V!VA Travel Guide to Ecuador and the Galápagos Islands (Paperback)

~ Paula Newton (Editor), Margaret Rode (Contributor), Christopher Minster (Contributor)
Key Phrases: centro histórico, Abdón Calderón, Malecón Escénico, Puerto Ayora, Santa Cruz, Northern Coast (more...)

Editorial Reviews

Product Description

V!VA Travel Guides Ecuador and the Galapagos Islands is the most comprehensive and up-to-date guidebook on Ecuador, period. Comprehensive The book was written by a team of journalists who have lived and traveled throughout this fascinating country for years and contains extensive coverage of: - The Galapagos Islands including reviews of over 80 Galapagos boats and more than 30 maps of the visitor sites and islands; - More off-the-beaten-track destinations to get you off the gringo trail and experiencing true Ecuadorian culture; - More restaurants and hotels in Quito than any other guidebook; - Top eco-lodges for an unforgettable stay in the Amazon rainforest; - Extensive Coverage of hot spots like Cuenca, Banos, Otavalo, Cotopaxi, Quilotoa, Mindo, Canoa and Papallacta. - A special Adventure Travel section provides detailed information about rafting, climbing, horseback riding, mountain biking and hiking throughout the country. Up-To-Date All V!VA Travel Guide's books begin on the www.vivatravelguides.com website, collecting reviews, comments, rants and raves, recommendations, and updates from travelers like you. The community's favorites are then compiled into the book along side content written by professional journalists. V!VA books don't sit on bookstore shelves for years getting outdated. When you order the book, it is printed one at a time, then shipped directly to you. This process guarantees that you have the most up-to-date, accurate information available for planning your travels. Based in Quito Amazingly enough, V!VA is headquartered in Quito, Ecuador. We know Ecuador like no other guidebook company can, because we have lived and traveled here for years (unlike most companies who send a newbie to a country for a few weeks or months). We invite you to experience our amazing country, and drop by the office and say hi when you're in town.

Product Details

• Paperback: 476 pages
• Publisher: Viva Publishing Network (May 1, 2009)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0979126428
• ISBN-13: 978-0979126420
• Product Dimensions: 8.4 x 5.5 x 1.4 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.1 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 3.7 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (7 customer reviews)
• Amazon.com Sales Rank: #272,323 in Books (See Bestsellers in Books)

  Popular in this category: (What's this?)

  #29 in

  Books > Travel > Latin America > South America > Ecuador & Galapagos Islands

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

28 of 29 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Great Book, August 30, 2007

By	J. P. Barnes (Novi, MI) - See all my reviews (REAL NAME)

Really extensive information. Light on the photos but strong on content. Very up-to-date, much more so than most of the bigger name guide books. Maps were extremely useful while traveling around Quito and the restaurant reviews helped a lot. It's also really cool because you can visit their web site and add your own content on stuff, like if something changes or you had a bad hotel or whatever.

Highly recommended.

6 of 7 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Best Ecuador guide!, December 21, 2008

By	April Handtke "endless books" (Wisconsin, USA) - See all my reviews (REAL NAME)

Of all guide books I have used for various trips this by far is the best. I just wish the guide series was available beyond Latin/South America(hopefully in the future as I know they have been expanding)! The idea of having fellow travelors contribute as well as their website with resources, is a gift for those exploring a new country. This is the way all guide books should be written, it just makes sense to have many reviewers not just a small crew reviewing a country. In particular, I really appreciated the guide's references for hostels and restaurants. We found them to be very accurate and extensive. They guarantee this guide book to be the most up-to-date and it was. My daughter who had already been in Ecuador traveling for 4 months learned things along side me who had just arrived. I found other guide books on Ecuador to be good but only this one would I characterize as excellent.

2 of 2 people found the following review helpful:

3.0 out of 5 stars Decent Content But Lacks High Quality Maps, January 18, 2009

By	Chris Luallen (Nashville, Tennessee) - See all my reviews (REAL NAME)

Viva has recently entered the crowded field of budget travel guides. Their angle seems to be having the most up to date information. This may be the case as the guide I bought for Ecuador was the most recently published. I used it during a recent trip and it served it's purpose well enough. But still I found myself missing Lonely Planet's superior maps and more readable format. On the plus side, Viva doesn't have LP's self-righteous tone and seems like a good bunch of kids trying to write honestly about their travel experiences. I wish them well. But the next trip I will probably choose a different travel guide.