Vilcabamba - ''Sacred Valley'' - is a tranquil village set in a picturesque valley in Ecuador's southern mountains.

A popular stop for travellers heading south towards Peru, Vilcabamba is a great place to drop your pack for a few days, hike through nearby nature reserves and just enjoy listening to yourself think. For a good leg stretch, the nearby Mandango (''sleeping woman'') mountain can be conquered in half a day.  

The village itself is a small grid of unpaved streets, with a swimming pool and modest zoo among its humble attractions.

The balmy climate here rarely dips below 17°C or gets above 26°C, although Vilcabamba is battered by rain between October and May. 

If you're looking to fry your brain, the town toxin of choice is a hallucinogen derived from cactus juice and known as San Pedrillo.