For Latin America I would agree that Footprints South American Handbook is better in general for out of the way places , less so now , but quite curt on descriptions .
The Lonely Planet descriptions photos ect tend to be better my main complaint with the LP has been out of dateness but that seems to be less of an issue now a days .
Lonely Planet used to tend to go out of date but not as much any more , South America Handbook has been updated every year since 1924 and in its 80th
year
The Lonely Planet Peru Guide is the best guide at getting you up to speed quickly .....
Both of these guides tend to be quite good though and far above the rest of the lot historically . But really with only English using either of these full SA guides one could go from corner to corner
and back again with not so much prob , they are both really quite amazing
worth a trip, but not in LP
Some days ago a TT member asked me to give examples of very interesting places in Peru not mentioned or unfairly little mentioned by LP. I will mention some of them without indicating routes, but will write about how to go if someone want more reference.
Guidebook statistics
Here's some statistics for certain guidebooks. Figured this might be helpful for people choosing what to pack.
Book name / Weight (pounds) / Volume (cubic inches) / # of pages
Guidebooks 101
I'm trying to figure out what the best guidebook lineup will be for me to take on my trip. I'll be travelling from Brazil to Argentina, Chile, Peru, Bolivia, and Paraguay. Anyone who is travelling now (or about to start) want to share what guides they are using? I'll be taking a SA general guidebook for Brazil, Chile and Paraguay and individual books for Peru, Bolivia, and Argentina.
Intersting advice ...
I have the new Lonely Planet for Peru and I am quite desappointed about it, especially the weekness of their recommendations for Hostels & Food.
I have no experience with the Footprint but should have a look at it.
Cheers
Gilles
I used the Discovery Channel's "Insight Guide to Peru", "Footprint", and "Lonely Planet -- Peru" when I prepared for my trip last June 2007. Since I intended to only spend 3 weeks in Peru, most of it in the Amazon rainforest, I found more useful information in the "LP -- Peru" guidebook and took that one with me as a handy reference. The other two guidebooks do have lots of fascinating history for someone whose major interests are archaeology and cultures, rather than the plants and fauna. If I return to Peru, I would like to see the orchids in full bloom in April and to tour the Manu Preserve. On my train trip from Cuzco to AC, I observed many species of desert plants similar to those growing in arid California, including the century plants, yucca, cacti, and the Australian transplant -- eucalyptus trees. I purchased an herbal medicine book in Puerto Maldonado and noted that many of the Peruvian herbs are a similar species to those found in California and Alaska, and used by the indigenous peoples there. And I saw fragile mud brick houses with small gardens and a few chickens and few farm animals. Being from earthquake-prone California, I know that bricks do not withstand earthquakes very well. On the roofs of some of the homes near Cuzco, I saw the symbolism of one or two ceramic bulls; that reminded me of the symbolism of the dragon on the roof peaks of Chinese homes -- the Chinese told me that the dragon represents good luck for the home's inhabitants. Along the Rio Tambopata in the Amazon rainforest, I saw plantations of fruit trees and small groups of Brahma cattle grazing and wading in the river that were raised by the indigenous peoples. I don't remember that either of the guidebooks included these details. We also noted that during the dry winter, the slats used in the rainforest huts' walls have shrunk and allow insects and drafts to enter -- another detail omitted from the guidebooks.
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