Lonely Planet South America on a Shoestring (Lonely Planet Shoestring Guides) (Paperback)

~ (Author), Fiona Adams (Author), Sandra Bao (Author), Charlote Beech (Author), Morgan Konn (Author), (Author) "There are absolutely no ifs, ands or buts about it: for budget backpackers doing the South America circuit, Argentina is now the place to be..." (more)
Key Phrases: tenedor libre, bus cama, private hot showers, Buenos Aires, San Martin, Santa Cruz (more...)

Editorial Reviews

Review

Best for curious and independent-minded travelers' --Wall Street Journal
--This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

Product Description

'South America on a Shoestring' is full of helpful advice on what to see, where to go, local customs, where to stay and other useful hints for those travelling through South America on a restricted budget.

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Product Details

• Paperback: 1136 pages
• Publisher: Lonely Planet Publications; 9 edition (March 2004)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 1741041635
• ISBN-13: 978-1741041637
• Product Dimensions: 7.8 x 5 x 1.7 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1 pounds
• Average Customer Review: 3.1 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (15 customer reviews)
• Amazon.com Sales Rank: #59,913 in Books (See Bestsellers in Books)

  Popular in these categories: (What's this?)

  #11 in	Books > Travel > Specialty Travel > Budget Travel
  #35 in	Books > Travel > Guidebook Series > Lonely Planet
  #72 in	Books > Travel > Latin America > South America

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

21 of 23 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Must have companion ..., January 9, 2006

By	Sharad Yadav "shayad" - See all my reviews (REAL NAME)

A travelers life support system. The consistency of the LP series across various continets is amazing. Some information in the SA edition is a little dated, but the locals indicated that small hostels and food places go in and out of business faster than the book can keep up. I particularly liked Argentina section (I just came back from a wonderful trip), the information was very correct and some of the prices accurate to the decimal. Needless to say, the maps and orientation information was extremly helpful.

Some readers have indicated that it is for gringos and doesn't cover small cities at all. I think a 700 odd page book devoted to a massive diverse continet can only cover so much. Books dedicated to a specific country are very very detailed and should be be able to satiate anybody's wanderlust. This book is supposed to help you with a basic map, transport information and budget accomodations. Once you've arrived and have sorted out the bearings, the book should rest in the backpack.

Eat with the crowd, follow the young locals for the best watering holes after dark and catch the morning bus back to the hostel.

Must have for people with itchy feet ...

20 of 22 people found the following review helpful:

3.0 out of 5 stars Fine, but there are better, December 5, 2006

By	Traveler Man - See all my reviews

Used this book for a three month trip through Peru, Bolivia, Argentina, Uruguay, and Brazil. A friend who travelled with me had Footprint's guide to South America. While Lonely Planet had far and away the better maps, everything else about the Footprint book was better -- more information, more current information, and most importantly, broader coverage! There were many small towns that were not even included in the LP book. Even in the major cities, Footprint covered more sights and did so with more detail. If you are picking up a second book for a trip, by all means get the LP. But if you are only buying one, go with Footprint until LP seriously expands this edition.

10 of 10 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Practical but imperfect travel guide, April 21, 2007

By	K.A.Goldberg (Chicago) - See all my reviews

This is a useful if flawed guide for backpackers and other budget travelers. This thick book (1,150 Pages) covers lodging, conditions, airports, regulations, and other vital information for 13 countries. The information is practical, useful, and substantial, and one can travel South America with this guide. But in trying to cover 13 countries the book is unavoidably limited on information for any one nation, city, or place, and the maps are at times less than adequate. There is also some out-of-date information (Argentina's Peso is NOT equal to one U.S. dollar) so travelers are advised to check other sources.

If you will be traveling to only a couple nations in South America you would be better advised to buy a travel guide for each country. However, if you will traverse through many countries in this fascinating continent, this book is still a valuable reference tool.