Lonely Planet Trekking in the Patagonian Andes

This guide is great. We used it for doing the Sierra Valdivieso circuit and Paso de la Oveja near Ushuaia and it was very helpful.The Valdivieso is off the beaten track through remote areas and very well explained with some important GPS coordinates. Also we did the Torres del Paine circuit, Lago Pingo in TDP and the treks around El Chalten andallthough you do not really need a guidebook for doing these treks, it is still helpful for planning and very accurate.

Like all Lonely Planet guides, Trekking in Patagonia is very much geared to independent trekkers. Considering how huge Patagonia is, the book covers it pretty thoroughly with a wide range of suggestions, from easy short walks right up to a few week-long ones. The text is strong on practical information like local transportation and accommodation and supplies wide coverage to flora and fauna, which is a real bonus. Patagonia's five regions are arranged in chapters that go from north to south which the way most foreigners seem to travel. The information is set out very logically, with tables of routes and a small info box at the start of each walk so you know what to expect. I liked the book's simple but correct contoured maps that are given for every trek. Some walkers I met wanted the book to have more day walks but that's a matter of personal preference. I got alot out of my 5 weeks in Patagonia, thanks greatly to this book. Unless you're a complete jerker, you're not going to get lost with this! A warning though, sometimes it's hard slogging that may not suit pampered English hill-walkers.This book is a veritable encyclopaedia that I found a real companion on the trails constantly taking it out for quick reference. It is indeed an unparallelled resource for trekking in Patagonia, so I'm awarding it 5 stars!

I am using the latest (thid ed.) on my second trip to South America. It an indispensable resource with very accurate text and maps which are quite accurate to use even if you you don't have a topo (yeah I know, but maps are not always easy to buy here). The routes carefuly prepared...this new edition has a whole lot of new trails. I'm also finding it up to date. One thing is maybe that the authors could have given better coverage to some areas such as the Pumalin. But this is more than enough material to spend a couple of summers down here anyhow, even if you just go for it! I definitely feel anyone that wants to trek in this region will be sorry if you don't have this book. Enjoy! Feel free to contact me privately for any info.Ryan

We used this guidebook for 2+ months of backpackingin Chile and I would strongly recommend it. The mapscan be used in lieu of topo maps (I would recommendtopos of course, but you can only get them in Santiagoand Buenos Aires) and the descriptions are remarkablyspot on. I've used dozens of backpacking guides (andbiking, climbing, ... guides) and there are invariablyinaccuracies or route descriptions that don't quite seemto match. However, this book had fewer of such infelicitiesthan any guidebook I've used. Kudos to Lindemayer.In addition, the "other treks" sections of the bookproved invaluable. After our first few weeks, werealized we really wanted to get off the beaten trackand these little 1-3 paragraph route descriptions gaveus all we needed to track down information on beautiful,rewarding, and untramelled hikes throughout Patagonia.Lindemayer clearly has an explorer's impulse and a nearencyclopedic knowledge of the area.Only caveat: if you're just going to Torres del Paineand/or Los Glaciares you really don't need any guidebook;the commonly available maps and steady streams of backpackerson the trail will keep you well informed.

Better than any book writed in chile about trekking. Excelent maps and precise directions. Very well selected tracks. It's a shame that some foreing came to chile and wrote a book that's 10 times better than any local book. Good as a LonelyPlanet.