The purpose of ordering this book was to be able to identify the many species of birds that Bolivia has to offer. It is imperative to include photos of the birds for visual identification. This book does not have any photos of birds which rendures it useless for my needs.

Although slightly out of date now, this book is an essential reference for those interested in birds and bird distribution in Bolivia. A astonishingly thorough compilation of all available information on Bolivian bird distribution. I can only hope that this book is updated before too long.

I only bought this because it has Peru, Ecuador, and Bolivia and I was going to all three and only those three.
I previously used the England, Scotland, Ireland one.
These books are not geared towards travelers who travel to learn rather than be sporty.
They are helpful to an extent, but the Lonely Planet books seem to be more intelligent.
Not all young travelers are out to party and shag the locals.
*rolls eyes*

I bought this book mainly because it was supposed to be up to date. Some of the information (most notably internet addresses) is already outdated. The information itself is valuable but prices should be cross referenced.

Through this book I was able to save more than a hundred dollars on a Lima-Cuzco flight. That fact alone pays for the book 4 times over.

In short, if you want to visit Peru, Ecuador, or Bolivia on a budget this is your book but use it as a rough guide and not as your sole source of information.

It may be understandable that these are 3rd world countries, and things change all of the time (especially prices). However it often seems as though the reviewers couldn't be bothered to find out the correct opening-times to tourist information centres etc.

However as a rough guide it pretty much covers everything with invaluable town maps as well as hotel,hostel and restaurant recommendations.

It is a good thing too that finally one of the big Travel Guide's have included Bolivia to their Peru and Ecuador book to create a succinct yet sufficient review of the popular trio of destinations.

Avoid taking a library in your backpack - this book should cover your needs - if you are going to two or three of these destinations then this is certaintly the book for you - but don't trust all the information it gives you.

I had to use this book for a report in my geagrapy class on Uruguay, and it helped quite a bit!

I did not find this map particularly helpful, but then there is not much available on Bolvia. I was looking for a detailed relief map. This map is somewhat simplistic, but some people may find it useful. In my opinion, it does not contain a great deal of information.

This is a great book to see how countries like Argentina, Bolivia, Brazil, Chile and Mexico made their structural reforms to fight for a democracy and to be part of the most potential countries in the region. Definitely, this is a book that the congressman in Paraguay should be reading, and every other country in Latin America that wants to follow potential countries like Argentina, Brazil, Chile and Mexico.

I just came back from a trip to Bolivia, Peru and Ecuador and this book was a very good way to prepare myself to it before going. Its sugestions for equipment and what you really need to carry or not with you were great. But once I got there, some problems start to happen: like incorrect or missing info about remote parts of Ecuador, cordillera Blanca in Peru or cordillera Real in Bolivia.It gave me the impression that they are really at the beggining of their explorations, but I am sure that the following updated editions are going to be really good, since they have some nice background information about the history, culture and tourist sights of each country. Although they are not 100% either, you can trust in Peru and Bolivia: Backpacking and Trekking or Climbing and Hiking in Ecuador, both from Bradt Books. But your best choice is really to buy the Lonely Planet guides for each of these countries, since they are the most reliable in the market today.

It's nice to learn about the situation in Latin America in such a microcosmal type of way, but the book tends to go on and on sometimes, not always fascinating. A lot of the stories about individual Bolivian women are very interesting. Again, it's interesting to learn about someting so small, domestic servants in Bolivia, that can be applied to something so big, the entire country of Bolivia, or for that matter many socially startified countries.

To understand Bolivia, you must understand its people and culture. This book provides a special insiders look at family and village life in the Eastern lowlands of Bolivia. It is the story of a simple,yet proud people as they care for each other and survive against nature, and the grinding poverty of a low income developing country. Yet the love and campassion of a young Peace Corps volunteer and her adopted community make this a story of commitment,love, and understanding across the barriers of culture, language, and economic systems. This is a must read for Peace Corps volunteers, missionaries, or other travelers into the rural communities of Latin America.

This book is very academic and plodding. I enjoyed the class but not this book. It was hard to read and boring. I had to force myself to get through it.