| |
A trip to Latin America involves some planning even though many destinations have packaged tours. Nonetheless, with the aid of books and/or maps, you'll find that you can arm yourself with information that will make your trip more unforgettable and enjoyable than if you didn't educate yourself. Below are books and maps that we've used. We've also included other books in the literature that may help you find what you need. The list is by no means complete, but hopefully it is enough to get you going on your quest to inform yourself on your travels. Books
Argentina (Lonely Planet): We've been fans of Lonely Planet guidebooks for their thoroughness and organization. They make for great resources when you're just starting out your trip planning, figuring out which local restaurants to go to, studying detailed maps, and even finding budget accommodations. I also like their writeups on culture, the environment, politics, and history. However, with Argentina, the book we have is a bit dated as it was published over two years ago (2005) so quite a bit of the info provided was obsolete. We still brought it around for their maps and to see which businesses had staying power. However, when it came to restaurants and even some trail advice, we had to consult other sources first and then use this book as backup. This was especially the case for Patagonia and the Santa Cruz Province, but not so much for Iguazu Falls and the Misiones Province. Speaking of Patagonia, the book also covers Chilean Patagonia's Torres del Paine even though it's not in the political boundaries of Argentina.
Venezuela (Lonely Planet): Going into Venezuela, there was lots we didn't know about the country. However, I used this guide (we managed to pick up the most up-to-date one at the time, which was 2007) to do some pre-trip research and I think it paid off. Julie did the same. Once we were in the country, we were on an Angel Falls-based itinerary so the guidebook really benefitted us when we self-toured the historical district in Ciudad Bolivar. However, in their usual standard of quality, their maps and descriptions have already inspired me to want to go back to Venezuela to see other waterfalls. It was too bad this book came out AFTER we had booked our trip because we could've worked in places like La Gran Sabana in a slightly more extended trip than the one we ended up doing. I think in terms of how the book stacks up to other guides about Venezuela, they did a real good job with this one.
Patagonia (Footprint): This was the only up-to-date guidebook at the time of our trip that we knew of. Naturally, we consulted this book for timely information especially regarding the latest on trails and restaurants. The book has somewhat the same basic information that the LP guides have for Patagonia, but the organization and depth of information is different. In some respects, the Footprint book was spot on with its reviews and takes on what the writer observed. The border crossing sections were also more extensive than that of the LP guides. However, I wasn't a big fan of their maps, which lacks the depth and helpfulness in its cross-references that the LP books have. Plus, I thought the advertisements in the book were corny. You have to wonder whether the info can truly be subjective if you allow advertisers in a work of editorial content. Nonetheless, the book is solid and it was good that it was around when LP was behind the curve on this region.
Trekking in the Patagonian Andes (Lonely Planet): We consulted this book when it came to planning our hiking routes or itineraries because the same detail and quality they've put into their flagship guides were also on display in this satellite guide. Of course the vast majority of treks mentioned here are really backpackers' multi-day treks which the vast majority of holiday makers can't do on limited time and flexibility. However, their descriptions (though dated - 2003) were very detailed and for the most part pretty spot on. They also have sections on "Other Treks" which includes certain day hikes or shorter ones (which are fewer and far between in Patagonia). The info of restaurants and hotels, as expected, were unreliable given the info was four years old, at least. All in all, it was a solid complementary resource to the Footprint and bigger LP guide.
[Back to top]
Maps
Monte Fitz Roy & Cerro Torre 1:50k Trekking-Mountaineering / Lago del Desierto 1:100k Trekking-Travel Map (Zagier & Urruty): This solid paper topographic map was excellent in terms of detail. It gave us a pretty good understanding before our hike what we were up against. It also contains Lat Long lines so after the trip, I could download waypoints using this map as a reference. It pretty much had everything you could ask for in a topo map of this scale. The only thing I could've wished for was something digital with place name indexing and all GPS-supported features.
Torres del Paine 1:80k Trekking Map (Zagier & Urruty): This is another solid topographic map but not as detailed as most hikers would like at 1:80k. Still, the expanded scale covers the majority of the Torres del Paine National Park so you can better find which hosteria or campamento or refugio you're overnighting at as well as unsealed roads and trekking routes. It also has a little more detail than the already good maps that come with your paid admission into the park. And like the map mentioned above, it has Lat Long coordinates in addition to important landmarks which help me with my post-trip GPS triplogging.
Torres del Paine National Park (www.patagoniainteractiva.com): We found this little 1:50k map at Hosteria Lago Grey and felt compelled to buy it (even at rather inflated Chilean prices) because it would be the only map in our collection of Torres del Paine at 1:50k scale. It doesn't seem to have as much place name detail as the larger scale map mentioned above and it focuses only on the "W" trek. However, it still reads like a simplified topo map and also has Lat Long for post-trip GPS trail logs.
Glaciares Parque Nacional (Chalten Out Door): We didn't really need to consult this 1:250k scale map, but we picked it up anyways because of trip logging purposes. It pretty much covers the glaciers west of El Calafate including the UNESCO Perito Moreno Glacier. Since not many people trek independently in the area (plenty of tours and established walks let you experience the glacier), there really isn't much need for this kind of map unless you're doing something more out-of-the-way like the Upsala Glacier or others outside the Perito Moreno vicinity. But at least it contains way more detail than the park maps that come with your parks fee.
Hoja de zona 9 (ACA): This 1:1M scale road map was basically the first map we consulted when we arrived at Buenos Aires without any Patagonian maps. But given its coarse scale, we didn't put it to use once we picked up the finer topo maps in El Calafate. Other than that, the map has plenty of place name detail, road condition info, and Lat Long coordinates for trip logging of regions that happen to fall outside of our topo maps. Zone 9 pertains to the southern Santa Cruz province and Tierra del Fuego and lacks Chilean Patagonia coverage.
Hoja de zona 3 (ACA): This 1:1M scale road map of zone 3 covers the provinces of Corrientes, Chaco, Formosa, Misiones, and Santa Fe. Of particular importance to me was that it covered Iguazu Falls. So outside of this rather coarse map for trip logging, I didn't have any maps of the triple frontier area.
Venezuela Canaima Sector Occidental (Ecograph): This foldout map is really nothing more than a fun-map-type drawing providing you a little bit of a cartoon of how the terrain of this side of Canaima National Park is like. The rest of the map reads like a nature brochure. Better brush up on your spanish with this one because none of it is in english. We bought this map at the little airport in Canaima.
Parque Nacional Canaima Zona turística del Auyantepuy (Estado Bolívar, Venezuela): This very simple foldout cartoon map contains just the immediate areas of the Canaima Lagoon and Auyantepuy. It's good for getting a sense of where things are in the village and where you're going to during your tour. Other than that, there's not much else useful about this map.
Mapa de Exploración Mapa Físico (Estado Bolívar, Venezuela): This is perhaps the most comprehensive map we managed to purchase while in Canaima. It's the only map we have that lets us do some post-trip logging as it contains Lat Long coordinates. However, at a scale of 1:2M, its application for GPS trip logging is quite limited. Nonetheless, it covers all of the country of Venezuela including the disputed regions of Guyana (La Zona de Reclamación). I wish I had something of smaller scale specific for La Gran Sabana and the area around Kaieteur Falls, which this map covers, but I'll have to wait for a future trip to Venezuela and a little luck with finding it. All in all, it's a no-nonsense map but lacking in the detail geography buffs like myself would appreciate. We also bought this map at the tiny airport in Canaima.
Have A Great Story Or Comment You'd Like To Share?
Here's your chance to share them (as well as post a picture)!
Click here to see visitor comments
[Back to top]
[Go to The Library Page]
[Return from Latin America Books and Maps to the Latin America Page]
|
