the indigenous context and goes way further than merely protecting global cultural heritage. Indigenous languages are valuable because they can make us see the world differently and inspire a closer connection to our natural envi

Ilse
Feb 24, 20235 min read


The Brazilian Rainforest as a Pharmacy exists through Indigenous Languages like that of the Yawanawa
As you may or may not know I have spent a month in the Brazilian rainforest at the end of 2022. I lived in a village of the indigenous Yawanawa led by chief Isku Kua . Yawanawa means ‘people of the wild boar’. I went there to do a Mamé dieta, which is a traditional and culturally significant dietary practice of the Yawanawa people that is done for the purpose of physical and deep spiritual purification. In that one month I have learned an infinite amount of lessons, both abou

Ilse
Feb 7, 20234 min read
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