The Rough Guide Brazil 5 (Rough Guide Travel Guides) [Paperback]

Rough Guides (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: November 27, 2003

This is a comprehensive guide to Brazil, the largest country in South America. It is filled with in-depth accounts of all the major cities and towns, as well as the best beaches, jungle tours and hiking trips. A colour introduction gives a flavour of the vibrant country with photographs of the country's attractions and activities, from joining the parades at the Rio Carnival to taking a boat trip up the Amazon. There is informative background on everything from Brazilian art to the most infamous favelas (shanty towns) giving readers a sound context within which to understand the country they are visiting. Practical advice on getting around is supported by over 60 maps and plans and extensive listings sections give reviews of accommodation, restaurants and bars for every budget.

Editorial Reviews

Review

Maintains the high standards established by the Rough Guide series. -- British Bulletin of Publications on Latin America, October 1995 --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

About the Author

David Cleary is an anthropologist by trade and first went to Brazil in1984 and has since lived there off and on for six years. Dilwyn Jenkinshas been travelling to South America since the age of eighteen. Afterworking as a teacher and journalist, he has led expeditions to and madefilms with indigenous groups in the Amazon. He is also the author of The Rough Guide to Peru. Oliver Marshall has been visiting Brazil forwork, study and, above all, pleasure since 1982. He is currentlyworking at the University of Oxford''s Centre for Brazilian Studies.

--This text refers to an alternate Paperback edition.

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Product Details

• Paperback: 800 pages
• Publisher: Rough Guides; 5 edition (November 27, 2003)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 1843530775
• ISBN-13: 978-1843530770
• Product Dimensions: 7.7 x 5.3 x 1.2 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.3 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 2.8 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (13 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #2,592,840 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

39 of 41 people found the following review helpful:

1.0 out of 5 stars Take Any Other Guide Book, November 4, 2002

By 

david harada (The San Francisco Bay Area. USA) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: The Rough Guide to Brazil, 4th Edition (Rough Guide Travel Guides) (Paperback)

Just returned from my second six week trip to Brazil. I own practically every guide book on the country and foolishly brought along this one. The information in the latest edition seems not to have been updated for a couple of years and I wasted a good amount of taxi fares or time walking to recommended places that were no longer in business. Even in the major cities, English isn't often spoken by the people outside of the tourism infrastructure. This can be frustrating without some preparation. Fortunately, I speak Portuguese and found many of the best restaurants etc. from the local people or through the particular city tourism authority. Another thing that I didn't like about the "Rough Guide" is that it doesn't include locations of internet cafes like other guidebooks do. For the price of the book, I give this particular Brazil edition one star.
Take my advice and take any other guide book with you or you'll truly have a "Rough" time with this "Rough Guide".

20 of 20 people found the following review helpful:

2.0 out of 5 stars Disappointing, August 5, 2001

By 

Edmond Paulussen - See all my reviews

This review is from: The Rough Guide to Brazil, 4th Edition (Rough Guide Travel Guides) (Paperback)

I am a Rough Guide aficionado but I'm disappointed by this book. I have the 4th updated edition (December 2000) but to me it seems as though this is a rather messy update, especially on the part of accommodation. Places that have moved 5 years ago (according to the owner) are in the book still at the old location. Or a pousada that is described as `charming place build right on the riverbank' has almost all of its windows broken and must have been closed for years. On the other hand a lot of nice budget options are not in the book while others that are in the book have been closed. And the thing that bothers me the most is that in several occasions addresses of tourist information offices are wrong. Fortunately for the editors the `things to see and do' doesn't change to much over the years so they don't have to update this.

22 of 24 people found the following review helpful:

2.0 out of 5 stars Incomplete at best, May 20, 2003

By 

Timothy J. Joko-Veltman "Tim" (Brasilia, Brazil) - See all my reviews

This review is from: The Rough Guide to Brazil, 4th Edition (Rough Guide Travel Guides) (Paperback)

Just to be upfront about everything, this review is based on the 3rd edition of this book. But based on that book, I won't buy this one.

Here's just 2 reasons why:

1) The basic introductions to the each area/city are a great idea, but I couldn't seem to find one that ever made the place sound interesting. I live in Brasília, and granted it hasn't got the excitement of Rio, but it's much more interesting than they make it sound, and Natal, despite having the second cleanest air in the world sounds like a drag.

2) The information is incomplete and rather superficial. The section on Pirenópolis, a great little spot in Goiás, for example, has no mention of the dozen or so waterfalls (with guided tours if you need them) in the area.

Perhaps the authors are just used to travelling in "1st World" countries, or maybe they know little or no Portuguese, or maybe it's something else altogether, but wherever they're coming from and whatever their experience, this book has ended up a somewhat depressing, and extremely rough guide that misses much of this enormous, gorgeous, and amazing country.