READING MATERIAL WE RECOMMEND
We feel one of the best ways to prepare for one’s journey is to do some background reading before your trip starts. These are some of the books we recommend reading (in alphabetical order) before leaving for your trip to Bolivia. We travel to many different regions and activities and this list reflects that diversity.
Adventure
• Back From Tuichi by Yossi Ghinsberg, Published by Random House, 1993
• Exploration of the Valley of the Amazon by William Lewis Herndon, Gary Kinder (Editor), Lardner Gibbon, United States Navy Dept, Grove Press, 2000
• Exploring South America by Loren McIntire, Published by New York: Clarkson N. Potter, Inc. 1990
• Phoenix: Exploration Fawcett by Percy Fawcett , Phoenix Press, London, 2001
• Running the Amazon by Joe Kane, Vintage Books, reprint edition, 1990
• The Amazon: Past, Present and Future (Discoveries Series) by Alain Gheerbrant, Harry N Abrams, 1992
• The White Rock: An Exploration of the Inca Heartland by Hugh Thomson, Overlook Press, 2003
• Hidrografia de Bolivia by the “Servicio Nacional de Hidrografía Naval Boliviana”: Talleres Gráficos del Instituto Geográfico Militar, 1998
Culture & Art
• Culture Shock! : Bolivia (Culture Shock – Guides) by Mark Cramer, Graphic Arts Center Publishing Co.
• Digging up Butch and Sundance by Anne Meadows, St. Martin’s Press, 1994
• Fire from the Andes: Short Fiction by Women from Bolivia, Ecuador, and Peru by Susan E. Benner (Editor), Kathy S. Leonard (Editor), Marjorie Agosin, University of New Mexico Press, 1998
• Hotel Bolivia: The Culture of Memory in a Refuge from Nazism by Leo Spitzer, 1999
• Llamas, Weavings, and Organic Chocolate: Multicultural Grassroots Development in the Andes and Amazon of Bolivia (From the Helen Kellogg Institute for International Studies) by Kevin Healy
• Narrative Threads: Accounting and Recounting in Andean Khipu (Joe R. and Teresa Lozano Long Series in Latin American and Latino Art and culture) by Jeffrey Quilter (Editor), Gary Urton (Editor)
• People of the Tropical Rain Forest edited by Julie Sloan Denslow & Christine Padoch
• Rituals of Respect: The Secret of Survival in the High Peruvian Andes by Inge Bolin, Inge Bolia
• The Art of Bolivian Highland Weaving by Marjorie. Cason, Watson-Guptill Pub., 1977
• Traditional Textiles of the Andes – Life and Cloth in the Highlands by Lynn Meisch
Current Events & Social Issues
• Amazon Stranger : A Rainforest Chief Battles Big Oil by Mike Tidwell, The Lyons Press, 2001
• Bolivia: The Evolution of a Multi-Ethnic Society by Herbert S. Klein Oxford University Press
• Che Guervara and the FBI: The U.S. Political Police Dossier on the Latin American Revolutionary by Michael Ratner (Editor), Michael S. Smith (Editor) Ocean Press, 1997
• Che Guevara: A Revolutionary Life by Jon Lee Anderson, Grove Press, 1998
• Coca, Cocaine and the Bolivian Reality by Madeline Barbara Leons (Editor), Harry Sanabria (Editor)
• Cochabamba! : Water Rebellion in Bolivia by Oscar Olivera (Author), Tom Lewis (Author) Consortium Book Sales & Distribution, 2004
• Companero: The Life and Death of Che Guevara by Jorge G. Castaneda, Vintage Books, November 1998
• Death of a Revolutionary: Che Guevara’s Last Mission by Richard Harris, Richard L. Harris, W.W. Norton & Company, Revised & Updated 2000
• Motorcycle Diaries: A Journey Around South America by Ann Wright (Translator), Ernesto Che Guevara, Verso Books, October 1996
• Savages by Joe Kane, Vintage Books, reprint edition 1996
• Teetering on the Rim by Lesley Gill, Published by Columbia University Press, 2000
• The Bolivian Diary of Ernesto Che Guevara by Ernesto Che Guevara, Mary-Alice Waters (Editor), Michael Taber (Translator), Pathfinder Press, 1994
• The Complete Bolivian Diaries of Che Guevara, and Other Captured Documents by Ernesto Guevara, Daniel James (Editor), Henry Butterfield Ryan (Introduction), Cooper Square Press, 2000
• The Fall of Che Guevara: A Story of Soldiers, Spies, and Diplomats by Henry Butterfield Ryan
• We Eat the Mines and the Mines Eat Us by June Nash, Columbia University Press, 1993
• Chimane Resource Use and Market Involvement in the Beni Biosphere Reserve, Bolivia by A.Chocchon (Ph.D thesis), Published by University of Florida, Gainesville/Fla. 1992
Ethnobotany & Spirituality
• Dance of the Four Winds by Alberto Villoldo & Erik Jendresen, Destiny Books, 1990
• Ethnobotany: Evolution of a Discipline by Richard Evans Schultes (Editor), Siri Von Reis (Editor)
• Fingerprints of the Gods by Graham Hancock, Published by Crown, 1996
• Island of the Sun by Alberto Villoldo & Erik Jendresen, Destiny Books, 1992
• Medicine Quest: In Search of Nature’s Healing Secrets by Mark J. Plotkin, Viking Press, 2000
• One River – Explorations and Discoveries in the Amazon Rainforest by Wade Davis
• Plants of the Gods: Their Sacred, Healing and Hallucinogenic Powers by Richard Evans Schultes, Albert Hofmann, Healing Arts Press, 2nd edition, 2002
• Shadows in the Sun: Travels to Landscapes of Spirit and Desire by Wade Davis, Broadway Books, 1999
• Tales of a Shaman’s Apprentice – An Ethnobotanist Searches for New Medicines in the Amazon Rain Forest by Mark J. Plotkin, Penguin USA, Reprint edition, 1994
• The Killers Within: The Deadly Rise of Drug-Resistant Bacteria by Michael Shnayerson, Mark J. Plotkin, Little Brown & Company, 1st edition, 2002
• The Natural History of Medicinal Plants by Judith Sumner, Mark J. Plotkin, Timber Press, 2000
• Where the Gods Reign: Plants and Peoples of the Colombian Amazon by Richard Evans Schultes
Health
• Healthy Travel: Bugs, Bites & Bowels by Dr. Jane Wilson Howarth
• High Altitude: Illness and Wellness by Charles Houston, M.D., Published by ICS Books, 1993
• The Kiss of Death: Chagas’ Disease in the Americas by Joseph William Bastien, Univ. of Utah Press, 1998
• The Outward Bound Wilderness First-Aid Handbook by Jeff Isaac and Peter Goth, M.D.,
Photography
• I Am Rich Potosi: The Mountain That Eats Men by Stephen Ferry (Photographer), Eduardo Galeano, Monacelli Press, 1999
• Mascaras De Los Andes Bolivianos/Masks of the Bolivian Andes: Masks of the Bolivian Andes by Peter McFarren (Photographer), Sixto Choque (Photographer), Sixto Choque (Editor), Teresa Gisbert (Editor) University of Washington Press, 1994
• Smithsonian Atlas of the Amazon by Michael Goulding, Ronaldo Barthem, Efrem Jorge Gondim Ferreira, Smithsonian Institution Press, 2003
History
• A Concise History of Bolivia by Herbert S. Klein, Published by Cambridge Univ. Pr (Trd), February 2003
• Ancient Titicaca: The Evolution of Complex Society in Southern Peru and Northern Bolivia by Charles Stanish University of California Press, 2003
• Colonialism and Agrarian Transformation in Bolivia: Cochabamba, 1550-1900 by Brooke Larson, Princeton Univ. Press, 1988
• Forbidden Archaeology: The Hidden History of the Human Race by Michael A. Cremo, Richard L. Thompson, Published by Torchlight, 1994
• Lost Cities and Ancient Mysteries of South America by David Hatcher Childress, Published by Adventures Unlimited Press, 1986
• Ritual and Pilgrimage in the Ancient Andes: The Islands of the Sun and the Moon by Brian S. Bauer, Charles Stanish, Univ. of Texas Press; (June 2001
• The Conquest of the Incas by John Hemming, Published by New York: Harcourt, Brace Yovanovich, 1970
• The History of the Incas by Alfred Metraux, Published by Schocken Books, 1970
• The Incas and Their Ancestors: The Archaeology of Peru by Michael E. Moseley, Thames & Hudson, revised edition 2001
• The Incas: People of the Sun (Discoveries) by Carmen Bernand, Carmen Bernard, Paul G. Bahn (Translator), Harry N Abrams, 1994
• Tiwanaku: Portrait of an Andean Civilization by Alan Kolata, Published by Blackwell Publishers, 1993.
Natural History
• A Field Guide to the Mammals of Central America and Southeast Mexico by Reid, F. Oxford Univ. Press, 1997
• A guide of the Birds of South America by R. Meyer de Schaunesse, by Livingston Publishing Company, 1970
• A Guide to the World’s Best Birdwatching Place: Amboro Protected Area Bolivia by Robin Clarke Gemuseus and Francois Sagot, Published by Armonia, 1996
• A Neotropical Companion: An Introduction to the Animals, Plants, and Ecosystems of the New World Tropics by William E. Davis (Illustrator), John C. Kricher, Mark J. Plotkin, Princeton Univ. Press, 2nd Revision edition, 1999
• Amazon, The Flooded Forest by Goulding, M., Sterling Publishing Co., 1990
• An Annotated List to the birds of Bolivia by J.V. Remsen, Jr. & Melvin A. Traylor, Jr. Buteo books, 1989
• Aves de Bolivia by N. Kempff Mercado, Published by Editorial Quisbert, La Paz 1985
• Birds of Argentina and Uruguay. A field guide by T.Narosky and D.Yzurieta, Published by Vazquez Mazzini Editores, Buenos Aires 1993
• Birds of Southern South America and Antarctica by Pena Martin, Martin Rodolfo De La Pena, Maurice Rumboll, Jorge R. Mata (Illustrator), Princeton Univ. Press, 1998
• Birds of Tropical America by S.L.Hilty by V.T.Chapters Publ.Co., 1994
• Brazil-Amazon and Pantanal by David L. Pearson, LesBelesky, Les Beletsky, Wildlife Conservation SocietyNew York, N.Y., John Myers (Illustrator), Martha L. Crump (Contributor), Academic Press, 2001
• Breakfast of Biodiversity: The Truth About Rain Forest Destruction by John Vandermeer, Vandana Shiva, Ivette Perfecto (Contributor), Food First Books, 1995
• Butterflies of South America by D’Abrera by Hill House, 1984
• Die grosse Enzyklopadie del Vogel by C.M. Perrins, Published by Mosaik Verlag, Munich 1992
• Guide to the Amazon by Roger Harris (Author), Peter Hutchison (Author), Bradt Travel Guides, 1998
• Guide to the Frogs of the Iquitos Region, Amazonian Peru by Rodriguez, L & Duellman, E. , Univ. of KansasNatural History Museum Press, 1994
• In Amazonia: A Natural History by Hugh Raffles, Princeton Univ. Press, 2002
• Insight Guide Amazon Wildlife (Insight Guides) by Hans Ulrich Bernard & Insight Guides. Published by Insight Guides, 2002
• Lessons of the Rainforest by Suzanne Head & Robert Heinzman
• Libro rojo de los vertebrados en Bolivia by P.Ergueta and C.Morales, Published by Centro de Datos para la Conservación, La Paz 1996
• Mammals of the Neotropics: The Central Neotropics: Ecuador, Peru, Bolivia, Brazil by John F. Eisenberg, KentH. Redford, University of Chicago Press, 2000
• Mammals of the Neotropics: The Southern Cone, Chile, Argentina, Uruguay, Paraguay by Kent H. Redford, John F. Eisenberg, University of Chicago Press, 1992
• Neotropical Rainforest Mammals, A Field Guide by Emmons, L. & Feer, F., Published by Univ. of Chicago Press, 1997
• Observando aves em Curitiba by S.Cusatis Lucolli and Z.Koch, Published by Fundacao o Boticario de Protecao a Natureza, Curitiba/PR 1993
• South American Birds, A Photographic Aid to Identification by John S. Dunning, Published by Harrowood Books, Newton Square/Pa. 1987
• The Amazon: Past, Present, and Future by Gheerbrant, A., Published by Harry N. Abrams, Inc., 1992
• The Avifauna of the Beni Biologica Station, Bolivia by R.C.Braze, J.Hornbuckle, and J.W.Pearce-Higgings, Published by Bird Conservation International (in press), 1996
• The Birds of South America Vol. 1: The Oscine Passerines by Robert S. Ridgely, Guy Tudor (Contributor), Tudor Guy (Illustrator), Univ of Texas Press, 1989
• The Birds of South America Vol. 2: The Suboscine Passerines by Robert S. Ridgely, Guy Tudor (Contributor), Robert S. Ridgley, Univ. of Texas Press, 1994
• The Cloud Forest by Peter Mathiessen, Published by Viking Press, 1961
• The Fishes and the Forest by Goulding, M., Univ. of California Press, 1980
• The Reptiles of the Upper Amazon Basin, Iquitos Region, Peru by Dixon, J. & Soini, P., Milwaukee Public Museum, 1986
• Tropical Nature: Life and Death in the Rain Forests of Central & South America by Adrian Forsyth (Author), Touchstone Books; Reprint edition, 1987
• Where to Watch Birds in South America by Nigel Wheatley, Published by Princeton Univ. Press, 2000
Travel Guides
• A Cactus Odyssey: Journeys in the Wilds of Bolivia, Peru, and Argentina by James D. Mauseth, Roberto Kiesling, Carlos Ostolaza, Timber Press, 2002
• A Traveler’s Guide to El Dorado and the Inca Empire by Lynn Meisch, Published by Viking Penguin Inc., 1977
• Adventuring in the Andes: The Sierra Club Travel Guide to Ecuador, Peru, Bolivia, the Amazon Basin and the Galapagos Islands by Charles Frazier with Donald Secreast, Published by San Francisco: Sierra Club Books, 1985
•Backpacking and Trekking In Peru and Bolivia by Hilary Bradt, Published by London: Bradt Publications UK & The Globe Pequot Press Inc., USA, 1987
• Bolivia in Focus: A Guide to the People, Politics, and Culture (In Focus Guides) by Paul Van Lindert, Otto Verkoren, Paul Van Lindert, Interlink Pub Group; 2nd edition, 2002
• Bolivia: A Climbing Guide by Yossi Brain & Paula Thurman, Published by the Mountaineers, 1999
• Bolivia: A Travel Survival Kit by Deanna Swaney (ed.), published by Lonely Planet Publications, by-annual revisions
• Footprint Bolivia Handbook by Alan Murphy, Published by Footprint Handbooks, 2002
• Latin American Spanish Phrasebook by Sally Steward (Editor) Lonely Planet, 3rd edition March 1998
• Lonely Planet Quechua: Phrasebook (Lonely Planet Language Survival Kit) by Ronald Wright, Lonely Planet, January 1990
• The Rough Guide to Bolivia by James Read, Published by Rough Guides, 2002
• The South American Handbook by Ben Box (ed.), Published by London: Trade and Travel Publications and in the USA by Prentice-Hall Trade, yearly revisions
• Trekking in Bolivia – A Traveler’s Guide by Yossi Brain, Andrew North, Isobel Stoddart, Published by the Mountaineers, 1997
Newspapers
Bolivia Times (no longer in print, but worth reading the old copies) Weekly newspaper written in English. Contains in-depth articles in a variety of topics
http://www.eldeber.net/boliviatimes.htm
El Deber – Diario Mayor
Newspaper of Santa Cruz de la Sierra, Bolivia
http://www.eldeber.com.bo
El Diario
Newspaper of La Paz – Bolivia. Distributed nationwide
http://www.eldiario.net/
La Palabra
News from Beni, Bolivia
http://www.boliviabeni.com/LAPALABRA.htm
La Prensa
La Paz newspaper. Great content, but site loads slowly
http://www.laprensa.com.bo
La Razón
La Paz newspaper. Loads quickly
http://www.la-razon.com/
Los Tiempos
Newspaper of Cochabamba, Bolivia
http://www.lostiempos.com/
Pulso Digital
Online and in-print weekly publication
http://www.pulsobolivia.com/
Washington Post – Bolivia, Latest new about Bolivia. English
http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/world/americas/southamerica/bolivia/
EMBASSIES & CONSULATES
United States
Embassy of Bolivia
3014 Massachusetts Ave., N.W.
Washington DC, 20008-3603
Phone: 202-483-4410
Fax: 202-328-3712
Consulate phone: 202-232-4828
Consulate in Miami
25 S.E. 2nd. Ave., Suite 545
Miami, FL. 33131
phone (305)358-3450
fax (305)374-8636
There are consulates in Houston, Los Angeles, Miami, New York, and San Francisco. Interested parties can even book cheap New York flights for those needing to fly to our consulate there.
Canada
Bolivian Embassy
130 Albert Street, Suite 504
Ottawa, Ontario KIP SL4
phone (613)236-5730
For all other countries please consult your local government offices for assistance.
