Customer Reviews

Rough Guide to Ecuador, Second Edition

5 star:		(3)
4 star:		(1)
3 star:		(2)
2 star:		(1)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

We have just returned from a month in Ecuador and found the new Rough Guide invaluable. Each chapter is clearly laid out and gives an accurate summary of regional highlights. It definitely made our trip planning and travel much easier. Ecuador is an amazing Andean country, with rainforests, tropical pacific coastline, high active volcanoes and the Galapagos Islands.

The Rough Guide provided us with essential information on how to travel and tips on safety and health proved very helpful.

Thanks also to the authors for including information on the damage being done to Ecuador's pristine rainforest and indigenous communities by a few oil companies. This is something that senstive tourists need to be aware of - the rare and fascinating tribal communities, the jungle wildlife and natural beauty we travelled to see are in real danger because of the actions of a few short term organisations who are right now planning a big push into the Oriente region.

Overall this is a really good, clear guide book with excellent recommendations for where to stay, what to do and even good tips on where to eat, drink and party. Don't go up the jungle without it! Thanks from Carmel McConnell and Catherine Purkiss

I spent a month in Educator, definitely not enough time to experience the entire country, but with this guide, I was able to experience more than I would have otherwise. The initial historical context set up by the book prepared me for what I would encounter in the country - I even loved that they touched, albeit briefly, on the tenuous race relations between Ecuadorian ethnic groups. As a black woman who loves to travel the world, I'm always curious to know how I will be perceived/what reception I will receive, so this tidbit of information was extremely helpful. I was participating in a language immersion program, so I stayed with a host family and thus can not speak to the hotel recommendations, however, I did have opportunity to visit a many of the recommended restaurants and night spots and I have to say, they were spot on with their selections. I think this book presented an authentic picture of Ecuador, covering the major regions quite adequately. I also had the Lonely Planet guidebook, but this was the one that rarely left my side and it is definitely part of the reason I had such an enjoyable time in Ecuador.

I generally really like the Rough Guide and have used it in maybe 10 or 15 countries. However, the one for Ecuador is poor. I moved to Ecuador a year ago and bought the 2010 version as soon as it came out. I have been consistently disappointed by the lack of information it has and is even completely missing common and well-known restaurants and hotels. I have a car and it does not have helpful information on how to get places other than by bus. I am usually not a fan of Lonely Planet, but for this country, it is much better.

We just returned from visiting Ecuador for the first time. Between the four of us, we had several choices for guidebooks, but found The Rough Guide to Ecuador to be the most helpful when looking for a place to eat or to sleep. We'll only take this one if we go back!

There is tons of information in this book, especially on hotels and restaurants. Some of it was hard to find, like for example part of the hotels were marked on the map but then listed separately under the theme of 'haciendas'. It was also hard to decide how to plan our trip and what is essential to see and what not. The routes were not clear, so we had to research more in order to figure out the best way to get somewhere. There were no phone # listed for information on bus station. First I stayed in a hostel that was described as a good location, nice rooms. The place had a serious construction going on, and was also in a not so safe part of town. I had to take taxi to go either in the old town or in the new town. There was no mention of public transportation for Quito. I would suggest that next time the author is more selective about what hotels they are promoting (few of them were out of business as well), and maybe offer a bit more concise but specific feedback on what is worthwhile seeing and what not.

Whenever my wife and I travel I always purchase the Rough Guide. It is very thorough and easy to use. It gives you the standards and the unusual. No better way to travel, we wouldn't travel without it. The guide always goes with us and by the time we leave it is thoroughly highlighted.

I ordered this guide and the Lonely Planet Guide. I had previously toured Costa Rica using the Lonely Planet Guide and it worked out very well. This time I wanted to see if there was any additional information in the Rough Guide that would be helpfull. I have not yet gone to Eucador so I can not comment on the accuracy, but the detail in the Lonely Planet guide is much greater than that of the Lonely Planet Guide. Besides that it is much more compact. 440 pages vs 590. Basically Lonely Planet is more concise and more informative. If you are going to Ecuador and have room for one book, I recommend Lonely Planet rather than Rough Guide.