Latin America
 

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 First-Time Latin America - Polly Rodger

Buy/view: in the USA (amazon.com), in Canada (amazon.ca) or in the UK (amazon.co.uk)

Now a greatly improved second edition, living up to the Rough Guide reputation, this excellent guide gives you all the info you'd need to plan a trip to South America. It's a pretty good book if you have no idea which part of the continent to go. It gives you a brief view of each country and important places to visit in each country. However, it does not give you fine details like the culture, transport, eating, etc. Once you finalise where to go, you may need to buy a separate guide book such as a Footprint Handbook.

 

Published: (March 30, 2006)

Read This First: Central & South America - Conner Gorry

Buy/view: in the USA (amazon.com), in Canada (amazon.ca) or in the UK (amazon.co.uk)

Rough Guide title is more down to earth, but better maps in this title.

Lonely Planet: Central America - Rob Rachowiecki

Buy/view: in the USA (amazon.com), in Canada (amazon.ca) or in the UK (amazon.co.uk)

Although a solid guide overall, I would recommend the Footprint guide and/or the Let's Go over it any day. LPs always look up-to-date, but sadly this was certainly not the case with this title (Footprint and Let's Go update every year). Transportation information is generally accurate. Costs though were often way off the mark. After looking through the Let's Go guide at the end of my trip, I noted that their prices were much more up-to-date. Don't be fooled into thinking that the LP online updates for this book are helpful. This guide lacks serious detail about hotels. Their wording is scant and weak and I often found myself wondering why they couldn't just get to the point. The Footprint guide is considerably better in this area, as their writers seem to be not as afraid to say what they really think of these places (i.e. they will tell you if a hotel has a reputation for petty theft - LP won't bother). Overall this book has some advantages over the others such as Footprint covers Mexico as well which you might not want and Let's Go is aimed at young Americans and written in a limited way.

Published: 6th edition (November, 2007)

 

Footprint Central America and Mexico 2009 - Peter Hutchison

Buy/view: in the USA (amazon.com), in Canada (amazon.ca) or in the UK (amazon.co.uk)

Highly Recommended

The only guide that covers Central America and Mexico in one package. How come Footprints are just so good in Latin America? Not as good as the South American version, but very good for a region guide (don't expect it to be as good as LP or RG single country guides. The guide could improve its weak, mediocre maps. Also frustrating, in all Footprint guides, is the use of a code for accommodations prices. Instead of just stating the price per room, Footprint gives you a cumbersome group of letters that correspond to the cost of the room. So it's as comprehensive as you'll get in a multiple country handbook (if you're planning on spending a lot of time in one country get the footprint/LP/RG guide for that country).

Published: (Sepember, 2009)

 

The Rough Guide Central America - Various

Buy/view: in the USA (amazon.com), in Canada (amazon.ca) or in the UK (amazon.co.uk)

At last another respectable and up-to-date choice of guide in Central America for those who don't want the Mexico coverage that the Footprint provides.

Published: 3rd edition (November 29, 2004)

 

The Rough Guide to Mexico - John Fisher

Buy/view: in the USA (amazon.com), in Canada (amazon.ca) or in the UK (amazon.co.uk)

Compared to the LP which is very good and the Footprint, roughly speaking I would say this is the best Mexican guide. Rough Guides are ideal for a certain kind of holiday. If you are planning to go to an all inclusive resort in Cancun and only venture out for arranged excursions then this book will never leave the shelf. Rough Guides are for those who want to explore the real thing. The factual information is accurate and helpful. Information on archaeological sites such as Coba and Chitchen Itza was extremely helpful, the travel tips essential. The only slight reservation is that a bit of snobbery sometimes slips in.

Published: 7th edition (July, 2007)

 

Footprint: South American Handbook 2008 - Ben Box

Buy/view: in the USA (amazon.com), in Canada (amazon.ca) or in the UK (amazon.co.uk)

Highly Recommended

First things first. The Lonely Planet South America is awful and the Rough guide version is not much better. Since the South America Handbook first came out (almost over 80 years ago) the number of guidebooks to South America has soared but none comes close to The Handbook's yearly updated formula and long standing author. The layout and organisation of the entries is sensible and logical, and the book manages to cram a great deal of information into each page. It is easy to find recommendations for places to stay and eat and the maps and comments on the sights are sensible. (In fact for many cities this book, which covers the entire continent, includes more detail than some guidebooks which cover only a single country). The colour maps at the end of the book are particularly useful - they save having to carry a pocket atlas around with you. The sections on diseases, travel problems and history have been updated and remain excellent. The "directories" (of useful places and telephone numbers etc) have been kept up to date along with the recommendations on accommodation and eating. The few mistakes that you will spot in the book stem from Footprint's lack of resources to patrol all the continent all the time. These can be very annoying, but even with these quibbles it is much more up to date than the competition. It's just a shame about the town maps which are poor and nowhere near the quality that travellers now expect (LP are still the map kings).

Published: 84th edition (September, 2007) - if you don't have the latest edition, don't worry too much as long as it's only a few years old. Next edition: September, 2008.

 

Lonely Planet South America on a Shoestring - Danny Palmerlee

Buy/view: in the USA (amazon.com), in Canada (amazon.ca) or in the UK (amazon.co.uk)

New updated, but still not as up-to-date as the Footprint, which I'd go with, but the choice is yours. Following the Lonely Planet guides gives you a great generic Lonely Planet experience. But if you want something more or different, the options aren't there. Sure, it's colourful, and yes, it is useful as a map book, but as your only source of information on a vast continent, take the Footprint title.

Published: 10th edition (March, 2007)

Let's Go: Peru, Ecuador & Bolivia - Various

Buy/view:in the USA (amazon.com), in Canada (amazon.ca) or in the UK (amazon.co.uk)

Getting quite out-of-date, but of the few guidebooks covering the whole of South America, only the Footprint is any good. If you are just visiting Peru, Ecuador and Bolivia you won't want all the info it offers, nor will you want three separate guides. This Let's Go is, I think, quite good and very suited to this region where LP and FP are king. Usually guidebooks don't really give you a feel for the place - I only get that once the trip is over and I'm reading it full of nostalgia. But Let's Go, although not the most colourful guidebook in the world, is good for maps, history, orientation, essentials and basics. They offer very detailed information about accommodation and restaurants in each town - more often than not with anecdotes about the proprietors. They also include opportunities for work and volunteering (especially in the jungle) and some superb tips, suggested itineraries (useful as South America is still a little off the backpackers map) and recommended treks. It's a book perfect for the budget traveller. (Footprint do have a version out now - which is probably better and more upto date. ISBN: 1904777341. There is also a Bradt Guide.)

 

Lonely Planet: Brazil - John Noble

Buy/view: in the USA (amazon.com), in Canada (amazon.ca) or in the UK (amazon.co.uk)

Far from a perfect guide (many might prefer the Rough Guide which is also very good), but it's maps are accurate, its places to stay and eat are reliable, and it offers extensive info on the sights and activities for every town included in the book. But Brazil is a dynamic country, particularly its economy and that has an impact on all prices quoted. A few weak areas: the language area should be strengthened by providing more information on pronunciation; where and how to exchange money needs to be updated, especially when exchanging cash; budget and moderately priced accommodations for Rio should be expanded.

Published: 6th edition (January, 2008)

 

Footprint: Brazil - Alex Robinson

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The latest Brazil guide. Information to come when it has been used and reviewed.

Published: 4th edition (Feburary, 2007)

 

Lonely Planet Chile & Easter Island - Charlotte Beech, Jolyon Attwooll, Jean-Bernard Carillet, Thomas Kohnstamm

Buy/view: in the USA (amazon.com), in Canada (amazon.ca) or in the UK (amazon.co.uk)

I think the best guide for Chile. The Footprint or Rough Guide Chile are okay, but this is the best. It is fantastically accurate, maps are clear and easy to use, recommended hotels and restaurants are almost invariably good, and the attention to detail in descriptions of even the smallest towns strikes the right balance providing good information for travellers on varying budgets.

 

Published: (May, 2006) - Update planned Feb 2009: 174104779X

Footprint Cusco & the Inca Trail - Ben Box

Buy/view: in the USA (amazon.com), in Canada (amazon.ca) or in the UK (amazon.co.uk)

There are tens and tens of individual guides for most places across South America and for the case of many, two or three choices. However, I have picked this one out as an excellent focused resource for an area which requires much more information than a standard regional or even country guide to explore properly. If you are just hitting this area in Peru - go with this book. Also includes the Sacred Valley, Machu Picchu, and the southern jungle.

 

 

The Mosquito Coast - Paul Theroux

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Highly Recommended

Set mainly in Honduras on/cin The Mosquito Coast, the story is told through the eyes of Charlie Fox, a typical American boy. The story he tells us chronicles the "adventure" his family has when his father, Allie Fox, takes them all to live in the Honduran jungle. This is a stunning book and a cracking read. The story is fantastic; a mixture of sarcastic humour, adventure and emotion.

 

Senor Vivo and the Cocalord , War of Don Emmnauel's Netherparts & Troublesome Offspring of Cardinal Guzman [BOX SET]  - "The War of Don Emmnauel's Netherparts", "Troublesome Offspring of Cardinal Guzman" and "Senor Uno and the Cocalord" - Louis de Bernieres

Buy/view: in the USA (amazon.com), in Canada (amazon.ca) or in the UK (amazon.co.uk)

Highly Recommendedd

An inspired knock-off of Gabriel Garcia Marquez and very funny. These excellent books should be read in the order in which they were written in order to be best appreciated. The first (and by far the best ) 'Don Emmanuel' gives you deep insights into the mind of the author - his depth of research, his passion and his humour. The mood created reflects the culture of South America the vastness of the place, the remoteness of the terrain, the fiery temperaments of the women, the ancient unknown history of the continent - as dense and impenetrable as the mysterious jungles. "Cardinal" continues the general themes and mysticism, while the "Coca" book is a hard hitting contemporary anti drug wars tome, being shorter but faster moving and a bit easier to digest. Highly recommended when you have had enough of 'One hundred years of Solitude'.

 

 

One Hundred Years of Solitude - Gabriel Garcia Marquez

Buy/view: in the USA (amazon.com), in Canada (amazon.ca) or in the UK (amazon.co.uk)

Highly Recommended

Set in Colombia and possibly the best book ever written, but be warned: this is not a clear-cut story; the prose can be confusing, and the repetition of names makes it more difficult by far to keep track of who is who (cross them off on the family tree in the front of the book). The novel does indeed cover one-hundred years, so expect to see favourite characters die if they first appear early on. There is no one protagonist. The family is the protagonist--the family, and the town.

 

The House of the Spirits - Isabel Allende

Buy/view: in the USA (amazon.com), in Canada (amazon.ca) or in the UK (amazon.co.uk)

Highly Recommended

In the tradition of South American literature, this is a pretty incredible book. This Chilean author is very much in the Marquez tradition - a cast of bizarre characters telling a story that covers generations and includes psychic abilities, ghosts and bizarre accidents - but the book is much more focused and down-to-earth than '100 years'. What makes this book special is how it takes your affection for this family from the unusual to the deeply serious, as revolution ravages the country. The final 150 pages or so are harrowing stuff, and deeply affect you. The plot is compelling, the characters brilliantly drawn, and it is an amazing achievement for a first novel. If you really liked it read Eva that lets you into some of the true story behind the novel.

 

The Gringo Trail - Mark Mann

Buy/view: in the USA (amazon.com), in Canada (amazon.ca) or in the UK (amazon.co.uk)

This is a travelogue type book that has a few laughs, but behind the slightly juvenile drug obsessed and slightly improbable story line is an easy to read style of writing and some good and intelligently written information on Bolivia, Peru, Colombia etc.

 

The White Rock: An Exploration of the Inca Heartland - Hugh Thomson

Buy/view: in the USA (amazon.com), in Canada (amazon.ca) or in the UK (amazon.co.uk)

Reader Recommended: tells the story of the Incas, the discovery of them by the conquistadors and the author's journey to find a long lost site to rival Machu Picchu. Archaeology, History, Adventure - and funny too. If you want an irreverent account of travels through Peru and Bolivia then Inca Kola by Matthew Parris is also a very good read (UK only).

 

At the Tomb of the Inflatable Pig: Travels Through Paraguay - John Gimlette

Buy/view: in the USA (amazon.com), in Canada (amazon.ca) or in the UK (amazon.co.uk)

Recommended: a very good account of Paraguayan history. John Gimlett intended to write a fictional account of his travels through the country, but loathe as I am to use a cliché, the truth about his journey really was stranger than fiction. All in all, this is a very interesting book. Wonderfully researched and is full of awesome facts and numbers.

 

If you want to recommend a book or reckon that something has been left out, please get in touch.

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