This post is probably going to get nailed by those who don't think anything other than Europe questions should be on this board, but I do know that several of the regular posters here travel outside of Europe and I value their advice. So, I'm inquiring about South America anyway.... For those of you who have traveled in South America, what guidebooks have you found useful? I've looked at the library and bookstore but really can't tell which ones I like. There are so many more guidebooks that need to be ordered online without the possibility of previewing, so I am wondering what guide books others have used. I'm especially interested in what you like or don't like about them. As of right now, our plans include: Easter Island, Chile Santiago, Chile Buenos Aires, Argentina Iguassu Falls – both Argentine and Brazilian sides Patagonia
Cape Horn (4 night Expedition cruise through the area) Any other tips for those areas are also welcome. Thanks in advance!
Posted by
San Francisco, California, USA
199 posts
Hi Julie, I used Frommer's which was good and accurate. My friends are using Yampu Tours for their trip to So. America next year.
Excellent arrangements, service and knowledge. Have a great trip!
Posted by
Pensacola
9110 posts
That's going to be a heck of a trip. The places you're considering are so far apart that you don't really need guidebooks, just a couple of monographs on the major areas. Here's a few thoughts to get you going: Iguassu to Ushuaia is about twenty-five hundred miles. Santiago out to Easter Island is about a five hour flight each way. Highway 3 from the southern pampas all the way south is desolate. A friend was sitting still on his motorcycle and got blown over the winds are so bad. Quark, or everwho is doing the Cape Horn deal, will give you more information that you'll ever want to know. We have a home in the sticks of Patagonia. I borrow a plane to shuttle the grandkids back and forth when they come into BA - - it's a two-thermos project in a pretty spiffy machine. Santiago is a sprawling, smog-filled, industrial city. You can see all of it you want in a full day. Buenos Aires is like London, Cairo, or Hong Kong - - you can work and work at it and never figure it out. I'm been in and out a green gazillion times and I'm not sure I've even started to see the best of it. The best of the Andes from the Argentine side are around Bariloche (personal prejudice) and further south around Fitz Roy and Laguna Sucre. Remember, you're dealing with an area about a third as big as the contiguous forty-eight states, so it's going to take some planning.
Posted by
Columbia, SC
389 posts
If I were you I would get the Rough Guides and Lonely Planet for both Chile and Argentina. Why two "comprehensive" guide books for each country? You could glean some additional cultural or practical information from one that's not in the other. And of course they have different hotel, restaurant, and even neighborhood recommendations. You could decide which you want to take with you, or cut them up and take bits from multiple books based on your itinerary. As for the Brazilian side of Iguazu, what the heck, get a book on Brazil as well, so you can read up on the practicalities of money, language, etc, as well as tips for visiting the Brazilian national park there.