South American Handbook

The South American Handbook was first produced in the 1920s, and has been an essential part of travellers' luggage almost ever since. For the 2000 edition, the old hardback format has been replaced by a less weighty soft-cover version, and for the first time there is a range of superb photographs showing off South America at its best, together with all the old features which make The Handbook so special.

Perhaps because of its history, The Handbook manages to do justice to the complexities of history, economics and politics of a region, while at the same time providing the essentials which are the staple of most of its competitors. Most guidebooks trying to cover a land-mass as vast and varied as South America end up as garbled and piecemeal editions which totally fail to do justice to the area and are completely inadequate when it comes to any attraction which is off the beaten track. The Handbook, however, manages to provide crucial information listings and a broader range of accommodation and entertainment options than other guides possess, without losing its knack for leading you away from the favourite haunts of travellers to places which are genuinely remote.

This is far and away the leader for guides on the region, and has a position which will be very hard to challenge. If you are packing only one guidebook for your trip to South America, this is the one to take. --Toby Green

View other editions of South American Handbook.
View books by Ben Box.

Factually incorrect, out of date - Rated
We purchased this book after reading other reviews and were very disappointed. Much of the information was factually incorrect, we disagreed with hotel and restaurant recommendations and often found them to be closed down or some of the worst places we stayed or ate if we did use them. In many cases we wondered if the guide writers had even been to the places and throughout south america these books could be found in any secondhand shop that sold english books!

Also, prices are quoted in USD not local currency which makes it virtually impossible to use them as a reference. Overall very disappointing!

The Best Travel Guide to South America - Rated
I used the 2006 edition last year for six months of travelling the continent. Most of my travelling was done overland, without booking accommodation in advance. If you're thinking of doing the same then this is the guidebook for you. Its accommodation listings are more comprehensive than any other guide to the region. Importantly, it tells you clearly how long journeys are likely to take. The history and cultural commentaries are always well written and informative. Recommendations are usually reliable. I only encountered two errors in 190 days - a business had closed down and a border post had changed its policy. Other than that everything was spot on and in my opinion, its maps were more accurate than RG's and LP's. The large area, colour maps were particularly useful in getting an overview of your journey ahead. You only have to compare Footprint's page count with its competitors to realise it'll be the best thing you pack before flying off to this amazing part of the world.

Comprehensive and easy to use - good value - Rated
This guide isn't produced by one of the more obvious travel publishers (naming no names!) but that shouldn't put you off as it's just the best guidebook on South America there is. It's accurate, as up to date as it's possible to be with a print edition, the sections on culture and history help pass the time on buses, what more can you ask for? Not as many pretty pictures as some other guidebooks, but then that's not what you buy it for, is it?

Indestructable, indespencible, informative - Rated
This Footprint has helped me travel from Caracas to Lima. It has guided, not led me and has helped in the occasional sticky situation. It has never left my side, and constatly provides me with information I may otherwise miss.

The new style paperback actually works and I have had to do very little "patching up", odd for a paperback. Must dash, I'm off to Arequipa.