The South America Travel Book You Must Read

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 Tomás Eloy Martínez

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.