Lonely Planet Nepal (Country Guide) [Paperback]

Bradley Mayhew (Author)

Book Description

Series: Country Guide | Publication Date: September 1, 2006

Shangri-la exists. Trek to the top of the world, or share a smile with a Buddhist monk; raft down a mountain gorge, or glimpse a living Hindu goddess - in Nepal adventure and culture go hand in hand. With this definitive guide, you'll tread lightly through the best of the Himalaya.

Climb Every Mountain - with our in-depth trekking chapter covering the big walks around Annapurna, Everest and Langtang.

Ford Every Stream - on a mountain bike, in a white-water kayak or even on a canyoning trip, our Outdoor Activities chapter will leave you breathless.

Follow Every Rainbow - you're sure to find what you want with 49 detailed maps.

The Hills Are Alive - bathe the elephants in Royal Chitwan, spot tigers and rhinos in Royal Bardia or dodge the yeti in Sagarmatha.

Editorial Reviews

Amazon.com Review

From Antarctica to Zimbabwe, if you're going there, chances are Lonely Planet has been there first. With a pithy and matter-of-fact writing style, these guides are guaranteed to calm the nerves of first-time world travelers, while still listing off-the-beaten-path finds sure to thrill even the most jaded globetrotters. Lonely Planet has been perfecting its guidebooks for nearly 30 years and as a result, has the experience and know-how similar to an older sibling's "been there" advice. The original backpacker's bible, the LP series has recently widened its reach. While still giving insights for the low-budget traveler, the books now list a wide range of accommodations and itineraries for those with less time than money.

This completely updated guide contains excellent trekking information (including advice for those planning to trek with children), extensive background on people and cultures, and essential pretrip guidance, including tips on being an ecologically sound traveler. Sidebar highlights: short overviews of a festival calendar, the Dhyani Buddhas, one traveler's account of a Nepalese bus ride, antiques, and the gods of Nepal. --Kathryn True --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

Review

For sheer global reach and dogged research, attention must be paid to Lonely Planet…' --Los Angeles Times, February 2, 2003

See all Editorial Reviews

Product Details

• Paperback: 420 pages
• Publisher: Lonely Planet; 7 edition (September 1, 2006)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 1740596994
• ISBN-13: 978-1740596992
• Product Dimensions: 7.6 x 5.1 x 1 inches
• Shipping Weight: 12.8 ounces
• Average Customer Review: 4.3 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (10 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #153,701 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)
  • #29 in Books > Travel > Asia > Nepal
  • #77 in Books > Travel > Asia > India
  • #100 in Books > Travel > Reference & Tips > Guidebooks

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

45 of 48 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars The book doesn't cover the whole country, May 14, 1999

By 

Pedro Villela ([e-mail]) (Rio de Janeiro, Brazil) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Lonely Planet Nepal: A Travel Survival Kit (3rd ed) (Paperback)

It's undoubtely a very good guide, with lots of informations, but it only covers the southern part of Nepal, and contains no informartion about the Himalayan region (for example, cities such as Namche Bazaar and Lo Manthang are not covered).

35 of 38 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars The Traveler's Bible for Nepal, October 17, 2000

By 

Bibliophile (New York) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Lonely Planet Nepal: A Travel Survival Kit (3rd ed) (Paperback)

Before traveling alone to Nepal, Tibet and Thailand in the summer of 1998, one of the first things I did was purchase travel books. My main purpose was to find a book which would serve as my travel guide. This was a very important factor since I wasn't even going on a tour. The right or wrong book could make or break my trip. I spent many hours at local bookstores as well as online bookstores looking for the perfect travel guide. Space was a factor for me since I wanted to travel unencumbered by a lot of luggage so I decided to buy an appropriate all encompassing book for each of the three countries. The Lonely Planet's Travel Survival Kit for Nepal was a comfort to have on my travels AND it was also an indispensable source of information for planning the trip, before I even booked my flight! If I had a question, I could usually find the answer in the book. Some particularly helpful information covered vaccines I would need prior to the trip, suggested items I should think about taking with me, highlighted many, many places of interest and included their background and history, covered visas, passports and the necessary documents along with entrance and exit fees charged upon arrival and departure and much more. Also, there are specific sections on women traveling alone, recreational activites, photos and maps, places to stay and even a section of Nepali phrases and words. If I felt uncomfortable or wasn't sure about something, all I had to do was open up my Lonely Planet and find the answer! Above all, I would definitely recommend that you find the right book for you since travelers have different needs. Peruse the books inside and out at your local library or bookstore. You can ask for recommendations and read reviews like mine, but ultimately, you're probably going to be far from home, and you want to make certain you have the essentials. This book, for me, was one of those essentials!

19 of 20 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Here's another book to get in addition to L.P. Nepal, September 13, 2004

By 

T.J. (Texas/Italy) - See all my reviews
(VINE VOICE)   

Amazon Verified Purchase

This review is from: Lonely Planet Nepal (4th ed) (Paperback)

This book is great! I like to travel and not be a "typical american", and this book really helped me in that effort of knowing the culture and the land. I spent 5 weeks in Nepal and was more educated about the country/traditions/culture than any tourist I ran into. I spent a week in Kathmandu, 3 weeks trekking the Annapurna Circuit, and 1 week kayaking the Seti River. I used the medical section of this book (almost everyone gets sick), but should have bought a little medical book available in the bookstores in Kathmandu. Also, the trekking information in this book is good, but it's not great. If you want the BEST guidbook for trekking the Annapurna Circuit or Everest, then go to yetizone.you know what. It's a good site and the webmaster publishes his own guidebook for cheap! It's the best darn guidebook out there without question. Everyone I ran into in Nepal that looked at my book, and I mean EVERYONE, wanted to buy it or make copies. Also, it's not really a book, it's more like a little spiral bound pamphlet, so it weighs practically nothing, and I could keep it easily accessible in my cargo pocket.

I looked at some other guidebooks, specifically, the one by Stephen Bezruchka. He is a doctor, and it shows in his guidbook. He has the best medical section of all the guidebooks, and between his and the Lonely Planet one, I learned A LOT. If I had to choose one book to take with me (weight is an issue when trekking), I'd choose the Lonely Planet, along with the guidbook from yetizone.