Apr 22, 2011
|Last updated on January 3rd, 2021 at 05:12 pm
Your suitcase is probably already stuffed to the brim, but if you have a few square inches to spare, consider packing a South America travel book that is time-tested and beloved by generations of travelers before you. Whether you’re hiking Patagonia, heading out on a railway tour of South America, or just wanting to brush up on your knowledge of Inca history and culture, here are the top South American travel books that we recommend.
Peru Travel Book
Exploring Cusco by Peter Frost
Hard to get your hands on, this out-of-print classic tells the story of the ruins around Cusco. Cusco is the navel of the world by the ancient Incas. It is essential, if you visit Cusco and the Sacred Valley, to explore its myriad ruins, museums, and other treasures.
The White Rock: An Exploration of the Inca Heartland by Hugh Thomson
This book is a delicious tale of the wild, unexplored regions of Peru’s Andes by a British filmmaker. It is another excellent read if you want to brush up on Inca history and retrace Thomson’s steps through the Andes in search of Inca ruins.
The Heights of Machu Picchu by Pablo Neruda
Although Neruda is a Chilean poet, he went to Machu Picchu and wrote a memorable book of poetry about the marvelous Inca city in the sky. Pack this light book of poems while you explore Machu Picchu, and enjoy Neruda’s gift for earthy, ancient language.
Argentina Travel Book
Ficciones by Jorge Luis Borges
The 20th-century Argentinian literary giant wrote Ficciones in 1944 as an anthology of Latin American literature, and it’s one of the seminal works of the century. You’ll find plenty of magical realism, essays, and more in this classic anthology.
Santa Evita by TomΓ‘s Eloy MartΓnez
Instead of watching Madonna’s take on the iconic Evita Peron of Argentina read Martinez’s strange and comic account of Evita’s embalmed corpse as Peronistas and others vied to get ahold of it during the political turmoil of the period. A great way to understand the enormous influence of the Perons on Argentina’s 20th-century history.
In Patagonia by Bruce Chatwin
The explorer and travel writer Chatwin covered destinations as far-flung as Benin in West Africa to the Outback of Australia. And in the 1970s, he took a trip to Argentina and Chile‘s rugged, glacier-speckled Patagonia country. His years covering the glaciers, small Welsh farmer towns, and wild Tierra del Fuego led to the publication of In Patagonia, an important piece of travel writing that gets at the untamed natural beauty of South America’s nether parts.
Bolivia Travel Book
Death in the Andes: The Last Days of Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid by Daniel Buck
There’s no better place to hide than the heart of Bolivia’s Andes. This is where Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid snuck off once they realized their bank-robbing days were numbered. This account tells of their last stand in the high-altitude towns of Bolivia — a country that is still remote and difficult to navigate for foreigners.
Chile Travel Book
The House of the Spirits by Isabel Allende
This book is perhaps one of the most iconic magical realism works of fiction. Allende’s The House of the Spirits tells the story of a family dynasty during Chile’s tumultuous political times in the mid-1900s.
Brazil Travel Book
Through the Brazilian Wilderness by Theodore Roosevelt
After his presidency, Roosevelt spent part of his retirement exploring the River of Doubt. The River of Doubt runs through the Pantanal in Brazil and Paraguay. The adventuresome president and his companions documented several thousand species of birds and animals. They pioneered history of environmental research in the Amazon and the Brazilian wilderness.
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