| Product: |
Lonely Planet in general |
| Date: |
18/05/02 (74 review reads) |
| Rating: |
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Advantages: Excellent price, Very Funny
Disadvantages: Bit cocky in places, You need to be more cautious than it lets you know
I have used to always use the Rough Guide Series and it was only by chance that I ended up with a Lonely Planet Guide. I'm off to Kenya soon and tried to get the Rough guide, but that wasn't available yet, so Lonely Planet it was.
I was pleasantly surprised! Having heard terrible things about the lay-out and journalism in this series, I was really very happy and don't think I'll go back to the Rough Guide afterall.
The guide is, as I say, for Kenya. It contains all types of info:
- the usual history of the country
- photos and guides to animals
- info on how to get there, how to safely travel around and how to book a safari
- the usual pretty pictures
- info about the country divided into geographical areas
- basic language guide
- colour map of the whole country and little black and white maps of both regions and towns and cities
I was very entertained by the tongue in check style of writing in this text and also found it very informative. There is extra info sections in boxes which add to the generally very high level of useful information already contained in the text.
The animal guide is absolutely fabulous, fairly comprehensive and has some great pictures.
The regional write-ups are easy to navigate, with notes down the outer edge of the page as to which area you are looking at. This means when you look at the book from the side (if you see what I mean) you can pick out the different sections. There is loads of information about various tour operators, hotels, lodges, restaurants, places to go etc. The only problem is that info on prices is limited, although there are contact details a plenty.
The index is, again, comprehensive and easy to use. There is a good conversion chart at the back and the book isn't too big or small. The Rough Guide books tend to fall to pieces with use, but these books are "Spine Stitched for Extra Strength" - although the st
ength of this remains to be seen. Still, it's nice that they have considered this pracital issue.
In summary, I really do like this text - it's funny and informative, covering all the major sections one needs to know about. I have but one worry: that the info, like in the Rough Guide, will turn out to be less that accurate. I shall update this opinion when I'm in a position to tell you about this aspects of the product. But, for sheer entertainment and education - try out these guides.
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