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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
2 days ago11 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


Crossing the Amazon Rainforest in Peru: Travelling by Boat from Yurimaguas to Iquitos
I crossed the entire Amazon rainforest, travelling from Peru to Suriname. In this post I will give you all the details on how to get from Yurimaguas to Iquitos - either with a fast boat (in 24 hours) via Nauta, or with the slow boat in 3 nights, sleeping in hammocks. Incl. what it costs to travel from Yurimaguas to Iquitos, what to do in Yurimaguas, what to do in Iquitos, and how safe I felt as a solo female traveller (safe!).

Ilse
Jan 1713 min read


The 6 Best Cafes in Máncora, Peru — Including My Digital Nomad Rating
The best six cafés in Máncora, Peru for travellers and digital nomads that I have found after two months of staying here.

Ilse
Sep 24, 20254 min read


Creative Container and Co-Living in Máncora Peru
I am hosting a creative container & co-living in Máncora, Peru in November and December 2025. This page hopefully contains all the information you need, feel free to reach out with questions either via e-mail or my instagram (@iam_allovertheplace)!
I am a slow traveller, digital nomad and online master student and one of the things I am missing most with this - although beautiful and inspiring - lifestyle is community...

Ilse
Sep 13, 202510 min read


A Digital Nomad Travel Guide to Máncora, Peru
Full Digital Nomad travel guide to Mancora in Piura, Peru. I stayed here for two months and felt welcomed by a community of expats and locals. Here are my recommendations for digital-nomad proof cafes to work, where to live, where to eat, and what to do.

Ilse
Aug 29, 20256 min read


What To Do in Máncora, Peru: A Slow Traveller's Guide
This slow travel guide contains my travel tips on what to do in Máncora, where to stay in Máncora, where to eat in Máncora, how to get to Máncora, and more. Máncora and Los Organos are beach towns in the North of Peru where travellers linger and digital nomads thrive. Read all my tips based on my two month stay in Máncora and Los Organos here!

Ilse
Aug 14, 202511 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


Hurling and Healing: The Medicine of Mothering - The collective healing of a Temazcal and Kambô ceremony in Argentina
Hurling and Healing: The Medicine of Mothering - The collective healing I experienced through a Temazcal and Kambô ceremony in Argentina. About how kambô medicine works, what to expect after kambô, and what kambô does spiritually. But also about my experience in a temazcal ceremony and the meaning and definition of mothering in relation to others, ourselves and nature.

Ilse
Jun 25, 202512 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


Un mundo muy pequeño
The backpackers world is small. I remember that from travelling in Southeast Asia. I would see people that I met in my first week at a random bus stop in another country weeks later. That the backpacker world is small makes sense. Everyone does a similar loop, or at least everyone goes to the same backpacker places. On top of that many people are travelling for months at a time, so there is a lot of time to run into each other again. I am currently travelling in South America

Ilse
Jun 21, 20224 min read
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