I enjoy Tahir Shah's book, and this one is no exception. In a return to Peru (he previously wrote the Trail of Feathers about his last journey here), Shah becomes obsessed with Paititi - the Incan stronghold in the Cloud Forest. It was here that the Inca supposedly fled after abandoning Vilcabamba to the Spanish Conquistadors in 1572, taking with them their hoard of gold. Paititi, of course remains undiscovered despite the attention of many previous explorers. There are many versions of the Lost...

‘A journey is a fragment of Hell.’ This Arab proverb is quoted at the start of ‘The House of the Tiger King,’ the book where Tahir Shah tells of his obsession to find Paititi, the city built by the Incas in Amazon cloud forest.With him on the plane to Lima are a father-and-son film crew weighed down with equipment, a Bulgarian film student who is filming the film crew, and a Ukranian banker. They fly to Iquitos to persuade a Vietnam vet to join the expedition. The latter agrees, provided he can

A sordid and most excellent tale.This is a book I read very quickly . Just like Tahir's other books . I found this tale gripping and very entertaining. It is a fascinating look at exploration which is a rare thing in the 21 century. A great book.

Jungle ballerinas, who have become a chain saw gang, felling the environment that gives them life as fast as they can.House of the Tiger King.If you like Victorian explorers or `The Worst Journey In the World by Apsley Cherry-Garrard', you might like the House of The Tiger King.A journey couched in pain: rain like knives, dengue fever, inedible food, raw feet, aching muscles and other people's loads. AND beset by the hostility any real exploration is likely to generate.See Apsley Cherry-Garrard:...

Of the travel adventure books I most enjoy are those where the journey not the destination are the focus of the book. In the House of the Tiger King, Tahir Shah is looking for Patiti - the lost city of the Incas. His journey is a rough jungle stew of "fear-and-loathing-in-Las-Vegas" drug crazed lunatics, incomprehensible tribal shaman, a gaggle of Christian missionary indoctrinated jungle tribesmen, crazy drunks, corrupt politician henchmen, and an odd Swedish film crew all pulsing together in a...

I am not a traveller. I am more interested in the destination than the journey, so it was a total whim when I picked up Tahir Shah’s House Of The Tiger King- The quest for a lost Inca city. I didn’t want to buy a book that I would have to finish watching a TV serial. On the other hand, the closest I could get to travelling was if I read about it, proved simply by the fact that there are people I know better who are fictional than the ones sitting next to me. Still I had a nagging feeling that it...

In this memoir, Tahir Shah searches for the lost Incan city of Paititi through the jungles of Peru. It reads like the world's worst trip as the author trudges through the jungle accompanied by two Swedish filmmakers, their Bulgarian groupie, a rich Russian banker and a mutinous band of hired porters. The quest seems doomed from the start as their guide implodes due to a combination of PTSD and copious hallucinogen abuse. Shah persists beyond all reason as calamities follow him with every step. F...

Tales of lost cities and Inca gold have swayed many a sensible imagination and Tahir Shar writes brilliantly about how his own was stirred into action. Full of his usual humourous take on life, entertaining musings and characters which are are so full they almost burst from the page, this is a real treat for anyone looking to take a step into a new world (even if via their armchair.) This is great fun and a very entertaining read.

I love adventure tales and this one is a corker. It's as if Tahir Shah purposely chose the nuttiest, most unstable, dangerous elements for his journey, yet somehow lived to tell about it. Shah is one of my favorite authors because of his amazing ability to tell a story with humor, grace, and restraint. This book is not currently in print & I ended up with a library edition that was removed from circulation. Well worth the effort to locate a copy.

How everyone would like to journey into the darkest jungle of South America... with ex US army aide, and locals who are duped into thinking that pot noodles have aphrodisiac properties, using a dighy bought from the equivalent of Friday Ad. Exploring on a low budget for the mythical city in El Madre de Dios...

Cutting one star for not finding it :)

Another great story from Tahir. I’m waiting for more.

A verz readable and entertaining account of the author's attempts to discover the location of Paititi (El Dorado) in the depths of the Madre de Dios jungle in Peru. The physical aspects of jungle trekking, the discomfort, the pain, the raw, wet feet with no skin between the toes, the worms in the thighs, are expertly drawn to induce a kind of repulsive shiver in me and make me question the sanity of anyone who would subject himself to such terrain. Admiration, however, was harder to find. Shah's...

I chose this because I'd read Trail of Feathers: In Search of the Birdmen of Peru by the same author. He brings us back to Peru this time in search of the lost city of Paititi, although this time it's not as an enjoyable of a journey for them or us, well for me it wasn't at least.

This is breathtaking true tale of leadership in the midst of jungle. Tahir not only is able to lead his motley expedition through the wilderness, he’s also able to tell a great tale. I loved the book. It really excited my imagination.

Shah maintains that anyone can be an explorer - and shows us the way! Fantastic and inspiring read!