Reviews (1)

Whet your Appetite!!!
I read this book cover to cover before my first trip to Costa Rica and had highlighted a number of places I intended to visit.This book was EXTREMELY helpful in giving an accurate description of geographic regions, landmarks, customs, and general travel information.It made my trip much easier knowing what to expect.In addition, after returning, it was fun to compare the photos in the book to the ones I had taken.The beautiful photos in the book were not just "travel" photos to entice you to visit, but accurate photos of how beautiful and incredible Costa Rica is! ... Read more

Subjects:  1. Central America    2. General    3. Travel    4. Travel - Foreign    5. Travel - General    6. Travel Guides    7. Costa Rica    8. Travel & holiday guides    9. Travel / General   

Reviews (9)

useful, but disappointing
on every backpacking trip, a lonely planet was always one of the must-haves because they are always so on it when it comes to accuracy and reliability. well, i was disappointed by this guatemala edition. the author raved about the country: antigua, tikal, the people...so i had all these warm fuzzy expectations. that was mistake number one.
This book is spot on.
I traveled to Guatemala for two weeks in the summer of 2005 and used Lonely Planet the entire time.It was my first trip there, so I needed and wanted extensive detail and maps, which this book provided.I found it to be right on about everything from restaurants and hotels to ATM locations.I appreciated the small bits of cultural and historical information as well.The transportation sections were the most helpful.On several occasions I had people ask to borrow my LP to look up bus connections.Overall, I thought it was excellent and recommend it highly to anyone traveling to Guatemala.

Very helpful guide to travel to Guatemala.
Lonely planet is very popular in this country.You'll see a lot of travelers with a copy of the book.The maps are very acurate and you'll find good recomendations. What's great about this country is that people are friendly, so you only need the basics and the book has them. ... Read more

Subjects:  1. Central America    2. Travel    3. Travel - Foreign    4. Guatemala    5. Travel & holiday guides   

Reviews (23)

Well organized and useful
This is a handy phrase book for those who have no knowledge of Spanish and for those situations where you just need to be that much more specific in communicating your needs.It's not too big, so it's relatively easy to travel with.

Thisbook has phrases for every occasion!
Tins book will help you in just about every situation; meeting people, getting around, accommodations, food, illegal drugs, Dating, Romance and Intimate phrases, dealing with police, and lots more!
Please add local expressions
This phrasebook is very well organised. This is its strong point, I think. This is what I told some English people who asked for my advice (I am a Costarican). I also told them that I think it covers all the expected areas of vocabulary, like airport, travelling, food, but it could cater better for local expressions, the voccabulary local people use. This is what I am asking for, perhaps for the next edition. ... Read more

Subjects:  1. Central America    2. Foreign Language - Dictionaries / Phrase Books    3. Foreign Language Study    4. General    5. Language    6. Spanish    7. Costa Rica    8. Language self-study & phrasebooks    9. Latin-American Spanish   

Reviews (13)

Required for a trip to Nicaragua
This was an excellent book!!!Went on our first trip to Nicaragua and this book was invaluable!!!It is so well written that we read it cover to cover and is organized in such a manner as to make it very easy to find what you're looking for.Would highly recommend it!!!

Best Guidebook I've Read
This is easily the most entertaining guidebook I've ever read. I found myself reading entire paragraphs or descriptions out loud to my fiance. The problem with most guidebooks is that they're incredibly boring to read and often leave out the most useful information. This book is the exception! Leonardi tells you exactly what you most need or want to know--such as how quickly you'll want to get out of a particular town you can't avoid passing through, at which hotel you might want to keep your shoes on when walking across the floor at night (yikes), or which local hotel offers the best boat rentals. This book is incredibly useful and a real page-turner--I actually read it almost cover-to-cover.

This is a very impressive guide which I strongly recommend.
I used this guide during my three weeks in Nicaragua and enjoyed Leonardi's informative writing style.This handbook is more exhaustive, and more up to date, than "Footprint's Central America & Mexico Handbook".Read more

Subjects:  1. Central America    2. Guidebooks    3. Nicaragua    4. Travel    5. Travel - Foreign    6. Travel & holiday guides    7. Travel / Central America   

Subjects:  1. Sports & Recreation / Golf   

Reviews (2)

A Vivid Imagination and a Powerfully Bracing Landscape Makes for a Superb Travelogue
Published back in 1978, Bruce Chatwin's seamless mix of fact and fiction is still among the most enthralling of travel books. Prompted by a piece of reddish animal skin he found in his grandmother's curio cabinet when he was a child, the author ignites himself on a flight of fancy about its origin.This leads him to an expansive area of wild beauty, Patagonia on South America's southernmost tip. I have been lucky enough to visit this part of the world myself about four years ago, and I can confirm from my travels that Chatwin does an amazing job of capturing not only its physical splendor but its colorful inhabitants. However, this is no linear travel narrative, as the author breaks his stories down into mini-sections, ninety-seven in total.
A unique portrait of a unique land
In December 1947, Bruce Chatwin began a journey through Patagonia, a "vast, vague territory that encompasses 900,000 square kilometres of Argentina and Chile." As he wandered, Chatwin recorded the stories of the people he met and those who had gone before him; "fugitives of justice, regime change, or simply 'the coop of England.'" The result was In Patagonia, an instant classic that was described as "a law unto itself."
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Subjects:  1. 1940-1989    2. Chatwin, Bruce,    3. Description And Travel    4. Essays & Travelogues    5. General    6. Patagonia (Argentina and Chile    7. Patagonia (Argentina and Chile)    8. Travel    9. Travel - General    10. Chatwin, Bruce    11. Journeys    12. Travel / Essays & Travelogues   

Subjects:  1. Antiquities    2. Chimes    3. Description and travel    4. Peru   

Reviews (10)

Sadly, You Have to Buy It
Unfortunately, this is only one of two (the other / better being "Choose Panama by William Hutchings") books about retiring to Panama.Equally unfortunately, if you are serious about moving to Panama Mr. Howard's book has a lot of useful information and you are left with no choice but to buy it.
Good Information
This book was very much like his other books about living in Nicaragua & Costa Rica.In fact I found many passages that appeared to be the same.However, it was very informative and has useful information about living & relocating to Panama.

Worth reading, but...
I've never seen a book with more typographical errors. It looks like no one proof read it, they just published the rough draft... Usually a few typos doesn't bother me but there are so many here, it is annoying and makes you feel like the author didn't put much effort into the work.
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Subjects:  1. Business / Economics / Finance    2. Central America    3. General    4. Travel    5. Business & Economics / Finance   

Reviews (5)

Vastly overrated
I recenty returned from a month long trip through Central America, during which I visited all 7 Central American countries, in this order: Belize, Guatemala, El Salvador, Honduras, Nicaragua, Costa Rica, and Panama.I brought two guidebooks with me on my trip: this one and the Rough Guide to Central America.I soon found myself using the Rough Guide almost exclusively and this Lonely Planet Guide hardly at all. This was a surprise and a disappointment, because for the last 17 years I have consistently found the Lonely Planet guides to be the ones most consistently most useful for adventurous travelers.But not this one.Here are some of the problems I had with this guide:
Maps are useless - as are much of the comments
This has rotten country maps - then try to find the "Highlights" to the countries - like Tikal in Guat. is a highlight - but try and find it on these terrible country maps - that have no ABC-123 coordinates - you spend hours scanning miserable maps trying to figure out where the "Highlights" are - and highlighting them yourself - and yes - they're in the same small font as the rest of the map. And if you're gonna rent a cheap car and drive yourself - there's nothing. Acres of bus crap - no road info.

You can't do better
You can't really do better than this book if you're traveling in multiple countries in C.A.Overall, it was an invaluable resource.My complaints are that it almost provides TOO much detail, the kind of things people should find out on their own while they travel.Also, so many people use this book that you'll run into gringos every time you follow their 1st recommendation. ... Read more

Subjects:  1. Central America    2. Guidebooks    3. Travel    4. Travel - Foreign    5. Travel & holiday guides   

Reviews (25)

Engaging Style
This book shows people solving ecological problems as a community.Weisman engages the reader by showing the people involved, not only the ones with training in certain disciplines, but also natives with practical solutions for living in a Columbian village. Even the children got involved in problem solving in Gaviotos.
Not DIY
The vision described in the book is inspiring and very hopeful.The idea is to use our ingenuity in ways directly adapted to our environment so that small towns can be self-sufficient.Along the way, very clever uses of wind and water are discovered and described.If the reader is looking for great general ideas or approaches, this book would be hard to beat.On the other hand, if you are a garage-tinkerer and would delight in building the clever devices described, this book is close but no cigar.The drawings offered in the book purposely omit the most important details required to fabricate the devices in a proper working form.If you are a tinkerer and want to build these "goodies," you have three options.In the U.S., you can e-mail with the "Sustainable Village" web site and get the plans (eventually---they are not quick in responding).You can contact the Gaviotas offices in Bogota, Colombia.You can, of course, also take the basic idea and think through the details for yourself.That could take longer and be a little more expensive---perhaps. If you primarily want the ideas and the inspiration, then buy the book, by all means.If you primarily want to tinker and build, go straight for the plans.

interesting
In 1998, journalist Alan Weisman collected and presented information about a little known, yet quite monumental, village known as Gaviotas. To get there, one must travel 16 hours by car from the nearest major Columbian city, Bogot�. Even then the path there is not a smooth one; rough, muddy roads and severe political unrest serve as some major barriers in getting to Gaviotas. So why then is such an arduous trip worth it; in essence, Gaviotas is yet another tiny village located in a generally uninhabitable region and possesses none of the modern modes of transportation or communication that we are accustomed to. While in a sense these aspects may be true of Gaviotas, it is also undeniable that this community holds as one of the most efficient, supportive, and thoughtful communities on the planet.
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Subjects:  1. Animals    2. Colombia    3. Description and travel    4. Development - Economic Development    5. Environment    6. Environmental Conservation & Protection - General    7. Environmental Science    8. Environmental Studies    9. Environmental conditions    10. Human Ecology    11. Nature    12. Nature/Ecology    13. Rural communities    14. The Environment   

Reviews (1)

Basically very good with accurate information
We used this guide in our recent trip to Costa Rica. In this review I will tell you the benefits of the formatting style of this guide; the strengths of the guide, and then a few weaknesses where more information would have been helpful. I will end the review by relaying my assessment of the finest resource in Costa Rica and recommendations regarding use of the guide for travel in Costa Rica.
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Subjects:  1. Central America    2. General    3. Travel    4. Travel - Foreign    5. Travel Guides    6. Travel / Central America   

Reviews (9)

amazing hikes, erroneous details
This book is a perfect introduction to the wealth of hiking possibilities in patagonia - many of them are still significantly under-used and of equal calibre to the more famous routes. The general information sections are quite good, and give a good feel for what conditions are like both trekking and travelling in general; a good purchase for planning your trip. Where the book falls down is on the actual trekking notes, which are consistently inaccurate, obscenely outdated and sometimes quite misleading (see other reviews). On this front, Cerro Electrico is not safe - however Cerro Electrico Oeste is safely climbable without mountaineering equipment (although crampons are a nice idea) and gives mind-blowing views of the rear of Fitzroy - I think this might be what the author actually had in mind.
An Unparallelled Resource
Like all Lonely Planet guides, Trekking in Patagonia is very much geared to independent trekkers. Considering how huge Patagonia is, the book covers it pretty thoroughly with a wide range of suggestions, from easy short walks right up to a few week-long ones. The text is strong on practical information like local transportation and accommodation and supplies wide coverage to flora and fauna, which is a real bonus. Well-done work
I am using the latest (thid ed.) on my second trip to South America. It an indispensable resource with very accurate text and maps which are quite accurate to use even if you you don't have a topo (yeah I know, but maps are not always easy to buy here). The routes carefuly prepared...this new edition has a whole lot of new trails. I'm also finding it up to date. One thing is maybe that the authors could have given better coverage to some areas such as the Pumalin. But this is more than enough material to spend a couple of summers down here anyhow, even if you just go for it! I definitely feel anyone that wants to trek in this region will be sorry if you don't have this book. Enjoy! Feel free to contact me privately for any info.Read more

Subjects:  1. South America    2. Travel    3. Travel - Foreign    4. Andes    5. Argentina    6. Chile    7. Travel & holiday guides    8. Walking, hiking, trekking   

Subjects:  1. Central America    2. Travel    3. Travel - Foreign    4. Travel Guides    5. Costa Rica    6. Travel & holiday guides    7. Travel / Central America   

Reviews (4)

Disappointing
I love other lonely planet guide books, however, this Colombia version lacks INFORMATION. I feel I need to buy other books to get more info about this country before my trip there... Disappointing!

Dont buy this guide
Dont buy this guide. It's a waste of money. Its totally incomplete. There is no information about the Pacific Coast or La Guajira.
Terrible !
I have been a lonely planet guide book fan for many years.Unfortunately, this one is a big disappointment.I doubt the writer spent much time in the country.The info on Medellin is practically non existent.If they even bothered to read wikipedia, they could have provided 100x more info. ... Read more

Subjects:  1. South America    2. Travel    3. Travel - Foreign    4. Travel Guides    5. Colombia    6. Travel & holiday guides   

Subjects:  1. Central America    2. Travel    3. Travel - Foreign    4. Travel Guides    5. El Salvador    6. Nicaragua    7. Travel & holiday guides   

Reviews (26)

"The Good Book"
Since this is the ONLY guidebook available for Nicaragua, we could have been stuck with whatever they gave us.But this book is quite good.The writing is clever, informative, and thorough.I used it every step of the way while traveling -- for sights to see, food to eat, and places to stay. It was such a companion for the trip, I just refer to it as "The Good Book."

A good, average guide.
Honestly, I only purchased this book because of the lack of options in Nicaragua travel guides.I normaly purchase the DK eyewitness series, or AAA spiral guides, because of their pictures and maps.But, after spending a month in Nicaragua in Jan 06, I definately recommend this book.Alot of the prices are out of date, especially in regards to the hotels and stuff... but the places and locations never change, and the guide is, for the most part, right on.

Moon Nicaragua
This is a very good book.I've had other travel books on Nicaragua and Central America and this is, by far, the best.I also found it to be very accurate. I was quite surprised.Outstanding. ... Read more

Subjects:  1. Central America    2. Travel    3. Travel - Foreign    4. Nicaragua    5. Travel & holiday guides    6. Travel / Central America   

Subjects:  1. Panama    2. Travel / road maps & atlases   

Reviews (15)

lots of info, great book
Pleanty of information with lots of government web site addresses and phone numbers.There are some good points to help you consider both the good and bad things to expect with your upcomming move.

Easy to read and very entertaining
In short, if you are thinking of moving or retiring to Costa Rica, this book is a great place to start whether you have been to Costa Rica before, or know nothing at all.
I prefer the other books on the subject
This book contains a lot of helpful information for potential residents. The author is a good writer. Nevertheless I found Choose Costa Rica by John Howells and The New Golden Door to Retirement and Living in Costa Rica by Howard Christopher to be much better.Both of these guides seem to reflect the point of view of mature authors who have resideded in Costa Rica for much more time than the author of Living Abroad in Costa Rica. They offer much more insight and depth into the subject. ... Read more

Subjects:  1. Central America    2. Description And Travel    3. Special Interest - General    4. Travel    5. Travel - Foreign    6. Travel / Central America   

Reviews (8)

Travelers must have.
Awesome color pictures and Map.Easy to use and filled with great recommendations.A must have for anyone going to Costa Rica.

As good as it gets
I found Frommer's Costa Rica 2006 to be as good as such guides get, and I am reasonably well traveled.By their nature, such guides are generalists, to be supplemented with specialist literature as you narrow your plans.Many other guides presuppose a specialty like ecotourism, and provide value in that way if such specialization happens to fit your plans.The Frommer's seeks to top the generalist guidebook segment, and succeeds and then goes beyond with more frequent updates than specialized guides.So, for current information on lodging and the like, you'll want a Frommer's.

Fromers is Fromers
They do a good job of cataloging the main options is every local.It has been helpful with my research.I work in the travel industry, I have never gone wrong with a Frommers guide book. ... Read more

Subjects:  1. Central America    2. Costa Rica    3. Guidebooks    4. Travel    5. Travel - Foreign    6. Travel Guides    7. TRAVEL & HOLIDAY    8. Travel & holiday guides    9. Travel / Central America   

Reviews (1)

Champage comedy - again!
Once again, the Working Dog team have come up with a gem for the Jetlag travel series.You'd have thought that by the time book three came out, the format would be a little tired, but you'd be wrong.
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Subjects:  1. Central America    2. Mexico    3. Non-Classifiable    4. Nonfiction    5. Travel    6. Travel - Foreign    7. Travel Guides    8. Travel / General