Lonely Planet Bolivia: A Travel Survival Kit (3rd Ed)

Rating:
Summary: Lonely Planet will be with you throughout Bolivia
Review: As always, this is a piece of lullage well worth its price and its weight. It contains unparalleled advice on how to get around in this wonderful land, from the heights bordering Peru to the low lands of Cochabamba and Santa Cruz. The advice is clear, well-writte, useful, and entertaining at the same time. Its only problem is that it dates back to 1996, and lots of things have changed since then.

Rating:
Summary: Lonely Planet will be with you throughout Bolivia
Review: As always, this is a piece of lullage well worth its price and its weight. It contains unparalleled advice on how to get around in this wonderful land, from the heights bordering Peru to the low lands of Cochabamba and Santa Cruz. The advice is clear, well-writte, useful, and entertaining at the same time. Its only problem is that it dates back to 1996, and lots of things have changed since then.

Rating:
Summary: Don't go to Bolivia without it.
Review: Bought the book before the trip and studied it. Toured Bolivia with my daughter who had been in-country for over a year as a Peace Corps Volunteer, and I managed to show her a few things. In fact she confiscated the book when I came home so I had to buy another for future reference. The information is accurate and as timely as can be, given the publication date. Perhaps too much emphasis is placed on back-packers, but there is gold there for the rest of us.

Rating:
Summary: Adequate but disorganized
Review: Full of decent information, but highly disorganized. I would read something in the hotel, decide to go there, then on my way find I needed to refer back to the book. I could never find the original entry when I needed it. Fodor's South America had much less information, but is a better book for Bolivia.

Rating:
Summary: Adequate but disorganized
Review: Full of decent information, but highly disorganized. I would read something in the hotel, decide to go there, then on my way find I needed to refer back to the book. I could never find the original entry when I needed it. Fodor's South America had much less information, but is a better book for Bolivia.

Rating:
Summary: A user's guide to a guide
Review: I have used this travel guide (printed in 1996) during three trips to Bolivia (June 2000 to July 2004). It is by now quite outdated, particularly as regards addresses, telephones, and even the existence of new facilities (e.g. the new rail and bus terminal at Santa Cruz).
Other than that, as a biologist born in neighbor Argentina I found some weird passages on this subject. For instance, the information presented on the natural history of the national parks ranges from almost nonsense (aggressive insects attacking tourists in Noel Kempff Mercado) to reasonably accurate. The author has a frequent ironic viewpoint on many cultural characteristics of Bolivia. Sometimes this makes for funny reading. But she misses several points. For instance, she thinks that the departamental capital of Pando, Cobija, is named after the Spanish word for blanket, and this provokes some comic remarks on the tropical sticky climate. But as a matter of fact, Cobija is named after the main seaport that Bolivia had before the Pacific war.

Rating:
Summary: Buyer beware
Review: I just returned from Bolivia with this book as my only guide. I nearly threw it out the bus window in frustration. Although much of the out of date information is due to the fact that the book is five years old, there is no excuse for the scores of addresses for museums and the like that are completely wrong. There is also a major lack of basic info like the location of bus terminals. I also heard from many people who got lost for days trying to follow the book's directions on treks. Best to pay a little extra and hire a reputable guide who knows the area. Also be aware that because of changes in the Bolivian phone company, virtually none of the telephone numbers in the book are correct. It's definately time for a new edition, hopefully done with a little more care.

Rating:
Summary: Buyer beware
Review: I just returned from Bolivia with this book as my only guide. I nearly threw it out the bus window in frustration. Although much of the out of date information is due to the fact that the book is five years old, there is no excuse for the scores of addresses for museums and the like that are completely wrong. There is also a major lack of basic info like the location of bus terminals. I also heard from many people who got lost for days trying to follow the book's directions on treks. Best to pay a little extra and hire a reputable guide who knows the area. Also be aware that because of changes in the Bolivian phone company, virtually none of the telephone numbers in the book are correct. It's definately time for a new edition, hopefully done with a little more care.

Rating:
Summary: Outdated, with an Attitude Problem
Review: I just returned from my 4th visit to Bolivia, using my 3rd Lonely Planet guide. During one month in 4 cities, I became increasingly frustrated with the same dead ends that other reviewers have mentioned...incorrect phone info, little e-info, disappearing restaurants, etc., due to the guide's 1996 date. I have never appreciated Swaney's arrogant and condescending attitude toward one of my favorite nations and its people, and found it even more annoying each time I had to cross out another bit of her outdated information. Having whined and complained, I still must admit that this guide is by far the best for leading me to the specific kinds of hotels and eating places I'm always looking for, and giving me just the amount of historic and cultural detail I'm seeking. Lonely Planet is by far the most thorough and comprehensive guide to all of Bolivia (--others focus mainly on the Andes--), and I long for a new edition....hopefully penned by someone with more respect for the country than Swaney seems to have.

Rating:
Summary: Outdated, with an Attitude Problem
Review: I just returned from my 4th visit to Bolivia, using my 3rd Lonely Planet guide. During one month in 4 cities, I became increasingly frustrated with the same dead ends that other reviewers have mentioned...incorrect phone info, little e-info, disappearing restaurants, etc., due to the guide's 1996 date. I have never appreciated Swaney's arrogant and condescending attitude toward one of my favorite nations and its people, and found it even more annoying each time I had to cross out another bit of her outdated information. Having whined and complained, I still must admit that this guide is by far the best for leading me to the specific kinds of hotels and eating places I'm always looking for, and giving me just the amount of historic and cultural detail I'm seeking. Lonely Planet is by far the most thorough and comprehensive guide to all of Bolivia (--others focus mainly on the Andes--), and I long for a new edition....hopefully penned by someone with more respect for the country than Swaney seems to have.