The Rough Guide to Argentina (Paperback)

by Danny Aeberhard (Author), Andrew Benson (Author), Lucy Phillips (Author)

Editorial Reviews

Product Description
INTRODUCTION

Argentina is a vast country. It measures 5000km by 1500km and, even without the titanic wedge of Antarctica that the authorities are wont to include in the national territory, it ranks as the world’s eighth largest state, immediately behind India. Thanks to its longitudinal position, standing between the Tropic of Cancer and the most southerly reaches of the planet’s landmass, the country encompasses a staggering diversity of climates and landscapes. The mainland points down like a massive stalactite on the map, from the hot and humid jungles of its northeast and the bone-dry highland steppes of its northwest down through windswept Patagonia to the end-of-the-world archipelago of Tierra del Fuego, a territory that is shared with Chile. Across the broad midriff stretch Argentina’s most archetypal landscapes: the mostly flat pampas grazed by millions of cattle – subtly beautiful scenery formed by horizon-to-horizon plains interspersed with low sierras, and punctuated by small agricultural towns, the odd ranch and countless clumps of pampas grass. These wide open spaces are among the country’s best assets – despite its mammoth area its population of 33 million weighs in at far less than Spain’s. This is a land with huge swaths still waiting to be explored let alone settled.

Like Chile to its west – with which it shares 5000km of grandiose Andean cordillera, several of whose colossal peaks exceed 6000m – Argentina is, for the most part, less obviously exotic than its neighbours to the north, and its inhabitants will readily (and rightly) tell you how great an influence Europe has been on their nation. It was once said that Argentina is actually the most American of all European countries, but even that clever maxim is wide of the mark. It’s a country with a very special character all of its own, distilled into the national ideal of Argentinidad – an elusive identity the country’s Utopian thinkers and practical doers have never agreed upon. Undoubtedly, the people of Argentina suffer from, but also encourage to an extent, some of the world’s most sweeping generalizations, based mainly on the typical Porteño, or native of Buenos Aires. They suffer from a bad press in the rest of the continent, but you’re bound to be wowed by their spontaneous curiosity and intense passion for so many things. On this score there’s a lot of truth in the clichés – their passions are dominated by the national religion of football, politics and living life in the fast lane (literally, when it comes to driving) – but not everyone dances the tango, or is obsessed with Evita, or gallops around on a horse, gaucho-style. Whether thanks to their beauty, sense of humour or other charms, the locals will help to make any trip to the country memorable.

So aside from the people, why visit Argentina? First, because the huge metropolis of Buenos Aires, home to two-fifths of the population, is one of the most exciting, charming and fascinating of all South American capitals. It’s an immensely enjoyable place just to wander about, stopping off for an espresso or an ice cream, or people-watching, or shopping, or simply soaking up the unique atmosphere. Its many barrios, or neighbourhoods, are startlingly different, some decadently old-fashioned, others thrustingly modern, but all of them oozing character. Added to that, Buenos Aires is the country’s gastronomic mecca and boasts a frenzied nightlife that makes it one of the world’s great round-the-clock cities. Elsewhere, cities aren’t exactly the main draw, with the exception of beautiful Salta in the northwest, the beguiling river-port of Rosario – birthplace of Che Guevara – and Ushuaia which, in addition to being the world’s most southerly city, happens to enjoy a fabulous setting on the evocatively named Tierra del Fuego.

Wildlife and adventure in the extensive outback are the real attractions outside of the capital. By hopping on a plane it’s feasible to spot howler monkeys and toucans in their jungle habitat in the morning, and watch the antics of penguins tobogganing off dark rocks into the icy South Atlantic in the afternoon. There are hundreds of bird species – including the majestic condor and three varieties of flamingo – plus pumas, armadillos, llamas, foxes and tapirs to be found in the country’s forests, mountainsides and the dizzying heights of the altiplano or puna. Lush tea-plantations and parched salt-flats, palm groves and icebergs, plus the world’s mightiest waterfalls are just some of the sights that will catch you unawares if you were expecting Argentina to be one big cattle-ranch. Furthermore, dozens of these vital biosystems are protected by a pioneering network of national and provincial parks and reserves, staffed by remarkably motivated rangers.

As for getting around and seeing these wonders, you can generally rely on a well-developed infrastructure inherited from decades of domestic tourism. And the challenge of reaching those areas off the beaten track is more than compensated by the exhilarating feeling of getting away from it all that comes from, say, not passing another vehicle all day long. Hotels are often much of a muchness, but a special treat – and not excessively expensive by any means – are the beautiful ranches, known as estancias – or fincas in the north – that have been converted into luxury accommodation. In most areas, you’ll be able to rely on the services of top-notch tour operators, who will not only show you the sights but also fix you up with all kinds of adventure activities: horse-riding, trekking, white-water rafting, kayaking, skiing, hang-gliding, along with more relaxing pursuits such as wine-tasting, bird-watching or photography safaris. While some visitors prefer to whiz about the country using an airpass, others like to enjoy the astounding scenery, magnificent wildlife and sensation of remoteness at a much slower pace. Argentina is so huge and varied that it’s hard to take it all in in one go – don’t be surprised if you find yourself wanting to return to explore the areas you didn’t get to see the first time around.

About the Author
Danny Aeberhard has spent several years leading tours through Latin America and trying - in vain - to decide which he likes best. Lucy Phillips is a British based writer and translator who has worked and travelled around South Ameerica since the eearly 1990's. --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

Product Details

• Paperback: 800 pages
• Publisher: Rough Guides (January 11, 2001)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 1858285690
• ISBN-13: 978-1858285696
• Product Dimensions: 7.7 x 5.1 x 1.1 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.3 pounds
• Average Customer Review: 4.0 out of 5 stars See all reviews (13 customer reviews)
• Amazon.com Sales Rank: #516,926 in Books (See Bestsellers in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

26 of 27 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars A definitive travel guide to Argentina, April 27, 2001

By	Midwest Book Review (Oregon, WI USA) - See all my reviews

Danny Aeberhard, Andrew Benson, and Lucy Phillips have successfully collaborated to produce a definitive travel guide to Argentina. Indeed, The Rough Guide To Argentina features coverage of all the attractions of Buenos Aires; vivid accounts of spectacular and varied landscapes ranging from the jungles of Misiones to the windswept vistas of Ushuaia (the world's southernmost town); comprehensive reviews of the best places for every budget level to stay, eat, and drink; and background information on Argentinean history and culture. The comprehensive and "user friendly" text is profusely illustrated with color photography and more than seventy maps. If you are planning a trip to Argentina, start your travel planning with a copy of The Rough Guide To Argentina!

28 of 30 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Overall, a well-researched, well written and reliable guide., April 8, 2006

By	Allan M. Gathercoal "fdoamerica" (Norcross, GA) - See all my reviews (TOP 500 REVIEWER)    (REAL NAME)

This review is from: The Rough Guide to Argentina 2 (Rough Guide Travel Guides) (Paperback)

In the competitive world of Argentia travel guides this guide is one of the most authoritative, up-to-date and practical guides out. Rough Guide's direct competition is Lonely Planet (see my review) and, between the two, well it's almost a toss up - both have strengths and irritations, but the nod goes to Rough Guide.

This guide has very good accommodations recommendations for all of Argentina. You can find everything from a 5 star hotel to well run hostel. Note: for those going to Buenos Aires', hotel prices have skyrocketed over the past two years and most guides have not kept up with this immense price surge. I found hotels that were listed as $75 a night, now $225! Thus, the hotel's webpage is the best place to make sure of the current price. But this Rough Guide provides very few hotel webpages for hotels "outside" of Buenos Aires. Lonely Planet does much better in this area.

Rough Guide's recommendation for restaurants are reliable. Of those restaurants that I tried, about 90% were good to very good. Yet, for some perplexing reason, Rough Guide fails to tell you what you should expect to pay for your meal. So one eatery may be $4 and another $40 - not good. Also, the description of the restaurant is very terse and leaves one wishing for a fuller description. This guide does not give you the time or days when the restaurant is open; so take care and call first, especially on weekends.

Excellent is the information that this guide provides on Argentina's history, politics, wild life, environment, music and recommended books. Rough Guide is the best out in this area. Also, Rough Guide has excellent maps. All of its city maps are excellent, and far easier to use than Lonely Planets. Kudos.

The cumbersome "price code" system for accommodations, i.e. 1 = up to $25, 2 = $25-40, 3 = $40-60, etc., should be changed. It is so much better to use what Lonely Planet, and most other guides use, the cost in dollars. Duh.

If you are interested in the "economic meltdown" of Argentina in 2001/2002 do take with you Paul Blustein's, "And the Money Kept Rolling In", (see review).

Rough Guide is a very reliable guide. However, there is a new release just out you should also consider: "Footprint Argentina - 2006" - it too is a great guide! (See my review). This "Rough Guide" is Strongly Recommended.

18 of 18 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Best Argentina Country Guide, November 11, 2006

By	chp (Miami) - See all my reviews

This review is from: The Rough Guide to Argentina 2 (Rough Guide Travel Guides) (Paperback)

The Rough Guide to Argentina (2nd edition published in January of 2005) is the best guide available for the entire country. I phrased it this way because Time Out Buenos Aires (published July 2006) is by far and away the best guide for the city of Buenos Aires.

If you are a little leery of purchasing a guidebook printed almost two years ago I would recommend purchasing Time Out Buenos Aires as well because it seemed that only in Buenos Aires have things changed so rapidly that a newer guide would be necessary.
Having said that you certainly can get away with just having The Rough Guide (just know that prices have gone up - which happens with all guide books).

When comparing The Rough Guide to Argentina to Lonely Planet Argentina (the only real competition since Fodors, Frommers, and Bradt just don't compete) I can easily recommend Rough guide over Lonely Planet. The Rough Guide simply has more information (it has 372 MORE pages than Lonely Planet has). A few times I found that I'd read about a very intriguing and little known attraction in the Rough Guide only to find it missing altogether in Lonely Planet. I know that most guides are striving to also highlight the off the beaten track activities as well as the major ones and The Rough Guide achieves this in a much better way than Lonely Planet.

I don't fault Lonely Planet for this because they produce good travel guides (especially in Europe), but it seems that they made the decision to not go as in depth as The Rough Guide has in South America (since I also found the same to be true with the Chile and Peru guides).

The maps are very easy to use and more intuitive than Lonely Planet's, but it would be nice for Rough Guide to copy LP in printing the elevation and population of cities and towns.

All areas of the country are represented well in the guide. Some are a bit more heavily detailed but it does not come at the expense of others.

The "Basics" section is very detailed in highlighting entry requirements, transportation, health and safety issues, etc. There is also a lengthy discussion on the history of Argentina, it's peoples, culture, political system, food, etc.

You will definitely not be disappointed after purchasing this guidebook.