Travel to Iceland

Lonely Planet Iceland

Format: Paperback
Author: Joe Bindloss
ReleaseDate: May, 2004
Publisher: Lonely Planet Publications
Rating:

It's worth your while to find a different guide book.
For such a tiny country with a population about the size of Anchorage, Alaska (approx 300,000) readers would think the book might be a bit more comprehensive and up to date. I purchased this sorry excuse for a guide book knowing full well my options for guide books to Iceland were limited, and a few kilometers outside of Akureyri I pitched it out the window of my rental car in shear frustration. The most current edition is two years old, and apparently a lot has changed in those two years, i. e. the Icelandic Phallogical Museum has been moved from Rekyjavik to Husavik. I found more helpful advice and information from on-line encyclopedias, the tourist information booths, and from word of mouth from other travellers. This book is excellent if you want suggestions about what to see and do, but I suggest you thoroughly research your selections from alternative sources before setting off on an adventure. I repsected and even liked the television show Lonely Planet on the Travel Channel (now called Globe Trekker) but I will never purchase another guide book from that name ever again.

Poor example of a "guide" book
Our experience was memorable--amazing--LP Iceland, however was not. I just came back from a two week tour of Iceland with two friends. We read the book front to back. We went around the whole of the island and didn't stay just in Reykjavik. We also camped 70% of the time- just to give a little background. What we found was that the book is so poorly written and for the most part so out of date, that much of the usefull information we got was from just grabbing the free pamphlets at the "Upplysinga" Centers. In the back of the book it says that the first edition was printed several years ago, and only last year did two writers go back out "into the field. " I'd like to know what field that was? If these two men actually went back to Iceland, I'd bet my money that they only went to Reykjavik obtained information from pamphlets concerning other parts of Iceland and then wrote from those documents. Not much thought was put into the style of writting as well, or editing for that matter. Every site in Iceland (and I'm not arguing that this is untrue) could leave you captivated for several days, hold your attention for several days, enough to do to keep you several days. . . etc [paraphrasing]. I just feel that if I'm going to have to pay even $2 for a tid bit of information I would at least hope that it was well researched and not a half-baked job. My time and money, especially when in Iceland, are more valuable to me that having to chase around a tiny West Fjord village looking for a nonexistant camping site because I relied on an unreliable "guide" book. Lesson learned: LP Iceland poor poor example of what I know others say is one of the best guide books out there. I'm sticking to DK.

The Best Guide to Iceland
After walking Reykjavik my first day there, getting the "lay of the land", I found myself constantly referring back to the guide for more information. I just returned from 7 days in Iceland and have to say the the Lonely Plant guide is by far the best guide to Iceland that is available. Fundamentally, the guide was right on with regards to descriptions and identifications, and totally accurate.

I would highly recommend this guide for anyone taking their first trip, or subsequent trips to Iceland.

Related products:
click image or link for details on these Iceland travel books.

	The Rough Guide to Iceland 2 (Rough Guide Travel Guides)
	Iceland Travel Map (Globetrotter Travel Map)
	Insight Guide Iceland (Insight Guides Iceland)
	Iceland: Land of the Sagas