Ecuador & Galapagos Guide [Paperback]

Becky Youman (Author), Bryan Estep (Author)

Book Description

Series: Open Road's Ecuador & Galapagos Islands Guide | Publication Date: May 1, 2000

A guide to Ecuador and the Galapagos Islands. Explore the rich culture and hip nightlife of Quito; take a canoe trip down the Amazon River; discover the farming villages and vibrant colonial heritage in the Central Valley; see Flamingo Lake on the island of Floreana; or relax along pristine Pacific Coast beaches in Puerto Bolivar, La Libertad, Manta or Esmeraldas. Ecuador's national parks are featured throughout. All ranges of hotels and restaurants are covered, particularly focusing on unique and special Ecuadorean locales. The authors wield a keen eye on value for money while prioritizing quality, regional culture and personality. An entire chapter details the best places to stay in the country. Another chapter on food and drink highlights the tasty seafood just offshore in Ecuador's bountiful coastal waters.

Product Details

• Paperback: 416 pages
• Publisher: Open Road; 1st edition (May 1, 2000)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 1892975343
• ISBN-13: 978-1892975348
• Product Dimensions: 8.4 x 5.5 x 1.3 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.5 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.3 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (3 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #3,854,580 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

6 of 6 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Best Book Out There, February 16, 2001

By A Customer

This review is from: Ecuador & Galapagos Guide (Paperback)

I just used this book for a great trip to Ecuador. I consider myself an adventurous, independent traveler, but I don't need to suffer in bad hotels and eat tasteless cheap food to earn travel stripes. Yes, you can go to Ecuador for pennies a day, but I prefer to get a good feel for the culture, stay in small, unique hotels, and eat flavorful local foods.

This book helped me do that perfectly. It is right on. I appreciate the authors opinions, who obviously have the same travel requirements that I do...small, unique, interesting...I like getting somebody's opinion rather than a whole laundry list of alternatives with no real feedback about how to spend my limited vacation time.

I still had an inexpensive trip, but it was really nice as well. I HIGHLY recommend this book.

11 of 13 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Definitely check out this title if you're Ecudaor bound!, May 11, 2000

By 

bigworld.com - See all my reviews

This review is from: Ecuador & Galapagos Guide (Paperback)

This book, dare I say, bests Lonely Planet all around. The husband-wife team has been wandering the backroads of Central and South America for more than a decade, and their grasp of local culture shows on every page. Like other Open Road guides, this title appeals to budget, real-world travelers; if you read Big World, you'll probably enjoy their titles immensely.

7 of 11 people found the following review helpful:

3.0 out of 5 stars Are You a Tourist or a Traveler?, August 24, 2000

By 

marco (NYC) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Ecuador & Galapagos Guide (Paperback)

This book's slogan "Be a traveler - Not a tourist" had me questioning the definition of those words throughout my trip. This book is easy to read, and is a good guide if you want to live Ecuador on the beaten path. When selecting a hotel or restaurant from this book we could trust that it would be a nice respectable place with good service/food/lodging/etc.

The print in it was the largest of the 3 books we used, making it the largest & least compact book. The maps in the book were our least favourite as they had very little detail.

Ecuador is an inexpensive country to visit at the moment. The book's Budget section only lists the higher priced budget options ($15 for a double room when there are decent $4 options around.) The recommendations in the book did not guide us to "locals" places; our neighbors in the hotels & restaurants recommended by the book were all tourists.

We followed the book's 'budget' recommendations, and ended up spending much more money then we would have without the book, but staying in nicer hotels and eating in 'safer' (tourist friendly?) restaurants.

I would recommend this guide if you want to tour Ecuador without getting your feet too dirty. If you are looking for a shoestring traveling experience, look elsewhere.