Lonely Planet Madagascar & Comoros (Paperback)

by Gemma Pitcher (Author), Patricia C. Wright (Author) "The tongue-twisting name of Madagascar's capital means 'City of a Thousand', a reference to the thousand massed warriors of its founder, Andrianjaka..." (more)
Key Phrases: taxibrousse station, local fady, most upmarket option, Parc National, Nosy Be, Fort Dauphin (more...)

Editorial Reviews

Review
"Nobody covers the world like Lonely Planet." -- New York Post, May 2004 --This text refers to the Paperback edition.

Product Description
Idyllic beaches, rain forests and parched deserts, lemurs and chameleons, the woodcarvers of Zafimaniry villages, the relaxed tropical ambience of Anjouan, the bustling flower market of Antananarivo, pirogues cruising the Tsiribihina River - Madagascar and the Comoros boast attractions as diverse as they are appealing. This guide is your essential companion - the only one to cover both destinations.

• GET UP CLOSE & PERSONAL with Madagascar's distinctive fauna using our full-color wildlife guide
• UNRAVEL THE PAST using our in-depth coverage of the islands' colorful and eventful history
• GO GREEN - expert discussion of Madagascar's diverse environments and unique flora
• DISCOVER THE OUTDOORS whether you prefer leisurely walks, boat trips, forest treks or soaking in the sun
• MAKE YOUR OWN WAY with our detailed maps and comprehensive transport information

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Product Details

• Paperback: 296 pages
• Publisher: Lonely Planet Publications; 5 edition (August 2004)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 1741041007
• ISBN-13: 978-1741041002
• Product Dimensions: 7.7 x 5 x 0.6 inches
• Shipping Weight: 10.6 ounces
• Average Customer Review: 3.1 out of 5 stars See all reviews (7 customer reviews)
• Amazon.com Sales Rank: #716,656 in Books (See Bestsellers in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

6 of 6 people found the following review helpful:

2.0 out of 5 stars AWFUL: Shallow, carelessly-compiled and full of inaccuracies!, December 13, 2008

By	Laszlo Wagner (Hungary) - See all my reviews (REAL NAME)

This review is from: Lonely Planet Madagascar & Comoros (Lonely Planet Madagascar) (Multi Country Guide) (Paperback)

I am writing this review after having been unfortunate enough to have to travel with this book in Madagascar for 2 months.

It must be one of the very worst Lonely Planet guides ever.
It is a result of several personal disasters: the original author died while writing it, leaving the publisher to fly in another author with zero experience to finsish the book. And that one broke her leg upon arrival, proudly announcing she had researched the title on one leg!
Well, that one leg certainly did not take her very far.

To start with, the book only covers the most superficial overview of the country. It lacks any real insight into the culture and history, and even the coverage of sights is so limited that I found more info on things to see in the local tourist office publications!

Now for the practical info, which is what most people buy Lonely Planet guides for.
This is even worse!
The maps are awful. Even the simple walking tour map of the capital has streets and attractions misplaced on it, making it obvious the author has never walked it on that one leg.
Hotel recommendations? I have very soon given up even reading them! For the budget category, the recommendations are totally useless, with much better value options readily found by simply looking or asking around. For the higher end, I often found that hotels described as the best in town were now ages old, run-down and certainly not the best in twon for at least a decade!
Transport? Now this is where sheer laziness and carelessness is most obvious! More often than not, totally different (as much as 10 times!) fares are given for the very same journey depending on at which of the 2 towns it starts/ends in you look up in this book. The very same road may be described as excellent (correct) from the north, but as awful (outdated info) from the south. In fact I am very surprised that LP's usually very strict editors failed to pick all these errors!

And I could go on endlessly...
But in short, if you are going to Madagascar, whether on an organized tour or as a backpacker, you should definitely avoid wasting your money on this book! Its sole English-language competition the Bradt Guide to Madagascar, is far more informative and accurate. In fact this is not much of a secret any more. Unusually for any country, I saw hardly anyone else in Madagascar travelling with Lonely Planet, with almost everyone using Bradt.

This book should never have left the publisher.
The only reason I gave it 2 stars is that if you simply can not get hold of the Bradt guide (as I could not in Asia) this one still gives you the most basic ideas about what to see and how to get around the country.

4 of 4 people found the following review helpful:

3.0 out of 5 stars Stick with the Bradt guide, November 13, 2006

By	bigbrownboy (Seattle, WA) - See all my reviews

I don't regret buying this because there aren't too many guides to Madagascar. But there is simply no personality to this book. If you are looking for some names/addresses, this would suffice. Otherwise, the Bradt guide blows this Lonely Planet guide away.

2 of 2 people found the following review helpful:

2.0 out of 5 stars A bit outdated, January 7, 2007

By	Menjoe & Keflien - See all my reviews

We used this guide, along with 2 other guides of Madagascar and we found this guide to be the least valuable of the 3 (a bit outdated, not into depth)