Lonely Planet Colombia

Average customer rating:

Well, normaly I try to be positive.... but in this case...
Worst LP Guidebook I Have Ever Used
Did They really visit Colombia?
Disappointed
Book Returned

Lonely Planet Colombia
Michael Kohn , and Robert Landon
Manufacturer: Lonely Planet Publications
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

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ASIN: 1741042844

Book Description

Discover the best kept secret in South America. Colombia is safer than ever, affordable and still blissfully uncrowded - an independent traveler's dream. Laze on palm-fringed Caribbean beaches. Canoe slient rivers through lush rainforest. Stroll Cartagena's colonial old town. Salsa all night in Cali. Packed with practical advice and valuable tips for trouble-free travel, our peerless guide enables you to explore with confidence.

THE BASICS - detailed maps, tailored itineraries and easy-to-use directory help make the most of your trip. ADRENALINE RUSHES - the best spots for diving, rafting, hiking, rock-climbing and other thrills. STRAIGHT TALK- honest advice on where to go - and still risky spots to avoid. DISCERNING REVIEWS- opinionated authors give the lowdown on where to sleep, eat and pain the town. COLOMBIA 101 - in-depth background chapters provide insight into the country and its people.

Customer Reviews:

Well, normaly I try to be positive.... but in this case..........2007-05-13

I was pretty dissatisfied with the book. I am the type of person who usually ignores bad reviews and buys things that I want... and I am usually glad that I did. However in this case, I did not pay attention to the bad reviews because this is basically the only Colombia guidebook available... and I have not even used it once. I am here in Cali for 2 months, and the small amount of info that was in the book I had already easily obtained from 2 minutes on Google. In my opinion the maps are incomplete, the recommendations are narrow, and the overall meat of the book is cut VERY LEAN. Try the free "poor but happy" Colombia guide on the internet.

Worst LP Guidebook I Have Ever Used.......2007-01-29

I just returned from a 2 week trip to Colombia. We stayed one week in the mountain town of Pasto, where my Ecuadorian wife has friends, and one week in Cartagena. The section on Pasto was OK. But the section on Cartagena was terrible. The hotels mentioned were mostly limited to cheap backpacker places in Getsemani, the worst part of town. I have stayed in many $5 places myself. But my wife, like most Latinas, knows that super cheap hotels often double as brothels or "love motels" in Latin America and refuses to stay at them. They also don't mention any hotels in Bocagrande, where most Colombians on vacation stay. I understand that Lonely Planet caters mostly to foreign tourists on a tight budget. But LP also offers the only current guidebook to Colombia and needs to cover a much broder price range in order to be of use to all types of travellers.The restaurant info was also very limited and of little use.

Furthermore, the 2006 edition offers practically nothing new in its "update" to the 2003 edition. A waste of money!

Did They really visit Colombia?.......2007-01-26

This is a very poor Lonely Planet book. I think the reason is that Colombia is still considered dangerous, though for the tourists it is not, and LP authors don't go to dangerous places. The example of that would be Haiti - no guidebook, no update in the new Caribbean guidebook, due to "unstability". Well Rough Guide Authors didn't have a problem with visiting Haiti and french Petit Fute has a recently updated book all about the island. And it isn't dangerous. Lonely Planet just chickend out. I think we have the same problem here. After Mr. Dydynski, noone s just brave enough at LP to visit "risky destinations". The question is, why write a guidebook like this at all.

Anyway, I've visited Barranquilla and Cartagena with this book. The part about Cartagena was OK, though the choice of restaurants was limited and I'm not sure they chose the best ones. The chapter on Barranquilla was laughable. I know it's not really a pretty tourist town, but people do visit it (and not only for the carnival), so LP authors should really write a bit more pages about it. It's a large city and got the amount of info as small towns do in other LP guides.

Well, to sum it up. Colombia is a very interesting country of over 40 million inhabitants and numerous atractions... now look at the number of pages in the book - small countries get 2-3 times fater LP guides... well, case closed - it can't be good!

Disappointed.......2007-01-17

I have just returned from Colombia (December 2006), using solely the Lonely Planet guide for 3 1/2 weeks. I followed the Essential Colombia itinerary, which the book states will take 5+ weeks, in 3 weeks fairly comfortably. I started in Ipiales, worked my way up to Cartegena and back down to Bogota. There were the usually small errors, but by the time I reached Mompos, I wondered if the authors had visited Colombia recently. Permit me to describe some of the errors in just Mompos.

Mompos is reached by an 8-hour bus ride from Categena. The book describes that you may also reach Mompos more quickly by boat, and also leave upsteam by boat to El Banco. I checked with several locals in both Mompos and El Banco who stated there were no boats going to/from Mompos. I also did not see any boats along the river during my stay there. The book states that you can take a colectivo from Calle 18 (near the markets) at Plaza de Bolivar. Well, the colectivos moved from this location over two years ago. The local market moved 3 years ago. In sum, the material on getting and leaving town was dead wrong. Then there was the little stuff. The town can be walked easily, you don't need a bike. I couldn't find the bars listed in the book. I am a little surprised this was published in its present form. Senderos Felices!

Book Returned.......2007-01-16

The book was ordered and did not arrive in time( more than three weeks ) to give it as a gift so was returned via the shipper on arrival. I have not heard anything from Amazon on the return nor have I been credited with the return.

I can find no other electronic avenue to contact Amazon to make note of this matter so have used this book review route.

Please contact me in this regard.

Hugh Minielly

Average customer rating:

quality product, great service and price
Lacking information on many major cities.
Very lacking, but few alternatives
A little outdated but excellent
Great tricks

Lonely Planet Colombia
Krzysztof Dydynski
Manufacturer: Lonely Planet Publications
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

Guidebooks | Reference & Tips | Travel | Subjects | Books

Lonely Planet | Guidebook Series | Travel | Subjects | Books

General | Travel | Subjects | Books

Look Inside Travel Books | Trip | Specialty Stores | Books
Similar Items:

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ASIN: 0864426747

Book Description

Colombia is a land of the unknown and one of the wild frontiers of independent travel. This comprehensive guide is the essential resource to this country of contrasts. It's full of down-to-earth information about the wild cosmopolitan streets of Bogota <ul>

comprehensive language section and glossary </li>

historical and cultural background </li>

details on transport, accomodation and places to eat for all budgets </li>

extensive coverage of all national parks with notes on trekking routees </li></ul>

Customer Reviews:

quality product, great service and price.......2006-03-12

product like new; fast service with notification and tracking number when mailed.

Lacking information on many major cities........2005-07-03

This guide has interesting information however it lacks many facts and information on a number of cities, particularly Barranquilla. Many facts are outdated and some of the safety points are incorrect. However an interesting read for those wishing to visit Colombia. I am currently writing a Colombian travel guide and would appreciate comments and suggestions from other readers on information they would like to see in a guide book on Colombia. [...]

Very lacking, but few alternatives.......2004-12-04

This book is not a very good travel book as far as they go. First, the book doesn't help very much in introducing a reader to the culture in Colombia (which by the way, is very rich and interesting). A lot could be written about the food, for example. Second, the recommendations are quite inadequate, and I think lead people in the wrong direction. For example: the section on Cali, a major city of over 2 million people, is tiny. A reader is directed to the lower class discos on calle sexta, but has absolutely no mention of the better clubs and bars, which are all in the northern part of town. Considering that Cali is the party capital of Colombia, this is a glaring omission. There is no mention of Casa de Cerveza, Kukaramakara, Guitarra y Rumba, The Pub, Desvan, Forum, Mr Mojito, etc etc...
Because tourism is undeveloped in Colombia, there aren't very many options for guidebooks. Perhaps the future traveler should try Footprint (I don't know if it's better), or wait for Rough Guides to come out with a Colombia book.

A little outdated but excellent.......2003-05-13

This small compact book carries a gigantic wallop. It is filled with information from cover to cover and is by far the best travel book on Colombia I have ever come across. Moreover, the introduction and historical narrative is simply outstanding. This book is a great travel companion and if used properly will unlock the beauty and treasures that Colombia has to offer.

Author Krzysztof Dydynski was born in Poland but lived in Colombia for four years and manages to capture the best and brightest features of the nation. The author is comprehensive and includes sketches, photos, maps and a first class index. The only downside of this valuable book is that it is a little outdated. The 1995 publication must be updated to warn of the many dangers of travel in Colombia today and to include new places of interest throughout the country. "Lonely Planet travel survival kit; Colombia," is worth every penny. It covers all the bases for any budget. I love this book.

Bert Ruiz

Great tricks.......1999-01-04

I lived in Colombia for 13 year and recently went back for a 4 month trip. This book had lots of interesting out of the road tips and tricks to make the stay more enjoyable. Even my parents that have lived for over 40 years there learned a lot of it, specially the Zona Cafetera and Valle del Cauca. Some attractions are unknown even for locals.

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