Bolivia 5th Tread Your Own Path Footprint Bolivia Handbook

Posted In: Bolivia

Nickole Meola says...

Lonely Planet is generally a great source for guidebooks, but I'm not convinced the authors returned to Bolivia to do research for this updated edition. It seems as if they just slapped on a new cover and republished the previous edition.



The restaurant recommendations (if the restaurant recommended is even still open for business, that is) lean heavily on pizza and pasta places that cater to travelers, which is fine if you have traveled all the way to Bolivia to eat pizza with a bunch of German tourists in zip-off hiking pants, but not useful at all if you want an authentic experience.



I also had a Rough Guide to Bolivia during my 5-week trip around Bolivia and found that book to be a far superior resource to LP Bolivia. The Rough Guide never disappointed in terms of hotel, restaurant, and sight seeing recommendations.

Posted on October 3, 2011

Ann Boike says...

The seventh edition of this classic has been updated. The info presented here is quite exact, the size of the guide is ideal, and it has been presented in a very straightfoward manner.

This is the closest you'll get to Bolivia...without travelling there :-)

Posted on October 3, 2011

Terina Heglin says...

Color highlights in each chapter and a green index identifying sustainable options accompanies a fine adventure-oriented guide for independent travelers to Bolivia. This seventh edition provides the latest advice from travel experts and is fully updated to provide the latest information on activities, regions, top itineraries, and more. A take-long 'must' for any Bolivia traveler!

Posted on October 4, 2011

Edie Shonerd says...

I guess I have a bone to pick with this title, as I'm the author of at least 90% of the background information; I wrote the first four editions of this book, but failed to receive any author credit this time around. However, the newly inserted practical information seems to be solid, despite the fact that the new updater(s) lacked much time to put it together and Lonely Planet's new format dictated the deletion of lots of information that I'd consider both useful and entertaining - and in some cases essential. I'm sorry to see what has happened to 'my baby' (this was the first book I wrote for Lonely Planet), but that's through no fault of the current updater(s). In fact, I believe it's still the best available guide to Bolivia. Happy travels in that wonderfully enigmatic country!

Posted on October 4, 2011

Tori Cracchiolo says...

Lonely Planet guides are known for their no-nonsense, off-the-beaten-path advise, and their reliable hotel and restaurant recommendations.However, this guide does not come up to the quality level of the dozen or more Lonely Planet guides that I havereviewed.



There are various editing errors found in the guide.For example on page 27 the guide states: "Bolivia is thinly populated with just 1 million people".Wrong. Bolivia has nearly 9 million people.



Though this guide was published in 2004, most of the research was done in 2002.That means the information on accommodations and eateries is four years old and may not be reliable.For example, in Sucre, a delightful historic city, I went to nine of the twelve restaurants that Lonely Planet recommended.I found three of the restaurants permanently closed.In the other six restaurants, three had mediocre to bad food, and in the other three, the food was fair to good, but none of the restaurants had food that would justify a recommendation. The recommendations for accommodations were more useful than those for the restaurants.



The guide's section preparing you to journey to Bolivia (visas, health, getting there by air, etc.) is just bare-bones basic.Some of the maps in this guide are completely unusable, like the map for Sucre. The `Walking Tour Map' for La Paz is nothing short of a joke.



The strength of this guide is found in its excellent descriptions of the seven geographical areas the guide covers.Each area has its history and climate explained.This is one of the few guides that will give you the population and altitude of major cities and towns.Kudos!The descriptions of the towns and cities are top rate. The "must see" sights are listed and explained and you should attempt "to see" these places. The sidebars or text boxes found throughout the book,i.e., "Bolivar - El Liberatador,""Traditional Andean Musical Instruments," etc.,are great sources of information.



In short, if you are not concerned about hotels, accommodations or needing good, reliable maps, then this guide, because of its excellent descriptions andhistory of each geographical area, is recommendable.Your best bet would be to use this guide as a supplement to either Pocket Adventures Bolivia (Strongly Recommended) or Footprint's guide onBolivia.



Finally, also considertwo additional books that can enhance your time in Bolivia. The first is, "Chasing Che" by Patrick Symmes and also excellent is Herbert Klien's,"A Concise Short History of Bolivia" (see my reviews on both).

Posted on October 4, 2011

Shayna Bouer says...

WHEN WE STARTED PLANNING OUR TRIP TO BOLIVIA I GOT A COPY OF THIS WONDERFUL BOOK WRITTEN BY DAISY AND ROBERT KUNSTAETTER AND ALL THE INFORMATION THAT WE NEEDED BEFORE , DURING AND AFTER THE TRIP WAS THERE....CLEAR AND TO THE POINT.THE FORMAT OF THE BOOK IS VERY PRACTICAL, THE PICTURES BEAUTIFUL AND MOST OF ALL IT WAS VERY PRACTICAL AND HELP US ALL THE WAY . THIER RECOMENDATIONS WERE JUST PERFECTYOU CAN CLEARLY TELL THAT THESE EXPERIENCED WRITERS LIVED AND KNEW VERY WELL THE COUNTRY/ STORIES AND PEOPLE . THANK YOU FOR DOING SUCH A GOOD WORK A. DORFZAUN

Posted on October 6, 2011

Laticia Buman says...

Bolivia is a spectacular and seldom visited country and a guidebook is very helpful. This book offers lots of maps and travel recommendations, along with medical advice, history, customs, and the very popular "how to get there and away". Bolivia is not changing very rapidly, so the information tends to be quite reliable. The biggest problem with popular guidebooks is that many people read them, and the recommended hotels tend to be very crowded. I usually travel with one, and I think that this one is the best. But I always ask other travelers where they have stayed and what they have seen, and many of my best experiences have been because of word of mouth. A mixture of guidebook and going it on your own can be a very fun and adventurous way to travel, but keep the Lonely Planet handy.Dancing on the Edge of an Endangered Planet

Posted on October 7, 2011

Diamond Linebaugh says...

A gloss-over of Bolivia's people and many cultures. While it does briefly discuss the geographical, topographical and, to a tiny degree, the ideological differences between Western Andean and Eastern Tropical Bolivia, the great majority of the book is about Western Bolivia, including most of the photos. Example: "there is little to do north and east of Santa Cruz..." made my jaw drop. Perhaps the author has never explored the many non-Jesuit towns, numerous tourist attractions and untold numbers of ecotours and natural areas in Eastern and Northern Santa Cruz, not to mention the hundreds of attractions, tours, towns, and natural sights in Bolivia's second largest department, Beni... but not having seen them does not mean they don't exist. In his defense, it's understandable. No Bolivian government to date has made any effort to ensure this vast region is known either.



Like Bolivian governments of past and present, the author does Bolivia as a whole no justice by over-simplifying and minimizing the importance of Bolivia's fastest growing (and largest) city (Santa Cruz de la Sierra) and 2 largest departments (Santa Cruz and Beni). Santa Cruz alone provides nearly 40% of the country's gross national product and produces 64% of the country's food. Bolivia is typically described as an Andean country and it's indigenous people are also primarily described as Andean. Bolivia has 36 native cultures, each with their own language and territories. Over 30 of them are native to northern, eastern and southern Bolivia and have few similarities with the Aymara or Quechua who have been publicized for decades.



Economically Eastern Bolivia was abandoned and ignored for nearly 500 years during which all the wealth of the country was invested in developing the Andean and central cities, especially La Paz and Cochabamba. It should not surprise anyone that Eastern Bolivia has a completely different economic and political ideology and market focus: the people of Eastern Bolivia have had to develop their region of the country (and have transformed it into the economic engine of the nation) through their own nearly unassisted efforts, entrepreneurship and creativity, private and personal funding, and a great deal of foreign investment with little to no investment of public funds by the government until just the past 20-30 years. This, not race or culture, is the primary basis for the political differences between the two regions.



I expected a book called "Bolivia in Focus: A guide to Bolivia's people..." to focus on ALL of Bolivia's people. However, I give this book 2 stars for at least mentioning the two sides of Bolivia. Most don't even bother.

Posted on October 8, 2011

Sharika Wetzler says...

A great overview of the country and certainly an essential companion to any trip to this underrated country. Food and festival entries are particularly good and help in any trip planning. Always impressed with the quality of LP publications and the recommendations were good.

Posted on October 8, 2011

Contessa Lado says...

Bolivia has a long and storied history, and a unique people have emerged from it. "Bolivia in Focus: A Guide to the People, Politics, and Culture" is an introduction to Bolivia and the country as a whole. Discussing everything from Bolivia's political instability to its culture, Dr. Robert Werner gives readers a large scope look at the country and its current status in a very complete form. "Bolivia in Focus" is a must for any who want to learn more about Bolivia.

Posted on October 14, 2011