The Rough Guide to Bolivia

I bought both the Rough Guide and Lonely Planet Bolivia, (and gave the LP to my friend to carry). I prefer the Rough Guide for several reasons. I buy guidebooks primarily for city, town and regional context when you find yourself somewhere on a whim, or because of bad directions. I also occasionally use them for lodging and meal recommendations, but more rarely, b/c I prefer to find my own way on those fronts (better food, and more interesting lodging). Rough Guide easily beats out Lonely Planet for background information and context (cultural, geographic, historical, political) for both national and local levels. LP is more about specific tours, experiences, and logistics, and while some of that is necessary for most travellers, LP books aren't as good for anything more. I also find this Rough Guide reads more easily, is more intuitively and clearly organized and typeset, and has much, much clearer maps. This is a minor issue, but the paper RG is printed on is better - good b/c I usually will tear out the maps and stick them in a pocket. Both have their share of minor inaccuracies, though I find that folks who complain too much about this sort of thing might as well be reading the books at home. IMO, both books waste a lot of space with "travellers restaurants" (i.e. cafes selling Bratwurst, pizza and the metaphysical banana pancake). LP will often list too many equivalent budget backpackers lodging spots, while RG will tend to just point you to the area where these are found, and review one as an example. this is a major reason I tend to view these sections sceptically anyway. I'll try to update as my trip continues... so far, get the RG over the LP for Bolivia.

I have reviewed travel guides for seven years and this is one of the best I have used. Recently (5/04) I traveled for three weeks through Bolivia and found this guide to be very reliable, user friendly and exact.The guide has excellent maps, brilliant descriptions of what to see and do, a very good 'Brief History' section, a good 'recommended books' section and the layout is excellent. Everywhere possible James Read has included the internet addresses and web pages for additional information. Most important James Read's recommendations for accommodations were always "spot on". If there is a downside to the guide it is the restaurant recommendations. You need to take his recommendations 'with a grain of salt'. His praise of establishments (4 out of 11) did not live up to the hearty accolades he gives out, though most did. That and the accommodation price code (why not just state the US dollar amount?) are the only distracting aspects of the guide. So, if you are going to explore this isolated, landlocked, astonishing country, you will not find a better guide out today. This guide along with Herbert Klein's "Concise History of Bolivia" (see my review) would be a great package. Highly recommended 4.5 stars