Customer Reviews

Moon Peru (Moon Handbooks)

5 star:		(7)
4 star:		(7)
3 star:		(1)
2 star:		(2)
1 star:		(1)

 

 

I ACTUALLY USED THIS GUIDEBOOK IN PERU BEFORE WRITING THIS REVIEW!

Please keep in mind that this is my opinion and my experience using the book. (I found that much information in the book was also opinion.)

I went to Peru at the end of April (25-May 2).
At the end of April, the weather was absolutely perfect and prices were still cheaper because high season had not fully started.

I do recommend the Moon Peru guidebook, although it is certainly not the best that I have used. As most guidebooks, it lacked some valuable information, but overall it is a good guidebook. On such a short trip, I did not agree with the authors' opinions most of the time, especially concerning which place to begin and how much time to spend there. Both were important to me since my time was limited. But, my own fault; live and learn.

I am a flight attendant; I travel a lot. My trip was short, but here are MY RECOMMENDATIONS WHICH THE BOOK CONTRADICTED OR DID NOT STRESS ENOUGH:

#1 Always book multiple flights through the SAME airline even if using different carriers. Airlines are only responsible for getting you TO a destination, not WHEN. If you book together then the airline will make sure that you get to your FINAL destination, not just the first stop. This will be very important if there are weather or mechanical delays.

#2 ALL prices are negotiable! Here's a good tip: You can pay with American Dollars. Do not change all of your money. Especially in Lima, many Peruvians will quote the price in American Dollars, leaving you to figure out the exchange rate yourself. (If the Peruvian figures it for you, it will not be the best rate for you.) Paying with Dollars lets you know exactly how much you are paying for something and easier for you to negotiate!

#3 One price is given to American tourists and a different one to locals. Ask the locals how much something should cost then offer to pay that amount to the taxi, vendor, etc. If you speak Spanish you can definitely get the best deal. The Airport Information Desk in Cuzco quoted us $20 for a taxi, so did the taxi drivers. We paid $5 after asking the locals.

#4 We followed the book's suggestion of starting in Pisac and ending in Cuzco. We adjusted well to the altitude, but after arriving in Cuzco, I understood why people make it a base then travel around. Cuzco has a lot of information, tours, and rental equipment available. Use your own judgment, not the book's. However, I would stay in Pisac again. It was a nice town with good ruins and fabulous stars at night.

#5 Ollantaytambo's ruins are definitely worth seeing. The book suggests staying there which we did. In my opinion, take a day trip there from Cuzco, see the ruins and then return that night to Cuzco.

#6 Aguas Calientes is the base town of Machu Picchu. Spend TWO days here. (We only spent one as recommended by the guidebook, and it was not enough time for me.) Plus, YOUR TICKET TO MACHU PICCHU IS GOOD FOR TWO DAYS, TAKE ADVANTAGE OF IT!! Splurge for a guide one of the days. Also, take your student Id card if you have one. Almost all of the tickets are half price with it. They don't check your age and it's a big savings with the card. We took the bus up to Machu Picchu. We climbed Hyuana Picchu that morning. It was worth all the hard effort, and it is hard. You will be scared if you are afraid of heights. Then we climbed down to The Temple of the Moon. It was even harder than Hyuana Picchu, but that could have been because we did it together. I don't really recommend seeing the Temple, but if you want to do it, do the climbs on separate days. Then we returned to tour Machu Picchu. We were so worn out, but we still had a 4 hour train ride to Cuzco that night. We stayed at Gringo Bills which was fabulous, but pricey for Peru. Two days there is worth it. I do not recommend a day trip from Cuzco. I really liked the town, and if you stay, you can enjoy the sun rise, the hot springs, climb Hyuana Picchu, and get the most from your two day ticket.

I found that my opinion differed from the book's, but I didn't know until after I was in the middle of my trip. I would use the book again for most general information though.

Go, and do not be scared. The trip was wonderful, we interacted with locals, and they were nice.

For those of you planning to travel through Peru (as opposed to purchasing a package deal), the second edition of Moon Peru will be very useful. This publication was authored by Ross Wehner and Renée del Gaudio and is filled with an abundance of information about this ruggedly beautiful country.

I purchased the 1st edition, along with a copy of the Lonely Planet, for my first trip to Peru two years ago. Well written and informative with an easy-to-use index, the Moon Handbook was hands down the superior guide. The second edition is no exception. It gives insider details on lodging, restaurants, transportation, etc. with a distinctly personal touch. To make a great guide even better, Ross lists his e-mail address in the book and asks readers to contact him with questions or concerns about their trips. He's not joking around--every time that I've written, he's responded within 24 hours. Talk about customer service! Somebody give this man an award! ;)

Another 5 star guide from the Moon series. ¡Muchísimas gracias!

I have lived in Peru as a child and as an adult and I go back there every year, often traveling to new locations so I always check out any new guidebooks on Peru. I used the first and I have just received a copy of the second edition which is equally rich in content.

The authors make a great team: Ross is a journalist and mountain guide, Renee is an architect while Kazia Jankowski is a food writer. They traveled throughout the country to research this book which is filled with an abundance of facts, advice, maps and photos.

The first feature that stood out for me are all the interspersed articles, these really give you an insider's perspective on Peru. Using Ayahuasca to kick Addictions; Camisea Gas Fields: The Last Place on Earth; Advice from a Reformed Terrorist; and Peru's White Gold are just some of the well written and informative pieces. The Truth Behind Hemingway's Caboblanco; and The Who's who of Paracas Birds are among the lighter topics to be found.

For easy reference the guide is broken down into nine regionally defined sections. The only bone I have to pick with the authors is that Arequipa didn't get it's own chapter. But, as I read the write up on my favorite Peruvian city, under the Lake Titicaca and Canyon Country section, I immediately forgave them as they were able to really cover the ins and outs of Arequipa. Two additional sections are entitled "Discover Peru" and "Know Peru". These are very useful to the reader; as well as including the usual pieces on the country history, health and safety and a Spanish phrasebook there is also a Quechua basics and a great list of recommended reading and Internet Resources, as well as a section on Volunteering in Peru.

Another unique feature is the index; apart from having a comprehensive alphabetical index there are six highlighted boxes with a very helpful thematic index, these are titled: Ancient Cultures; Beaches; Hiking / Backpacking; Inca Sites; Reserves and Protected Areas. And believe me when you are rushing around the country and having to make quick decisions it's all about a good index!

This useful guide is a practical book for the traveler and explorer and is packed with invaluable advice such as: "Lima is an extraordinary city, but it takes a little getting used to. The country's leading museums, churches and restaurants are here along with nearly eight million people... It is the maximum expression of Peru's cultural diversity (and chaos)...But do yourself a favor and see Lima at the end of your trip, not at the beginning. That way you have a better chance of understanding what you see and not becoming overwhelmed in the process."

Whether you are going to Peru as an independent traveler or you are on an all-inclusive deal you will get more out of your trip if you glance over this guidebook before you set off.

I have an upcoming trip to Peru, Chile, and Argentina.
For this trip, though, I ended up purchasing guidebooks from three different publishers - - Moon, Rough Guidebooks and my regular Fodor's, respectively, for the aforementioned countries.

The Moon Handbook to Peru was OUTSTANDING.

I am not a backpacker type of traveler, and if/when I am taking a vacation to a new country, it's because I intend to do it in style. That said, I am not looking to go broke on one trip. This means that I want ALL my options laid out in front of me. I want to eat cheap with the locals, I want to eat at THE best restaurant in a certain city, I want to know if catching my own fish and renting a cabin with a kitchen is the best experience. This means that if in a certain town, all the accomodations are basically all mediocre, I want to go to the one with the nicest staff or proximity to transportation or a safe neighborhood. Also, while I would take the word of a friend more seriously - I really do value the opinion given to me by my guidebooks as far as which places are popular but really not worth the time, which places are unknown but should not be missed.

Moon gave all that and then some to me.

I perused Amazon reviews to pick and choose which reviews I'd buy for each country, and spent a considerable amount of time reading through each individual review. While the reviews for Chile were way off - Peru's assessment was RIGHT ON - Moon Handbook to Peru IS the best book.

Hopefully, this review helps someone else out there when they are planning their trip to this amazing country.

In the meantime, I now have to order Moon's Handbook to Chile. Rough Guidebooks was a complete waste of money!

Mr. Wehner's book made our first trip to Peru absolutely effortless! This book is a seamless hybrid of purely pragmatic, yet paints a picture of the culture and flavor of the country well...easy to read, yet with complete and detailed information. This book served as our bible for the entire journey, and returned more dog-eared than most other travel books we've used. I'm a Lonely Planet fan, but this Moon handbook is in a class by itself. Salud!

I just got back from a month long backpacking trip through Peru with the Moon guide, while my friend who I traveled with had Lonely Planet (LP). I liked the Moon guide for its well written and personal writing style. They have a lot of interesting asides about specific sites and activities, which read like a close friend recounting the tale. However, LP manages to cram in more information specifically more cheap hostals for each city. I could tell that the writers stayed at the luxury hotels based on their vivid, personal descriptions, but I have my doubts whether they actually went to the cheaper hostals where I stayed at. LP also has much better maps b/c they include a key and grid so you can find the site easier, while Moon has less extensive maps that do not include a key, so you have to search through the entire map for it. One more thing, Moon weighs more than LP.

Overall, it was a very informative and useful book that was a good read. Moon seems more geared to those with a little more money. Personally, I would take LP over Moon, but that is due to my present funds.

This book was rated as very good by Amazon's customers, and I bought it for a travel in Peru last November.
In general, it is not bad, but as not a very good description of the places to visit, and should tell author's opinion of the best places to visit in each city or place.
On the other hand, it mentioned the earthquake of August 2007, but indicates a Hacienda near Pisco as a must. In fact, this place was destroyed that day and still not rebuilt.
A fair good guide, but I think that not so good, and I would have prefered to buy Lonely Planet.

This second edition has managed to improve upon what was already an outstanding guidebook. Ross and the other authors went back to Peru to review and update the information and recommendations from the first edition, and have produced what any traveler should find a most reliable and comprehensive resource. The book provides plenty of information and perspectives on the "classic" destinations, but more importantly includes insights and recommendations on many wonderful locations that are not well recognized and off the beaten tourist paths, and that is what makes this second edition so special.

For any traveler searching for ways to turn a "trip" into a lifetime experience, this book WILL NOT disappoint!

I recently returned from a month of independent travel in Peru using the Moon Handbook:Peru as my major guide. Thank goodness I also consulted a number of other books because this book has numerous errors and bits of misinformation. I'm not talking about prices which I understand will change but of items the writers should have known about. For example, do not trust their information on the Cusco Tourist Ticket but research it elsewhere. Using the Handbook misinformation cost me money! Another example, after stating that Hotel Paracas was totally destroyed in the tragic 2007 earthquake, the following page contains a recommendation to have a meal there. In the same section, Museo Julio C. Telio receives its own subheading as a place worth visiting but the Museo was also destroyed in the earthquake. And on it goes. This book is reasonably well written but the history, geography, cultural information, etc. contains little that is not available in any of well-regarded guides. I found better quality and better prices when I did not use the recommendations for lodging and food. Peru is wonderful, a totally diverse and beautiful country with charming and hospitable people. Visit by all means, just examine other guide books carefully before purchasing the Moon Handbook.

I've been using this guide for the past 2 years when I've traveled to Peru to visit my fiancee and for research (I am a grad student). Overall, I have found it to be accurate and useful for the more popular tourist sites in Peru and have found its recommendations to be positive. As with any guidebook, it does not include all sites that are fun to visit and could provide more details on others, but for those on a whirlwind tour it has some great recommendations for how to plan your travel depending on your time available. I haven't yet found anything inaccurate in it, though I haven't had to rely too much on all of its info since my fiancee is Peruvian and we tend to go off the beaten path when we travel or rely on her network of friends and family.

For those complaining about things being out of date, that is not to be unexpected in Peru where the tourist industry is quite vibrant and changing - new hostels and restaurants come and go rather quickly. You should always confirm your travel plans before arrival - call the place up, check to see if it has a website, etc. In general, I would not pay anything before you arrive at your hostel. Always confirm the price, check the room/bed and facilities to make sure it is what you expected. Pay night-to-night when possible.

As for restaurants, Peru is full of delicious and fairly reliable eating establishments. If one is not there that is listed in a guidebook, there will surely be another close by that is probably just about as good, at least if you are looking for some of the more typical Peruvian cuisines. Once again, you can always try and give them a ring or see if they are on the Internet. Don't feel just because it isn't in a guidebook that it is bad or you don't want to eat there. Even if it is in the guidebook you should still exercise common sense in whether the food will be safe or not.

Overall, I stand by this guide's recommendations, and hope that they publish a new edition soon since the current one is now 3 years old.