The Rough Guide to Brazil (Rough Guide. Brazil)

Rating:
Summary: One Star Above LP
Review: Well, one of the first positive things I can say about the Rough Guide is that it is noticeably superior in coverage and writing quality to the LP guidebook, which in my mind has been the #1 reigning worst guidebook to Brazil on the market.

My biggest complaint about this book is that the writing quality is incredibly uneven. Frankly, it is quite evident that the authors have not visited all of the places the write about. For example, I found the description of Mossoro (Rio Grande do Norte) superbly written. Not only was the description true to the way I remember Mossoro on my last visit 11 years ago, but I ended up learning a great deal about historic sights in Mossoro that I was never aware of. On the other hand, the coverage of Barreirinhas and the Lencois Maranheses National Park was pathetic, to put it mildly. It is abundantly clear that none of the authors have ever been near there. I visited Barreirinhas 13 years ago (when there were already 4 pousadas in town) and slowly travelled down the coast to Rio Novo and Tutoia, and then by boat from Tutoia to Parnaiba. It was a fantastic trip, but you wouldn't be able to do it with this book because as far as Rough Guide is concerned, Tutoia doesn't even exist. Off the coast of Tutoia there is a very exclusive privately owned island that has small ecotourism visits called "Ilha do Caju"... also no mention in the Rough Guide.

But the biggest scope-of-coverage oversight to me seems to be the shoddy coverage of Sao Paulo state. SP state has an abundance of excellent tourism opportunities. Maybe the authors' travel priorities are just different from mine, but when I think of "Brazil" I think of outdoor adventure travel. And frankly, ecotourism is a huge part of the Brazilian tourism industry. But this book is all about big cities, beaches, and architecture. Sao Paulo state has great rafting, mountain biking, hiking, camping, and fishing opportunities, but you wouldn't know it from this book. Likewise, the Central West (Mato Grosso, Goias) have INCREDIBLE rock climbing opportunities. No mention here.

We get an idea of where these authors' priorities are when we read on p. 497 that "Goiania and Anapolis, with their rising affluence and acres of new high-rises, already look like the cities of the paulista interior - and are about as inetresting to visit, which is not very." Clearly this book is of the "urban-poverty-chic" genre of travel guides... If you are into that.. this book is for you. If you plan your trips with a goal in mind - snorkelling in the Caribean, mountain climbing in Mexico, bike riding in Utah - this book will not help you at all with your Brazil vacation.