Travel to India

Lonely Planet Central Asia

Format: Paperback
Author: Bradley Mayhew
ReleaseDate: July, 2004
Publisher: Lonely Planet Publications
Rating:

Have used for uzbekistan and found it useful
I found it very helpful ESPECIALLY THE MAPS. I used this guide when traveling in Uzbekistani cities in 2003.
There were a few comments/inaccuracies that I noted and I called those to the Lonely Planet's attention. Despite this, this is probably the most useful reference for the English speaker -- at least for Uzbekistan. (If traveling in Almaty, I would first recommend the "Almaty Guide Millenium Edition" written by the Almaty International Women's Club. ).

a mixed bag
For Uzbekistan, though, this book is useless compared to the Odyssey guide. I found that the East Turkistan (Xinjiang) section of this book was much more helpful when I actually traveled there than the Cadogan "China: the Silk Routes" guide, which is much bigger and much lesse useful.
If you don't care to deeply know the history of the places you are visiting, then maybe this book is for you.

Essential guide for anyone coming to Central Asia
The authors do a great job of covering all the countries, and they have practical advice on necessary precautions. Take it from an American expat living in Uzbekistan and traveling throughout the region - this is by far the best guide to any place in Central Asia. The general information about the area is solid. Every expat who lives here has a copy, and we all rely on it for advice on where to go and what to see. Also, the historical review is thorough without being tedious, and the practical information on things like climate and local customs is generally dead on.

Nevertheless, you can't rely on this book (or any other) for specifics like suggested hotels and restaurants or things like visa fees. These all change so frequently in the CAR that everything is out of date before it's hit the printers. Use this as a guide to the area, but don't rely on it for planning the details about where to stay and where to eat.

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