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National Geographic Traveler: Costa Rica, 4th Edition Paperback – October 1, 2013
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About the Author
CHRISTOPHER P. BAKER is a travel and natural sciences writer, writing travel guidebooks and contributing to publications as diverse as Newsweek, National Wildlife, Islands, Elle, Esquire, and theLos Angeles Times. He has also written for BBC and the Discovery Channel. Baker has been honored with several awards for outstanding writing, including four Lowell Thomas Travel Journalism Awards.
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10 of 10 people found the following review helpful
By
Ryan Winkleman
VINE VOICE on December 10, 2013
Format: Paperback
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I got this from Amazon Vine in advance of a trip to Costa Rica (which I took last week). The trip was a prearranged adventure tour, and we also added in some extra activities for our "free" time. However, the areas that we visited (Tortuguero and La Fortuna/Arenal) are included in this book. The book is selectively informative, alternately going into lots of detail about what you can expect at a certain place and then turning around and having whole paragraphs just bouncing back and forth between "highlights" that are distinguished by being in bold text. It is mostly helpful, though, if it suits your needs for helping you learn about the country and/or plan a trip there on your own. You will certainly get a taste for it by reading the chapters and looking at the pictures. If you, like me, already have a trip planned out, this will probably be less helpful. To be honest, I left it at home and didn't feel like I was missing anything.
This book is best if you are looking for location-specific activity suggestions. If you're looking for restaurants, hotels, etc. then I'd suggest a traditional travel guide.
This book is best if you are looking for location-specific activity suggestions. If you're looking for restaurants, hotels, etc. then I'd suggest a traditional travel guide.
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6 of 6 people found the following review helpful
By
HardyBoy64
VINE VOICE on November 8, 2013
Format: Paperback
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I really enjoyed the glossy pictures of this guide and I found the information to be concise and accurate (according to what I have studied about Costa Rica). There is heavy emphasis on the flora and fauna of this country, which may not be to your liking. However, Costa Rica as a nation has built up an important eco-tourism business with intense conservation efforts and by definition, a guide about Costa Rica would have to put this element at the forefront. This is a very good guide in my opinion.
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5 of 5 people found the following review helpful
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Amazon Customer
TOP 100 REVIEWER on December 31, 2013
Format: Paperback
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Costa Rica is such a beautiful interesting place, it should be easy to create a top notch travel guide but National Geographic missed the mark here in my opinion. While the book is a nice size for travel, a lot of pages were wasted on things that are more appropriate to an encyclopedia than a travel guide such as pages on what volcanoes are and how they are formed. Also, when one thinks of National Geographic, one thinks you are going to have better more local more up-close-and personal photographs of everything including hard to reach or out of the way places, but in the 4th edition travel guide of Costa Rica, they often use drawings/illustrations instead such as pages 180-181 showing animals in their natural habitat in the Lowland Rain Forest. It does have a lot of useful information though so it is better than nothing but really...... National Geographic, come on, live up to your standards set over the years in photography.
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4 of 4 people found the following review helpful
By
DJLA531
VINE VOICE on January 17, 2014
Format: Paperback
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I'll admit it - I'm a Lonely Planet die-hard. I usually travel pretty cheaply and LP always offers the biggest bang for your buck as far as the nitty gritty of what hotels to book and what restaurants will work within your budget. What I do prefer from guide books like this one from National Geographic is the country overview approach with lots of photos. This type of book is more geared towards setting up your itinerary and getting a feel for the country before you go. Now I have lots of ideas of what to do while I am in Costa Rica, but when I make my trip, I'll likely leave this at home and bring my LP.
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2 of 2 people found the following review helpful
By
choiceweb0pen0
VINE VOICE on November 21, 2013
Format: Paperback
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This is a beautiful book with many full-color photographs and maps, with lots of photos of plants and wildlife. In short, what anyone would expect from National Geographic. While it does offer some piratical advice, but I would hesitate to use this as my only reference or resource. If I had to take just one travel book, I would more likely go with the latest Lonely Planet Costa Rica that may have less pictures, but has more information and advice especially when it comes to accommodation and restaurants.
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2 of 2 people found the following review helpful
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Ramesh Gopal
VINE VOICE on March 27, 2014
Format: Paperback
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This book was very helpful in planning a trip. It provides a list of high priority places to visit on the first few pages. The country is divided according to geographical sections which are dealt with in different chapters. At the end there is a section on accommodations and restaurants. The pictures are very nice. I wonder how up to date the information is, however. I visited the Irazu volcano because of the picture showing a colorful pool in the crater. When I got there I was informed that the pool had dried up a long time ago. The JW Marriott at which I stayed is not listed among the accommodations. Also, hotels and restaurants are not listed separately. The idea seems to be that only restaurants that are part of hotels should be included. Apart from these criticisms, it is a useful book.
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2 of 2 people found the following review helpful
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William A. Nolan
VINE VOICE on January 25, 2014
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This isn't our first National Geographic travel guide, but like all I have seen, it is well written, complete, and has stunning photography. If you are thinking of a visit to Costa Rica, get this book. My only disappointment was that it didn't come with a plane ticket!
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1 of 1 people found the following review helpful
By
Susan Byers
VINE VOICE on December 23, 2013
Format: Paperback
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Being a National Geographic Traveler book pretty much guarantees that the photos will be lovely and interesting - and these are. However, I don't get the feeling from this book, like with Lonely Planet, Rick Steves, or even Frommer's guides, that a real person has actually visited the places that the book details. It's more like an overview provided by a travel agency -- a very good one at that -- but limited in scope and depth. For instance, for San Jose, which is a notoriously gritty city, there are no words of caution about walking in many (most) neighborhoods at night. There are several references to the Teatro National, and exhortations to see something in it, but in fact some months of the year there are no performances there. Sadly omitted from the book is the fact that there is a great tea room, open during the day, where you can enjoy a wonderful cafe, light snacks and ambiance, and that you can also see the building either on a guided tour, or -- if you go to the cafe, you are allowed past the lobby to use the marble countered restrooms and no one stops you from then wandering around to see the beautiful art and architecture. San Jose has an absolutely wonderful Cathedral, with gorgeous French stained glass panels, beautiful tiled floors, high ceiling, an ornate small side chapel and a truly simple, sincere and peaceful vibe. There is no mention of the great artisan's market in the Barrio California, which is a far better place to buy souvenirs than the Mercado Central (which has it's own significant charm). The section on Escazu inflates the awesomeness of this enclave for ex--pats, embassy members and the upper class. Though I have been to Costa RIca three times for 2-3 weeks at a time, I haven't spent that much time away from San Jose, so maybe those sections are more useful and comprehensive. If not, I'd drop my rating to 3 stars.
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