Average Reviews:
(More customer reviews)I was in Colombia for three months and used this guide continually.
Peter Pollock writes for a broad audience, but he excels in providing insightful caveats for the adventuresome and ecologically focused traveler. He has information on shipping motorcycles and automobiles to Columbia. He has an excellent section on health, and his 'Background' section is succinct and informative (History, Culture Etc.). He covers the normal tourist destinations and encourages exploration of places that 99% of visitors to Colombia would miss (Tayrona National Park, Ciudad Perdia, etc.).
His accommodations and dining recommendations are adequate, generally accurate, reliable but are becoming outdated. Luckily, although this guide has been out for three years, the prices for lodging in Colombia have stayed relatively stable and accurate and eight out of the ten hotels I selected to visit in Bogota were still open.
AREAS FOR IMPROVEMENT: A serious omission for this 2000 guide is the absence of hotel web pages and hotel email addresses. Electronic addresses have become a "must have" for any competitive guide book. A good hotel web page allows you to view the property, get current rates (and specials), view the
property and rooms and make an on-line reservations. This is a must for the next edition.
Good maps are essential in a guide. Bogota, Cartagena, Barranquilla, Cali and Medellin are sprawling cities that desperately need good maps. Bogota has four maps, but they are upside down! Normally maps are oriented with North at the top of the page, not so here, North is at the bottom and South at the top. I had a hell-of-a-time orienting myself, until I got my compass out and discovered this wacko lay out.
Also confusing are references to map numbers that don't exist. Pollard mentions a number, IE in the Bogota section, 'Hacienda Santa Barbra #3 on the map', but the publisher did not print the numbers on the map. His recommended sleeping locations are noted on the maps, but not restaurants. Needless to say, this is an important area that needs significant improvement.
The above shortcomings notwithstanding, you will not want to go to Colombia without this guide. I strongly Recommend it.
Click Here to see more reviews about: Colombia Handbook, 3rd: Tread Your Own Path (Footprint - Travel Guides)
Colombia is back on the tourist map. This land of coffee, emeralds, and Gabriel García Márquez's magical realism is emerging from decades of drugs and violence to wow visitors with its vibrant culture and little-known attractions, plus mud volcanoes to bathe in, acres of flowers, coffee farms to visit, and a CD library's worth of music festivals. But fear not: Footprint's 3rd edition of Colombia is now at hand to make sense of it all and help you get the most from this vivacious country.
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