Lonely Planet Antarctica (Country Guide) Review

Average Reviews:

(More customer reviews)Lonely Planet have been setting the standards for travel guide-books for a number of years now.
Jeff Rubin's guide-book to Antarctica is a treasure, first of all because guide-books on Antarctica are still very rare indeed, secondly because it is exhaustively comprehensive in its detail and yet so readable.
Antarctica is a unique place. The last true wilderness remaining on earth. A land where diverse and warring nations co-exist together to work, study and explore in peace. A land where Man can watch Mother Nature act alone, undisturbed. The highest, windiest, driest continent and yet the one containing the most water. Jeff Rubin gives profound insights on this last continent, this last true frontier. This book is packed with facts about history, geology as well as environmental issues (by Dr.Maj de Porteer) and antarctic science (by Dr.David Walton).
This book also contains a wildlife guide with more than sixty entries packed with pictures and with information essential for those who want to go and observe the wilderness of Antarctica.
Practical tips on when, how and with whom to go is both up to date, independent and as complete as one can get.
Plenty of information on the main Antarctic gateways is also provided as well as my most treasured part of the book - the chapter on the Sub-Antarctic Islands packed with information which is very diffuclt to find anywhere else with details on such isolated islands like Bouvetoya - the most isolated land on earth, Ile Crozet, Ile Kerguelen and many many others.
There are more than 20 maps in this book including, believe it or not, a map of non-existent islands.Throughout his book Rubin adds boxed text which provide to-the-point information on varied subjects ranging from Helicopter Safety, Taking Photos in Antarctica, Why one should not collect anything from Antarctica, Glaciology, the Aurora Australis and How to cope with isolation.
It is a pity that Rubin does not deal with such sensitive issues such as the exploration of the undergroung lake Vostok and attempts by many groups to ban sampling from this lake so as to avoid contamination.
A selection of photos is also present in this book, although unfortuantely not even one new photo has been added when compared to the first edition.
This book is a must for all those who are going to Antarctica as well for all those are interested in Antarctica but who do not have the good fortune, or the necessary finances to go to the most beautiful place on earth in person. Instead through Jeff Rubin one can practice on a regular basis armchair tourism. The only pity is that here in Malta the temperature is 35 degress Celsius. To feel truly there, I need a 2 metre tall freezer so as to at least feel what is it like to be in a very hot Antarctican summer day!

Click Here to see more reviews about: Lonely Planet Antarctica (Country Guide)

Click here for more information about Lonely Planet Antarctica (Country Guide)

Lonely Planet Hiking in Hawaii Review

Average Reviews:

(More customer reviews)A note to any prospective purchasers: Lonely Planet released several books on Hawaii, both about the state in general and also about some of the individual islands. This book only covers state and national parks, and known hiking trails on the five islands you can get to (thus excluding Lana'i, and the inaccessible Kaho'olawe and Niihau. Therefore, it's best used in conjunction with the other general books on the subject.
I found this book to be of value for the three islands I visited. There's a little bit of outdated information about climbing the Diamond Head volcano crater on Oahu. More useful to me were the extend portions about Waimea Canyon State Park on Kauai (absolutely gorgeous even if you're only driving up, as my wife and I did) and the material about Volcanoes National Park on the Big Island. This latter section was especially helpful in terms of providing background information, as we had a poor commercial tour guide who frequently missed the points we were interested in.
I recommend this book even for the non-hiker (we limited ourselves mostly to the "easy" trails) because the level of detail about the two state parks mentioned above, surpasses both what I found in other books and even from some tour guides.

Click Here to see more reviews about: Lonely Planet Hiking in Hawaii

This guide offers detaied descriptions of over 40 hikes around Hawaii, from easyday hikes to multi-day adventures. It also covers access towns for every hike, including transport options and accommodation for all budgets.

Click here for more information about Lonely Planet Hiking in Hawaii

Trekking in Ecuador Review

Average Reviews:

(More customer reviews)I recently spent a month trekking in Ecuador with this guidebook and I would recommend it to anybody interested in hiking in this beautiful country. There is something for everyone with short dayhikes near travelling hubs, week long treks through remote mountains, hikes that end in hotsprings and hikes that take you in search of the elusive Ecuadorian wild orchid. This guidebook contains all the information you need to set out on your own and the hikes I did were unforgetable. I waited untill Quito to buy a guidebook so I could compare all the books available and I can say now that this is, by far, the best hiking guide for the country. I will be back in Ecuador to walk some more of the beautiful trails described in Trekking in Ecuador.

Click Here to see more reviews about: Trekking in Ecuador

The most up-to-date trekking guide to one of the world's most biodiverse nations. Includes a thorough introduction to Ecuador and its people.No-nonsense information on what to expect, preparations, and safety.Twenty-nine detailed trek descriptions, with 50 photos, 33 topographic maps, and 27 elevation profiles.Comprehensive appendices, including lists of trekking companies, emergency contacts, and conservation organizations.Ecuador's special appeal to trekkers, day-trippers, and nature lovers can be summed up in one word: accessibility. The country's unique combination of small size, exceptional geographic and biological diversity, and good transportation infrastructure places an outstanding variety of splendid natural experiences within easy reach of the adventurous visitor. Ecuador boasts more than forty-five protected natural areas, including national parks and private reserves, almost all of which offer trekking and day-hiking possibilities. Many longer treks span several natural regions, from the highlands down toward the Amazon jungle or coastal plain. Ecuador receives many visitors (approximately 500,000 a year), but as yet relatively few people come specifically to trek. Unlike well-known trekking venues such as Nepal, the Inca Trail to Machu Picchu in Peru, and Chile's Torres del Paine National Park, trails in Ecuador are never crowded and offer virtually unlimited scope for exploration. Trekking in Ecuador is easily combined with a visit to the country's more traditional destinations: the Galápagos Islands, colorful indigenous markets, Amazon jungle lodges or Pacific coast beaches.

Get 22% OFF

Click here for more information about Trekking in Ecuador