Product Description

Get off the Gringo trail with this informed and off beat guide to wild side. Features candid local interviews, awesome maps and expanded itineries.

Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #32559 in Books
• Published on: 2007-11-01
• Original language: English
• Number of items: 1
• Binding: Paperback
• 788 pages

Customer Reviews

Backbacker
After using the Lonely Planet's 'South East Asia on a Shoestring' I was sceptical of buying another of LP's guides. However for some reason I found myself with 'Central America on a Shoestring' and it actually turned out to be a very handy travel companion. The information was up to date (probably as we somehow managed to be one of the first people to get our hands on it) and the writers remained nicely neutral to cater for various ages and travel desires. Definitely recommended.

Rough on accuracy
I used this book extensively throughout South America and it was often incorrect or completely wrong. This edition is certainly too out of date for using in 2003. If a new edition comes out, it might be worth a look, otherwise buy something more recent. Other problem was that the author sometimes recommended non-budget options, maybe he didn't understand the meaning of a shoestring guide.

Information spread too thinly
I was disappointed with this. Lonely Planet have saved my life before with their extremely helpful guidebooks, but this one is a let down. Trying to cover seven countries in one book is too much, as none of them are done particularly well as a result. The sections on border crossings between these countries were blatently unhelpful or non-existent, and the Nicaragua section gave very few details, particularly regarding travelling within the country. I found plenty of friendly, cheap hostels which were never mentioned in the book, and for once, I was better off using the Footprint guide.