Laos (Country Guide)
by Andrew Burke
List Price:
Our Price: $13.58
You Save: $8.41 (38%)
Availability: Usually ships in 1-2 business days
Buy Used: from $11.95 (click here)
Category: Book
See more book details and other editions
Book Summary Information
Author: Andrew BurkeEdition: Paperback
Published: 2007-08-01
ISBN: 1741045681
Number of pages: 372
Publisher: Lonely Planet
Book Reviews of Laos (Country Guide)
Book Review: Lonely Planet Laos 6 -- worth every kip
Summary: 4 Stars
What a difference a new edition makes. Lonely Planet's brand new guidebook, Laos 6th edition, released August 2007, is easily the best on the market. The traveller looking for comprehensive coverage in a guidebook need look no further. An extra 60 pages long, this title packs an impressive punch, with a good balance of exhaustive coverage of the key destinations along with sound information on the lesser known spots.
Quite simply, Australian co-authors Andrew Burke and Justine Vaisutis have put together what is the best English-language offline resource for travel in Laos. From a tourism perspective, Laos is a rapidly developing nation, especially in the major tourist centres where new accommodation options multiply at a seemingly ever-increasing rate, yet they've done a fine job of boiling down a snapshot of the country into a guide that will be more than enough for the most demanding traveller.
Matters get off to a good start -- a good, easy-to-read colour map (even if some of the roads look a tad sketchy), suggested itineraries and a completely rewritten history section by Professor Martin Stuart-Fox, author of A History of Laos (1997). This is followed by a pretty stock-standard introductory section -- the people, government and culture are all covered, though the government -- arguably the most repressive and certainly the most secretive in Southeast Asia after Burma -- gets off the hook pretty lightly.
What does stand out in the introduction is the generous space given to Laos and its natural environment -- particularly its budding eco-tourism industry. As Burke says in an upcoming interview with Travelfish.org, "If there's anywhere in Asia where eco-tourism can be a success, then it's Laos". There's an outstanding summary of all the main trekking opportunities in the country's NPAs -- this alone makes the book worth buying (or at least a quick use of the library photocopier).
At the other end of the book, the "Directory" section, covering everything from getting a flight to what you should have in a medical kit is informative and rather well organised. As with other Lonely Planet titles, I think it's a bit too lengthy and hand-holding in nature.
Listings
The guidebook's listings are comprehensive, not exhaustive -- if you expect every place on Don Dhet to be listed, prepare to be disappointed. Perhaps half the available options in Vang Vieng are listed, similarly so in Luang Prabang, but what are listed are the best, and these can be taken as representative of others in the offing. Burke and Vaisutis do a fine job of brushing away the slimy rambutans and spoiled sticky rice to leave you with a feast of the best options to choose from.
The accommodation listings are generally easy to digest, with one exception -- Luang Prabang. There, the listings have been divided up geographically into "Near the Mekong", "Historic Temple District", "Thanon Pha Mahapatsaman", "Ban Wat That" and "Elsewhere". This is confusing in a number of ways -- "Near the Mekong" and "Historic Temple District" could easily be taken to be the same area -- neither is marked on any of the maps of Luang Prabang -- nor is "Ban Wat That". "Thanon Pha Mahapatsaman" is a short strip of around 200m of road that carries just three accommodation listings, and "Elsewhere" is just vague and meaningless. All this for just 37 listings -- Luang Prabang isn't that big a place!
Where this guide does come into its own is regarding things to do -- and this is particularly the case with the Southern Laos section. While it tends to be motorcycle-focused, there are lots of good tips and suggested day-trips to week-long adventures you can undertake. Less of this type of material is suggested in the north, where the focus is more orientated towards trekking and the tried and tested destinations, but you'll find ample material within the book to point in the right direction.
Transport
One of the big issues people face in Laos is the time it takes to get from A to B. Over time the road network has improved considerably but it still takes a while to get around, so it's refreshing to see that most of the bus and songthaew travel information includes an estimated trip time.
Border information is outstanding. Every main international border has a boxed section containing detailed information on how to get to and from the various border crossings and what's particularly good is there's information on onwards travel as well.
Text and design
As always, the densely-packed text has been put through the Lonely Planet humour wringer, so don't expect too many Laugh Out Loud moments, but the facts are all there and that's what really matters. As with all the new Lonely Planet titles, there's more fact boxes scattered throughout the book than I'd like, but at least in this case they're mostly interesting or of some practical use.
Maps
With 61 maps you'll struggle to find yourself needing many more. Some -- the Wat Phu locale (p 267), Wat Xieng Thong (p 142) and Around Vang Vieng (p 124) -- seemed superfluous, but all the key spots are mapped out well.
I had two issues with the regional maps: they're difficult to read, and make frequent use of the "unsealed road" indicator. Some of these roads are really little more than foot-trails. Perhaps they need an extra map indicator for goat-tracks.
Photos
The guide contains a pretty good collection of pics. There's one of kids fooling around in the Nam Song at Vang Vieng (p 11) which really caught my eye, but it's a shame that given the weight the NPAs get in the text, there's only one photo taken in one -- and that of an easily visited waterfall. Having photos taken of the more remote (and beautiful) parks would have been a great means to showcase some of Laos' more challenging destinations. People aren't going to go if they don't know about it!
Conclusion
My gripes are minor and mainly focussed on the layout and in some cases organisation of the title. These are factors that will be minor inconveniences once you're on the road. Lonely Planet's Laos 6 really delivers the goods -- it isn't exhaustive (that's why it's called a guide), but it's succinct, accurate and very easy to use. Be you a first time visitor to Laos or a repeat visitor looking to get off the beaten track, you'll do well with this title in your backpack.
The friendly people at Lonely Planet sent me a complimentary copy of Laos 6, so even though I didn't pay any money for it, we'd suggest you do -- it's worth every kip.
Summary of Laos (Country Guide)
Discover LaosWeave your own path through the temple-lined streets of World Heritage-listed Luang Prabang.
Find out why Katang villagers sleep with their heads pointed towards an outside wall.
Explore the ancient Khmer's 'imitation of heaven' at mystical Wat Phu Champasak.
Join locals for a riverside Beerlao as the sun sets over the Mekong in Vientiane.
In This Guide:
Three authors, 1472 hours of on-the-road research, 61 maps
Our guide is dedicated to providing travelers with environmentally and culturally aware travel advice
Visit lonelyplanet.com for up-to-the-minute reviews, updates and traveler insights
General Books
Book Subjects
- Arts & Photography
- Audiobooks on Cassette
- Audiobooks on CD
- Biographies & Memoirs
- Business & Investing
- Children's Books
- Comics & Graphic Novels
- Computers & Internet
- Cooking, Food & Wine
- e-Books
- Engineering
- Entertainment
- Gay & Lesbian
- Health, Mind & Body
- History
- Home & Garden
- Horror
- Law
- Literature & Fiction
- Medicine
- Mystery & Thrillers
- Nonfiction
- Outdoors & Nature
- Parenting & Families
- Professional & Technical
- Reference
- Religion & Spirituality
- Romance
- Science
- Science Fiction & Fantasy
- Sports
- Teens
- Travel
Most talked about in General Books
Southeast Asia: On a Shoestringby China Williams
Lonely Planet; Published: 2008-03-01; Paperback; Book
Best price: $15.99
Price in other shops:
Indonesia (Lonely Planet Travel Guides)by Justine Vaisutis, Neal Bedford, Mark Elliott, Nick Ray, Ryan Ver Berkmoes
Lonely Planet; Published: 2007-01-01; Paperback; Book
Best price: $18.68
Price in other shops:
Turkey (Country Guide)by Verity Campbell
Lonely Planet; Published: 2007-04-01; Paperback; Book
Best price: $14.52
Price in other shops:
Jerusalem and the Holy Land (Eyewitness Travel Guides)by DK Publishing
DK Travel; Published: 2007-08-20; Paperback; Book
Best price: $14.22
Price in other shops:
India - Culture Smart!: a quick guide to customs and etiquette (Culture Smart!)by Nicki Grihault
Kuperard; Published: 2006-09-05; Paperback; Book
Best price: $5.35
Price in other shops:
Japan (Country Guide)by Chris Rowthorn
Lonely Planet; Published: 2007-10-01; Paperback; Book
Best price: $17.12
Price in other shops:
Turkey (Eyewitness Travel Guides)DK Travel; Published: 2003-03; Turtleback; Book
Best price: $14.05
Price in other shops:
Lonely Planet Chinaby Damian Harper, Andrew Burke, Julie Grundvig
Sheila Shine; Lonely Planet Publications; Published: 2007-05; Paperback; Book
Best price: $18.49
Price in other shops:
Thailand (Country Guide)by China Williams, Aaron Anderson, Brett Atkinson, Tim Bewer, Becca Blond, Virginia Jealous, Lisa Steer
Lonely Planet; Published: 2007-08-01; Paperback; Book
Best price: $16.00
Price in other shops:
India (Country Guide)by Sarina Singh, Joe Bindloss, Rafael Wlodarski, Amy Karafin, Paul Harding, Lindsay Brown, Mark Elliott, Simon Richmond, Virginia Jealous, Tom Spurling
Lonely Planet; Published: 2007-09-01; Paperback; Book
Best price: $18.75
Price in other shops:
Similar Books and other products
Laos Travel MapPeriplus Editions; Published: 2001-04-01; Map; Book
Best price: $4.50
Price in other shops:
Vietnam Cambodia Laos & the Greater Mekong (Multi Country Guide)by Nick Ray
Lonely Planet; Published: 2007-09-01; Paperback; Book
Best price: $12.49
Price in other shops:
Lonely Planet Malaysia, Singapore & Bruneiby Simon Richmond
Lonely Planet; Published: 2007-01-01; Paperback; Book
Best price: $14.91
Price in other shops:
Lao: Lonely Planet Phrasebookby Joe Cummings, Lonely Planet Phrasebooks
Lonely Planet; Published: 2008-03-01; Paperback; Book
Best price: $4.64
Price in other shops:
The Rough Guide to Laos (Rough Guide Travel Guides)by Jeff Cranmer, Steven Martin
Rough Guides; Published: 2007-02-07; Paperback; Book
Best price: $8.50
Price in other shops:
Lonely Planet Thailandby Joe Cummings, Morgan Konn, China Williams, Becca Blond, Matt Warren
Lonely Planet Publications; Published: 2005-09-30; Paperback; Book
Best price: $24.14
Price in other shops:
Myanmar (Burma) (Country Guide)by Robert Reid, Michael Grosberg
Lonely Planet; Published: 2005-10-01; Paperback; Book
Best price: $14.83
Price in other shops:
Thailand (Country Guide)by China Williams, Aaron Anderson, Brett Atkinson, Tim Bewer, Becca Blond, Virginia Jealous, Lisa Steer
Lonely Planet; Published: 2007-08-01; Paperback; Book
Best price: $16.85
Price in other shops:
Vietnam (Country Guide)by Nick Ray
Lonely Planet; Published: 2007-08-01; Paperback; Book
Best price: $14.83
Price in other shops:
Cambodia (Country Guide)by Nick Ray
Lonely Planet; Published: 2005-08-01; Paperback; Book
Best price: $13.46
Price in other shops: