Lonely Planet Central Asia

I cannot imagine anyone visiting Central Asia without this guide. I used it on a one-month trip around Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, and Tajikistan and found most of the information to be remarkably complete and accurate. The authors obviously did not travel overland between Khojand and Osh via Batken but even the few sketchy references were enough to see me through. I saved $20 by hiring a taxi only to Kyzyl-Kiya rather than right through to Osh, a tactic they will probably include in the next edition. In Dushanbe, the Vakhsh Hotel has tripled their prices but all of the other hotel listings I used were right on. The good news is that tourists no longer need to bother with OVIR registration in Tajikistan. I found Central Asia safe, friendly, and inexpensive. It was intriguing and I am grateful to this book for showing me around.

Lonely Planet is the leading and best resource for any traveler, even if you're staying at top end places and want to live as a queen. Their detail, insights and advice have made every trip I've ever taken so much more valuable, and kept me "culturally appropriate". A top investment.

Once again Lonely Planet has done a very good job. This guide is the best introduction to the five Central Asian countries. I used it in Tajikistan recently and intend to use it again.

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 authors do a great job of covering all the countries, and they have practical advice on necessary precautions. 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 These all change so frequently in the CAR that everything is out of date before it's hit the printers.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.

The first edition of Lonely Planet's Central Asia guide was not up to their usual standard. Its data and advice was incomplete and even wrong, but more than anything, it was out-of-date beforen it was published: things had changed a great deal in Central Asia, between 1991 when the countries became independent, and 1996 when the guide was published. But finally, this second recent edition of the book fully compensates for those lacks. Truly up-to-date, it offers all the advice, tips and information that travellers expect to get from Lonely Planet. And in this region, you'll need it ! Even if you speak Russian like myself, this is not an easy region to travel around. The people are nice and hospitable, the places are marvellous, but the first impact can be very negative and gloomy. It can be hard or impossible to get around - visas and other bureaucratic problems, flights and trains which may or may not run, hotels which may or may not exist... You won't know what to do or where to go, and once you do you may realize you should have done otherwise. With this guide, you won't be lost. It will truly be your companion during the whole journey, whether or not you are familiar with the region. And it will also provide excellent and very plesant reading with its sections on culture, history, politics, etc. Last but not least, this edition contains two new sections on Afghanistan and on China's Xinjiang province. Afghanistan will be hard to visit so far (but not impossible - ask me !), yet the information is invaluable and highly interesting. Xinjiang is a destination which, thanks to the information contained in this guidebook (and ONLY thanks to that information, which you won't find elsewhere !), you will be able to combine with your trip to the five former Soviet nations of Central Asia. Buy it now, and you will be on your way even sooner than you plan.