Summaries and Customer Reviews are supplied by Amazon.com

Average Customer Rating:

Overrated

Customer Rating:

I have an upcoming trip to Peru, Chile, and Argentina, approximately a week in each country. Some of it, I plan on leaving unplanned, but prior to leaving, it's my goal to have a "general" plan of at least which region I will be in on a given day and having a list of 3-5 options in that region that I can pick from on that day. Therefore, research is imperative. Having just read through the entire Moon Handbook for Peru - I opened the Rough Guide to Chile, which I had bought based on reviews here on Amazon. Between all the popular guides, it seemed the best rated by individual and detailed reviews. Perhaps if I had read this first, I might not have been as disappointed. But after having read the Moon Handbook version of Peru - I found this particular style of guidebooks to be completely lacking. Yes, there is a wealth of history in here, but if I wanted history, I'd have bought an encyclopedia. On the contrary, I want ideas on what to do, why, and how to get there, when to get there - tips on whether it's worth it, who it is worthwhile to, the cost of getting there, how long, how much - what's the food like, which is the best, what is popular but can be missed, what is outstanding and can't be missed, what is the range of accomodations, give me exact prices, and tell me what they offer me. Knowing the country's history is something I might read on my way to a new country, but it's not the reason I buy a guidebook. I do want to know about life in that country, present-day, and their customs, etiquettes, etc. Rough Guidebook REALLY lacked on the information I needed, and because I highlighted through the book, I won't be able to return it, which is my own fault. For most of my travels, of which there have been many, I generally have stuck with Fodor's. On this trip, for Argentina, I bought Fodor's guide again, mainly because I knew it would be good and second, it was the most recent edition of all the guidebooks available. No matter where your travels take you, I cannot recommend the Rough Guidebooks to a particular country IF you like to travel in style, like to stay in nice places, and eat amazing food. It simply doesn't give you enough relevant information for you to make good choices prior to getting there and asking the locals. The Moon Guide to Peru was fantastic. I'm just going to buy the Moon Guide to Chile to replace this purchase.

Rought Guide to Chile Three	Customer Rating:
This book has a great break down by city. There are sections for different activities. It is very descriptive and informative; the sections include pricing estimates in USD whenever possible. I highly recommend this guide if you are even considering traveling in Chile -- it will probably convince you to go!

Best Chile Guide Out Right Now

Customer Rating:

While traveling for about 4 weeks (April/May '08) throughout Chile I came across many other travels toting around what they joking referred to as "The Bible." This "Bible" was basically any Lonely Planet guide that covered Chile in some way. (It's also referred to in this way because EVERYONE had a copy) More often than not, though, after they leafed through my guide, The Rough Guide to Chile 3, they wanted to keep it or mentioned that it was simply more informative. (This also happened to me with The Rough Guide to Peru while traveling throughout Peru, obviously) Also, I looked through the Insight Guide and Fodor's at a bookstore and felt this one superior. Even with space and weight at a premium, I carried this book around with me always and I'm very glad that I did (I'm one of those ones who doesn't want to feel like he has missed a thing when traveling.) I definitely recommend this book.

A Descent Guide to Chile

Customer Rating:

The Rough Guide to Chile is a good guide book that offers more than its name suggests. I used it in Santiago, Valparaiso and Vina del Mar to discover what Chile could offer to a traveller. I got a chance to exchange information about other books on Chile, with the help of which some other visitors were, like me, trying to find out their way through the country. As far as the content is considered, the Rough Guide to Chile surpassed all of them. However, Chile is a fast-changing country: some attractions and places are classics, yet others come and go. The book requires minor updates for the latter. In addition, information about specific places--museums for example--is brief.

Nothing rought about this guide!

Customer Rating:

If you're planning a trip to Chile (or wish you were) this is the book to get you ready. Dealing with everything from money exchange to lodgings to transportation, it has invaluable information to carry you from "tourist" to "traveler." The content is divided by geographical sections (much as the country itself is) to make it easier to plan a trip or get the specific information you need on a trip already planned. If you're interested in getting away from the escorted "back on the bus in five minutes" type of trip, this guide will get you there. There are wonderful descriptions of each region and its attractions, plus names, phone numbers and prices for food, lodging, transportation...even the location of the cambios de change for changing money, ATMs, and tourist informtion centers in each town. We picked this up by chance in a local library and found it so valuable we're planning to purchase our own copy before our upcoming visit. We'll let you know how well it represented reality when we return!