Lonely Planet Central America on a Shoestring

Average customer rating:

Worked well for covering so many countries
Vastly overrated
Maps are useless - as are much of the comments
You can't do better
Essential for Planning Our Drive Through Central America

Lonely Planet Central America on a Shoestring
Robert Reid
Manufacturer: Lonely Planet Publications
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

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Lonely Planet South America on a Shoestring
Central America Map (Travel Reference Map)
The Rough Guide to Central America 3 (Rough Guide Travel Guides)
Lonely Planet Mexico
Latin American Spanish: Lonely Planet Phrasebook

ASIN: 1741040299

Book Description

Scale Mayan pyramids, worship the sun on palm-fringed shores and chill out in the shade of a smoldering volcano. Whatever your passion, Central America is jam-packed with possibilities. Written by experts who travel on your budget, this guide lets you go further, stay longer and pay less for the adventure of a lifetime.

• EXPLORE IT ALL - in-depth coverage of all seven Central American nations, plus Mexico's Yucatan and Chiapas

• FIND YOUR WAY - 120 user-friendly maps plus detailed bus schedules and crucial border-crossing information

• REST EASY - lodging and restaurants that offer bang for your buck...plus the occasional splurge!

• TALK THE TALK - comprehensive Language, Culture and Conduct sections keep you street-smart and clued-in

Customer Reviews:

Worked well for covering so many countries.......2006-12-14

Last summer, I found this book much more useful for visiting Central America than its Let's Go counterpart which was riddled with more inaccuracies and fewer maps. However, I cannot speak to the Rough Guide, which some seem to prefer. Overall, maps to the major cities are there, and the bus info is very helpfu. Where there aren't maps, navigating becomes much more difficult. For this reason, if visiting many countries, it may be best to pick up country guides along the way. They tend to include more of the details (and more out of the way places) that make getting around much easier.

Vastly overrated.......2006-04-28

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:

--The maps are among the hardest to read and most unintelligible I have ever seen, anywhere. They are all in black and white, with shadings in gray. There is very little variation in font size. It is hard to find anything without poring almost microscopically over the maps.
--The book consistently focuses on the cheapest, most bottom end places, especially when it comes to lodging. Now I suppose I should have been warned by the title, but I honestly didn't expect the book to be so relentlessly downscale. So this is a book only for the truly impoverished. If you want to splurge a little, look in the Rough Guide.
--Like all LP guides, it is not well-organized, so a reader must take his time to get used to finding out where to look for information.

On ths positive side, it is chock full of information for overland travelers and those seeking to venture into the remote areas of the countries visited. But overall, this one is not one of LP's finest publication. Use the Rough Guide instead (see my review there).

Maps are useless - as are much of the comments.......2006-02-07

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.......2005-04-15

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.

Essential for Planning Our Drive Through Central America.......2005-04-11

We spent four months driving our RV through Central America with this as our primary reference. While short on camping places, it did guide us to interesting destinations (We have subsequently published our RV camping places). Individual country books provided some more information on camping places in some cases.

Average customer rating:

Use with Caution
Better Take Two Books

Lonely Planet Central America on a Shoestring
David Zingarelli , and Daniel Schechter
Manufacturer: Lonely Planet Publications
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

Guidebooks | Reference & Tips | Travel | Subjects | Books

Lonely Planet | Guidebook Series | Travel | Subjects | Books

Budget Travel | Specialty Travel | Travel | Subjects | Books

General | Travel | Subjects | Books

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

Lonely Planet South America on a Shoestring
Lonely Planet Mexico
Central America Map (Travel Reference Map)

ASIN: 1864501863

Book Description

Poised at the convergence of two continents, Central America lures the intrepid traveler with a centuries-old weave of unique cultural and environment forces. Whether you aim to explore ancient Mayan temples or worship the sun on Caribbean shores, climb to the summit of a smoldering volcano or dive amid spectacular coral reefs, this indispensable guide is your ticket to affordable adventure.

Covers: Guatemala, Belize, Honduras, El Salvador, Nicaragua, Costa Rica, and Panama. <ul>

hundreds of options for saving money on the road </li>

the best spots for scuba diving, wildlife watching, jungle trekking and language study </li>

detailed coverage of the region's national parks and wildlife reserves </li>

up-to-date air, bus and ferry routs and schedules, including border information </li>

110 detailed maps, including major Mayan archaeological sites </li></ul>

Customer Reviews:

Use with Caution.......2002-09-26

Although a solid guide overall, I would recommend that travellers to this region of the world consider the Footprint guide and/or the Let's Go. LP looked to me to be up-to-date, but sadly this was certainly not the case when I hit C.A. last summer (especially in Costa Rica). Busing and transportation information were generally accurate. Costs though were often way off the mark. After looking through the Let's Go guide at the end of my trip, I noted that their prices were much more up-to-date. Don't be fooled into thinking that the LP online updates for this book are helpful.

Also, the LP book lacks serious detail about hotels. Their wording is scant and weak, and I often found myself wondering why they couldn't just get to the point. The Footprint guide is considerably better in this area, as their writers seem to be not as afraid to say what they really think of these places (i.e. they will tell you if a hotel has a reputation for petty theft - LP won't bother).

Overall this book has some good points, but I would recommend that you take another book along with it as a backup (or use this one as a backup). I should point out that this is a great book for someone with a very limited amount of time in each major place, as their agendas are solid. Also, I highly recommend their Latin America Phrasebook. Easy to use and it got me out of a few jams.

Better Take Two Books.......2002-08-09

The Lonely Planet Shoestring Guides are great for backpackers: cheap hotels, restaurants, bus schedules, etc. This book was no exception. The information included was generally very up-to-date and thorough. That said, the LP writers must have been directed to gild the lily whenever possible. More than once I decided to visit a place that LP gushed about only to find myself in either a backwater or a noisy charmless city playing cards until the next day's buses rolled out.

Halfway through my trip I found a used copy of Fodor's UpClose Central America Guide (used to be the Berkeley Guide, remember those?) and bought it. The UpClose Guide, while incomplete, provided much more honest commentary on the places I wanted to visit. The book is no longer in print but you might be able to dig up a used copy somewhere.

Amazon.com

You can't go anywhere in Central America without seeing this book poking out of the backpacks of true travelers. With more than 100 easy-to-read maps, historical and cultural information, the goods on the best of low-budget eats and lodging, plus a useful language section, this book might be second in packing priority only to your passport. Lonely Planet's tried-and-true method of organization will help you quickly find out how to "get there and away," get around each of your destinations and, eventually, get home! Researched countries include Guatemala, Belize, Honduras, El Salvador, Nicaragua, Costa Rica, and Panama. If your itinerary includes one or more of these places, this book is an indispensable resource.

Book Description

119 Maps

Customer Reviews:

Travels in Nicaragua and Honduras in January 2000.......2001-07-03

My father and I traveled to Nicaragua and Honduras in January 2000. This guide was helpful as a security blanket for information on the different cities and towns we visited, but we couldn't rely much on the lodging, restaurant, and/or transit information due to it being outdated and that natural disasters had changed some of the roads/cities since the book was written.

The information on daytrips was great - we ended up seeing a couple of towns within an easy journey of Teguchigalpa, Honduras and Managua thanks to the LP guide. Especially like the organization of the LP books, which really helped outline an itinerary that made sense prior to our departure. With the "Getting there & away" section about each destination, it was easy to figure out how to modify that itinerary as needed "on the fly."

Previously, I'd used LP for travels in Bolivia and been very impressed with the detail and level of information for La Paz (the capital). We found the level of detail a little lacking in the Central America guide probably because Nicaragua/Honduras were only two small sections of the book. So I guess I'd recommend this book for an overview, but would suggest finding a guide with more current, updated detailed information and/or an increased focus on the country/cities you're visiting.

You can never go wrong with a Lonely Planet guide!.......2001-03-02

I have just returned to Norway after a year backpacking around in Latin America (of course accompanied by the Lonely Planet books). I do not claim to be an expert, but I know what I look for in a travel guide!

This edition of the LP Central America did not disappoint me. I used it, going from Panama to Guatemala by bus(!). It is up to date on the information, and as with all the other LP books it is easy to find your way around with it. It includes maps over the big cities, good information about the hotels, restaurants, places worth visiting, and time schedules for bus, train etc. You have to take into account that this is a guide that is meant to cover the whole Central America so naturally it is not as detailed as the guides for each country separate. It is good as an overall guide if you plan to go to more than one or two countries, as you would try to cut down on the baggage to carry around.

As for the prices for hotels and food, the book is fairly accurate.. It is hard to keep up with all the changes, especially in the Latin American economy, where the inflation is "somewhat" higher than in the rest of the world. So, for prices - if you are on a backpacker-budget, do your own research, or at least be prepared for changes! (We usually multiplied the prices in the book with 1,5 and that gave us a good indicator of what to expect).

You will find that if you are walking around with the LP book under your arm, many of the local people will approach you and ask you if you need help. Say yes - even if you don't need help! It is a great opportunity to get in contact with the local people!

This book is a must on your travel!

Great companion for a quick journey through Central America.......2000-12-27

If you wish to travel through Central America in a rush, this is the best book for you to take. As always, Lonely Planet is unbeatable. On this very region, it is only second to the other Lonely Planet guides on specific countries: Yucatán and Belize, Guatemala, etc. If you need to see it all in one go, and/or don't want to spend too much money or take too much weight, this is the book to take !

LP - Does it again! Central Am. makes it easy!.......2000-03-29

I am doing a PeaceBike trip around the world so I have read a fair share of travel guides. As I am biking I want a guide book that will prepare me for what's ahead and give me just enough tips to make the adventure fun and not a ¨wild hotel¨ chase.

Lonely Planet's Central America on a Shoestring includes everything I need. It has got very detailed maps of almost every town I pass through. It has a section for every town as to where the good eats are and often reviews the vegitarian restaurants which for this vegi-biker is a real treat!

I have found that other guidebook series give you just a few options as far as cheap places to stay but this guidebook gives you at least five places to stay in each town or city that are real bargains.

I like to learn a bit about the country I am going to before I enter it. Central America on a Shoestring has a good little history section for each country as well as many of the sites. This way when you get to Tikal you have a map in hand to follow around the ruins. You have got a concise history of what the place is about plus if you want to stay a little longer that you thought this books adds enough Places To Stay options so that you never have to panic. One other thing I really like about this book (and this may only be of real help to other bikers)is that it often gives road and uphill, downhill information which is vital when you are planning how far you are going each day. Central America on a ShoeString and a few country maps and you are set!

Their huge number of city maps, the mini Spanish language guide, the consistent and thorough sub sections all make this book a must. I might even say, the only. I used this book on my bike trip and I am writing this from Central America and I'm loving it. The book and the region!

Lonely Planet Central America (Lonely Planet Shoestring Guide)
Average customer rating:
Lonely Planet Central America (Lonely Planet Shoestring Guide)
Robert Reid
Manufacturer: Lonely Planet Publications
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

Guidebooks | Reference & Tips | Travel | Subjects | Books
Lonely Planet | Guidebook Series | Travel | Subjects | Books
General | Central America | Latin America | Travel | Subjects | Books
Budget Travel | Specialty Travel | Travel | Subjects | Books
General | Travel | Subjects | Books
ASIN: 1741045967

Lonely Planet Central America on a Shoestring
Average customer rating:
Lonely Planet Central America on a Shoestring
David; Schechter, Daniel Zingarelli
Manufacturer: Lonely Planet
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback
ASIN: B000OUVVH2

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