Product Description

Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #61926 in Books
• Published on: 2009-02-10
• Original language: English
• Number of items: 1
• Binding: Hardcover
• 464 pages

Features

• ISBN13: 9781906098223
• Condition: NEW
• Notes: Brand New from Publisher. No Remainder Mark.
• Click here to view our Condition Guide and Shipping Prices

About the Author

Customer Reviews

Though slightly dated this is very good, comprehensive guide
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His accommodations and dining recommendations are adequate, generally accurate, reliable but are becoming outdated.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.

A pragmatic travel guide
This is a valuable book. "Footprint Colombia Handbook: The Travel Guide," highlights Colombia's many wonderful assets. It also warns of its potential pitfalls.

In regard to travel...this book covers all the bases. Colombia is an immense nation with outstanding hotels, magnificiant places to eat and wonderful people. Moreover, its parks and natural beauties can hardly be matched anywhere else in the world.

However, one must not ignore the subtle warnings in this text. Colombia must be approached with open eyes. It can be a wonderful experience and this book allows one to take a bite of the best the nation has to offer.

Mentirosos! Very inaccurate.
The few good aspects of this book are completely overshadowed by the false and frustrating information that fills the gaps. Just a few of the many inaccuracies we found:
-The book says money can be exchanged easily in banks. Of the many banks we went to and asked they all said that it is "very difficult" to exchange money in banks. (some do however).
-Prices for sleeping and eating were way off!! Restaurants that were one fork ended up being the most expensive (and in most cases had the worst food for the price). Some restaurants listed were not even there.
-At least one "typical dish" called Rondon that was listed in the book was not known by any locals.
-Maps were inaccurate. Addresses were wrong and locations on the maps were usually on the wrong streets.
-Bus information-There are no direct buses from Salento to Medellin.
We used the book for three weeks around Colombia. It was helpful, but I expected much more from a book published in 2009.