Travel to South America

Footprint Argentina (Footprint Travel Guides)

Format: Paperback
Author: Christabelle Dilks
ReleaseDate: 17 January, 2007
Publisher: Footprint
Rating:

Totally useless!
I've never felt compelled to write a review on amazon before, but this book has been so inaccurate I think I should warn people. Everything about this book, from phone numbers to accommodation reviews, has been almost laughably wrong. The only reason anyone should buy this book is to do the exact OPPOSITE of whatever it says. I doubt this author has even been to the places she writes about, that's how consistently wrong this book is. It is impossible to locate a copyright date, and they probably did that on purpose, considering many places have closed and info is obviously outdated. I understand that some places change over time, but I've given this book a chance in 10 different places throughout Argentina and the advice here has failed miserably. .

Not bad, but....
I usually use the "Let's Go" guides when I travel, and I didn't like this one nearly as much. I returned from Argentina just two weeks ago, and I used this book exclusively. Too many superlatives throughout the book - unfortunately not everything can be amazing or fantastic - so after a while there was really no way to differenciate the truly fantastic (the falls or Perito Moreno Glacier), from the just so so things. And regardless of what the book says, unless you love to eat beef and pork every meal, the food is terrible. Very mediocre pasta and pizzas everywhere, and vegetarians are highly restricted. The food was definitely the lowlight of our trip. If interested in hiking and the outdoors - plan on spending the majority of your time way down south. El Calafate, El Chalten, and Ushuaia are all truly amazing areas. And if you can fit the Falls in, they are definitely worth the trip. The prices in the book were pretty accurate, although things tended to be a bit higher. But it is still quite inexpensive. We thought the book did a poor job of letting you know just how difficult it would be to get to many of the wilderness areas without your own car or hiring an expensive guide. Another thing to remember when planning your trip is that it is much cheaper in the North, and the buses are nicer and more plentiful. Overall, I thought it was a good book, but the authors could have been a bit more honest about the shortcomings of the country.

Highly recommended -
I broke my ankle in Salta, but thanks to this guide, we were booked into a fantastic hotel, and later spent a few nights luxuriating in a gorgeous and fantastic value for money estancia in Pumamarca, which went some way towards saving the holiday from disaster. We travelled around Argentina out of season using this guide and the Rough Guide, and found that we turned time and again to the Footprint Guide for reliable and up-to-date information. If you're thinking of going to Argentina, go now, and take this guide with you!.

Related products:
click image or link for details on these South America travel books.

	The Rough Guide to Argentina 2 (Rough Guide Travel Guides)
	Footprint Chile (Footprint Travel Guides)
	Lonely Planet Argentina
	Frommer's Argentina & Chile (Frommer's Complete)