South American Handbook

One of the first assignments Ben Box took as a freelance writer in 1980 was subediting work on the South American Handbook. The plan then was to write about contemporary Iberian and Latin American affairs, but in no time at all the lands south of the Rio Grande took over, inspiring journeys to all corners of the subcontinent. Ben has contributed to newspapers, magazines and learned tomes, usually on the subject of travel, and became editor of the South American Handbook in 1989. He has also been involved in Footprint's Handbooks on Central America & Mexico, Caribbean Islands, Brazil, Peru, Cuzco & the Inca Heartland, and Peru, Bolivia and Ecuador. On many of these titles he has collaborated with his wife and Footprint Caribbean expert, Sarah Cameron. Having a doctorate in Spanish and Portuguese studies from London University, Ben maintains a strong interest in Latin American literature. In the British summer he plays cricket for his local village side and year round he attempts to achieve some level of self-sufficiency in fruit and veg in a rather unruly country garden in Suffolk.

(1) Introduction - Highlights map, Best wildlife experiences, Best festivals; (2) Essentials - Planning your trip, Sports and activities, Responsible travel, Getting there, Getting around, Sleeping, Eating, Shopping, Essentials a-z; (3) Argentina - Planning your trip, Buenos Aires and the Pampas, West of Buenos Aires, Northwest Argentina, The Northeast, Lake District, Patagonia, Tierra del Fuego; (4) Bolivia - Planning your trip, La Paz anda round, Lake Titicaca, The Yungas, Southwest Bolivia, Central and Southern Highlands, Northern Lowlands, Santa Cruz and Eastern Lowlands; (5) Brazil - Planning your trip, Rio de Janeiro, Sao Paolo, Minas Gerais and Espirito Santo, Southern Brazil, Foz do Iguacu, Salvador de Bahia, Recife and Northeast coast, The Amazon, Amazon frontiers, Brasilia and Goias, The Pantanal; (6) Chile - Planning your trip, Santiago and around, Valparaiso and around, North of Santiago, Far north, Central Valley, Lake District, Puerto Montt and Chiloe, Carretera Austral, Far south, Chilean Pacific Islands (7) Colombia - Planning your trip, Bogota, Bogota to the Venezuelan border, Medellin and Choco, La Zona Cafetera, Cali and the Cauca Valley, Popayan, Tierradentro and San Agustin, Southern Colombia, (8) Ecuador - Planning your trip, Quito, Northern Ecuador, Cotopaxi, Latacunga and Quilotoa, Banos and Riobamba, Cuenca and around, Cuenca to the Peruvian border, Guayaquil and south to Peru, Pacific lowlands, The Oriente, Galapagos Islands (9) Paraguay - Planning your trip, Asuncion, Region Oriental: South of Asuncion, North of Asuncion, The Chaco (10) Peru - Planning your trip, Lima, Huaraz and the Cordilleras, North coast, Northern Highlands, South coast, Arequipa and the far south, Lake Titicaca, Cuzco, Sacred Valley of the Incas, Central Highlands, Amazon Basin; (11) Uruguay - Planning your trip, Montevideo, Western Uruguay, Eastern Uruguay; (12) Venezuela - Planning your trip, Caracas, West from Caracas, Merida and around, Los Llanos and the Amazonas, East coast, Canaima and the Orinoco Delta; (13) Guianas - Guyana, Suriname, Guyane; (14) Falkland Islands - Planning your trip, Stanley and around, Beyond the Falklands (14) Pre-independence history, Post-independence history, Government, People, Land and environment, Culture; (10) Footnotes - Index, Advertisers' index, About the author, Acknowledgements, Travellers' letters, Credits