Frommer's Adventure Guides--South America, 1st Edition (Frommer Other)

Rating:
Summary: Enticing adventures, splendidly wrapped
Review: This book, part of a new series, describes 25 adventures in 7 South American countries, 5 each in Venezuela and Argentina, 4 in Peru, 3 each in Ecuador, Brazil and Chile, and 2 in Bolivia. Whatever mode of transportation you may prefer, there is something to fit your taste, from flying to rafting and 4-wheel-driving, from mountain-biking to horse-riding and hiking. Each adventure is described in 6 to 12 lavishly illustrated pages, and the back of the book has a 60-page section with practical information. Clearly, these 60 pages cannot cover all the possibilities in all the areas discussed, let alone other areas in the 7 countries the book deals with (I had a wonderful adventure week in the Ecuadorian Amazon, for instance, that is not mentioned in the book). If you want to make detailed plans for an extensive trip on your own, you will need more than this volume. But if you are looking for armchair adventure, or for inspiration for that adventuresome part in you that is itching to go to some far-off place, or if you just want to get started with lots of attractively presented information about some highlights that you can build a trip around, this is a wonderful book. It is probably the most visually attractive guidebook I have seen, with lots of National Geographic style photography that will make the would-be adventurer's mouth water (even more attractively presented than the volumes in Fodor's Exploring series, or DK's Eyewitness guides, or the Insight guides series). Whether you are looking to canoe through a flooded forest, stay on a ranch in the world's largest swamp, hike some of the continent's highest mountains, watch wildlife along the coast, or search for dinosaur bones, this book has an adventure wrapped up for you.