The Rough Guide to Argentina

I agree with pretty much everything that has been said in the reviews below. The Rough Guide is a better value from the Lonely Planet, if nothing else for the additional number of pages (a third) that allow the authors to get into more detail on the history, politics and minutiae of places to stay and see. There are a few problems or personal recommendations I would make, or emphasize. The Guide is absolutely on target by recommending not to bring travellers checks. Not only are the banks loth to take them (only a minority actually do, the maximum is $100 per day) but there is an extraordinary amount of paperwork and they charge enormous fees. I brought most of the checks back home. There is a problem with Argentinian ATMs not listed in the Guide. Most ATMs use a 4 letter code and do not recognize 4+ codes from the USA or European debit/credit cards. You will quickly recognize and love the small minority that do (such as the Columbia Bank). The maps were very helpful to me. Some of the places described in the book were apparently never visited by the Guide's researchers, who must have relied on second-hand info from tour operators or Information agencies. A case in point is the Baritu National Park and its launching pad, the village Los Toldos, which are described from a standpoint of someone who has never been there. In general, I would say that the country is best experienced if one avoids organized tours. Argentines are a warm, interesting and interested people. It is one thing to sit in the bus with a bunch of Europeans and gringos and another to sit together with the locals... indigenous ladies returning from the market, old men in old hats, groups of seductive young women... you will see more of the land and experience more of the people. If you visit Iruya (which I thoroughly recommend), don't just stay for a couple of hours before returning to Humahuaca; i suggest renting a room in the village (for ridiculously low proces) and staying for a couple of days. There is very little about other countries and potential issues involved in crossing the borders. This goes for Brasil, Bolivia and Chile. Still, this is the guide to get. Enjoy the travels.

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.

a comprehensive guide to argentina, very well researched and not overly cumbersome. It fits nicely with the rough guide series as a whole, which tends to be slighly more informative and gives you more background history ect. Not a complete guide to argentina, its a big country, but certainly the best of the lot

I travelled through Argentina for 2 months with this book as my companion. The book is a very good general purpose travel book for Argentina, with good information about national parks but also but also about the cities and everything else.

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!