Central America (Shoestring) | 
 enlarge | Author: Robert Reid
Publisher: Lonely Planet
Category: Book
List Price: $24.99
Buy New: $15.51
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Rating:  11 reviews
Sales Rank: 34770
Media: Paperback
Edition: 6
Number Of Items: 1
Pages: 788
Shipping Weight (lbs): 1.3
Dimensions (in): 7.7 x 5.1 x 0.7
ISBN: 1741045967
Dewey Decimal Number: 917
EAN: 9781741045963
ASIN: 1741045967
Publication Date: November 1, 2007
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Shipping: International shipping available
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Product Description
Dig into history along the Ruta Maya, zip through the rain forest canopy or spend the day searching out that perfect hammock spot by the beach. Adventures are born every day in Central America. And this comprehensive guide - with expanded Yucatan and Chiapas coverage - gives you the tools to avoid spending an arm and a leg on the journey of a lifetime.
Explore More - expanded do-it-yourself features help you create your own adventure beyond the 'Gringo Trail.'
Get Lost - detailed language and cultural coverage and more than 120 maps means you'll never get lost...unless you want to.
Immerse Yourself - volunteer as a game warden, study Spanish, or simply learn how to extend your stay.
Culture Club - candid local interviews reveal the true nature and spirit of the isthmus' No. 1 natural resource - its people.
ALL NEW
Highlights & Planning Sections
Cutomized Itineraries
Snapshot Coverage
Responsible Travel Tips
Cross-referenced Maps
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| Customer Reviews: Read 6 more reviews...
 served me well. June 13, 2008
I just returned from Central America from a month long trip,during which I used this book exclusively. I've heard a lot of people knocking Lonely Planet's "on a shoestring" series but I found the book to be invaluable. The maps are excellent and provide a side legend that lists the area's Hostels bars and tourist spots. But aside from listing cheap places to stay "on a shoestring" is a fascinating read. Informative information is provided on travel safety, current events for the Central American countries (and their national parks) and important travel schedules(for instance, when I was in Gracias, Honduras the book showed that I had to catch a 4.am mini van to begin my journey out of the country. It showed exactly where the pick up was. I would of been lost and clueless if I didn't have the book). I found the book to be greatly helpful and every place I stayed or went was exactly how the book described it. The only problems I had was not every town they listed had a map and some of the prices they listed in the book where a little different in actuality(Most of the time $5 more but prices could of changed since the book was published)So. This is an excellent choice for backpackers and should definitely be their choice of guidebook for your next trip.
 Very flawed, but essential May 28, 2008
This guidebook is pretty much the best you can get if you only want 1 book to cover all of Central America, it covers all the main touristy places, and a few that are a little more out of the way (but definitely NOT off the beaten track).
There are some serious problems concerning organization. You have to do a TON of page flipping trying to figure out all the relevant information, this is at it's worst when it comes to using buses to cross borders. Another very irritating thing is that the "Getting There and Getting Away" sections really only contain information on getting away from that particular location, so you have to continually flip back to other cities to figure out bus costs, times etc..
Also, you have the classic problem of the book highlighting cool places that are not very popular, then they explode with people because so many people use this book. Some of the places they recommend feel like you never left the U.S.
Another problem, This edition is a just a little bit dated, a lot of the prices are a bit higher than they are listed, but this is due to the exchange rate for USD, so it's not really Lonely Planet's fault, just keep that in mind when calculating your budget!
But overall, I recommend it.
One note, this edition includes coverage of the southernmost part of Mexico, but this section is pretty inadequate, so buy a supplemental guidebook if you plan on spending some serious time in the region.
For "Shoestring" Travellers Only March 5, 2008
3 out of 3 found this review helpful
I have wonderful memories of my days as an ultra cheap backpacker who averaged about $5 a night for hotels while travelling around Central America in the late 80's-early 90's. But now, as part of a married couple approaching middle age, my wife and I are inclined to travel on a more mid-range budget. As one of only three companies that publishes a guidebook for the whole of Central America you would think that LP would be interested in reaching out to a broad range of travellers. But this book is very much geared for "shoestring" travellers only. Fodors is certainly a better choice for those who want options in a wider range of prices and perhaps Rough Guide is as well. I haven't yet read the Rough Guide book so I can't really confirm this.
This is a shame since LP does some things very well, particularly in terms of providing detailed information on places off the beaten path. LP usually provides excellent maps. But the ones in this guide were low quality and difficult to read. Also this guidebook often has an uptight and self-righteous tone to it. The earlier LP guides had a more free-spirited sense of fun. But nowadays the company has become way too "politically correct" for my taste.
In any case, I would encourage mid-range travellers to seek out the Fodors' guide and perhaps the Rough Guide one as well. This LP book still has it's good points but is too limited in its options for any but those on the most "shoestring" of budgets.
Great Guide January 30, 2008
I used this guide in Belize and Guatemala and found it very useful. I appreciate non-exhaustive guidebooks, they don't spoil the "discovery". This book has just enough information to get you by, you'll still have to talk to locals and figure things out on your own (this is a good thing!). The maps are very useful.
The hotel listings give you a price range in actual dollars, this is much more useful than lumping them into a few predetermined price categories like other guides. Even if it's been a couple years and prices have changed you still have a better relative idea of what you're going to pay at one place versus another.
If you want a super detailed guide, then buy the specific book for the country or city. If you want enough information to wet your appetite, get you around the country, and give you a general idea of prices without spoiling the "adventure" and "discovery" of experiencing a new place... this is the guidebook for you.
Get out there!
Very good, but in need of an update October 22, 2007
This guide would be very useful for someone coming to Central America for tourism. It has a wealth of information and many maps and tips you won't find anywhere else. It is also small enough to fit in a small bag, and this would be the only guide you would really need if you were to travel all over Central America, for a few days in each country. I live in Central America, and I find that this guide has information that even the local tour guides can't provide.
However, as it happens with any printed materials, the guide now needs an update on some information, which can be crucial, such as the exchange rate or the availability of ATM machines. Also, some of the information the book provides has an obvious bias or is shallow, and, therefore, the guide misinforms, particularly as to the country contexts.
On the other hand, it would be better if you bought the Lonely Planet guides for each country. This one book is very useful, but the individual guides have a lot more information.
Four stars out of five.
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