Product Description

the longest running and best selling guide to South India we have extensive coverage of Goa and Kerala, it's not all sun, sand and full moon parties, this guide also features top tips on South Indian cuisine, arts and culture superior maps, listings and practical information South Indians are far more likely to be vegetarians than North Indians, no tandoori chicken or vindaloo curries here Kerala is the only Indian state governed by the Communist Party of India perhaps coincidentally, Kerala enjoys the nations highest literacy rates and lowest disease rates Kerala's state language is Malayalam, which is a palindrome and they are far more likely to speak English than Hindi

Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #266163 in Books
• Published on: 2005-09-01
• Original language: English
• Number of items: 1
• Binding: Paperback
• 540 pages

Customer Reviews

Don't leave home without it!
I'd bought my flight tickets, travel insurance and the all important Visa for entering India. Next on the list was the guide book. It was a choice of this one or the Rough Guide.

Both were published around the same time, and I've used both before for different countries, so I'm happy with their layout and content. However, choosing the right guide this time seemed far more difficult.

Both contained detailed information about the places I plan to visit. However, I found some bits were present in one book, but not the other, and vice-versa. In the end I decided to go for both books. I'm travelling in South India for 3 months, so I thought it would be worth the luxury of having two guides.

Having read both now, I can confirm that both are indeed excellent and each would provide an excellent insight into an amazing country.

Just to prove my point however, here is one example of an item (that I think is critical) that differ in books.

Apart from a small section dedicated to 'Todas', the Rough Guide doesn't really mention trekking in Ooty, which is one of the highlights of the region. Lonely Planet dedicates just under half a page to this essential activity.

Anyway, I don't expect both books to be the same, and here is a summary of the strengths of each book, I hope this might help you decide which book to buy:

Lonely Planet.
Travelling around by train.
Essential information.
Maps.

Rough Guide.
At a glance section on Highlights of South India.
History of India and its regions.
Food and drink.

All in all, I don't think you'd go wrong with either guide and wish you a safe a pleasant journey through this magical country.

True to life!
South India has never been more beautiful and Lonely Planet does full justice to this sun kissed land. As always outstanding research by Lonely Planet - the recommendations for the ethnic restaurants "udipi" cuisine are real gems. Each and every one of them I tried for Thirvananthapuram were finger licking good. Bus fares have changed since book was published but the increase of 2 US cents won't change your plans to follow the recommended itineraries. We had a thrilling time touring South India following Lonely Planet's guide page by page.

South of India covered
Lonely Planet has divided India into two more detailed versions, North India and South India. Although they are just as thick on their own as the India guide, I do lack the more detail and depth that you should expect. The South guide is better and more detailed though than the North, so if you are covering the south extensively it could be worth considering to buy.

This said, the Lonely Planet guides are very good for Asia in particular and the South India guide is not an exception to this rule. If you are planning to travel all over India, I would recomend you to buy only the Lonely Planet India guide instead of North and South India together.