Lonely Planet Ethiopia Eritrea and Djibouti (Lonely Planet Travel Survival Kit)

Ethiopia's millennia-old monuments, Djibouti's stunning diving, Eritrea's architecture - the Horn of Africa has plenty to offer the traveller. Use this guide to discover the continent's best-kept secret.

• over 50 maps, providing comprehensive coverage of the region
• valuable information on safety and health
• where to stay, what to eat and when to go
• special sections on Ethiopia's diverse birdlife, Red Sea diving, Eritrea's architecture and Djibouti's geology
• comprehensive language section covering Amharic, French, Tigrinyan and Arabic

The book is one of the best LP books I've read. The writing is clearly, and it gives us good insight in history, facts, geography, and so on. I have read parts of the book about all three countries, but the Eritrean part is the only one I have actuallu used when travelling.

The books has some very good pictures and maps, and give alot of up to date information. My favorite part is the part about Asmara's architecture, "Asmara, or Piccola Roma, soon came to epitomise the new philosophy: it was not just beautiful, but was well planned, well built and, above all, functiomal. The book is a good guide to use when you plan your travel ahead, and is even better when you actually are there and need or want information.

An extra benefit of the book is the small notes you find alot of, giving interesting information. Reading these notes makes your travel alot more special.

When I travel I use my guidebooks as kind of diaries. I write down restaurants I visit, hotel I stay at, interesting places I see and so on. And this book is filled with my writings almost on all pages. Gordon has seen it all, and gives very useful information about a very interesting, though little known country.

Britt Arnhild Lindland


LP guides are great, but this is even better !   April 28, 2001
Maurizio Giuliano (Sarajevo, Bosnia-Herzegovina)
9 out of 10 found this review helpful

It is hard to give this guidebook the rating it deserves, since I gave five stars to many other Lonely Planet guidebooks already. This one, among them all, is perhaps the best one I have used. It provides great information for the traveler, with plenty of tips, and I have not found one single error or flaw. Meanwhile, all the information and advice are filled with a great sense of humour, and marvelous writing style, which must come from the author herself. Deep knowledge on the region also transpires from the book, which provides extremely thrilling and interesting insights into the region's history and culture. All in all, the author did a great unparalleled job. Also in consideration of her captivating look in the photograph, I wish I could meet her and personally congratulate her. Frances, even though I don't know you, well done ! I wonder if we might have a Lonely Planet guide on Somalia come out soon, perhaps written by the same author.


Best LP guide   January 7, 2001
Delyan Manchev (Sofia, Bulgaria)
5 out of 6 found this review helpful

I am a big fan of Lonely Planet. I travel a lot around the the world using ONLY LP guides. I just bought Ethiopia guide to plan my next trip - this is the best LP guide ever. Full with information and helpful advices, there is everything. And what was my surprise - the guide is written only by one writer, a woman and all the pics are taken by her. Congratulations Frances Linzee Gordon and LP for this masterpiece. This is not only a good guide, it's a good book!


LP's best "asides"   May 6, 2001
F. Ohrtman (Denver, CO USA)
3 out of 4 found this review helpful

What makes LP's guides something far more than a mere index of cheap places to eat and sleep is its "asides". Those little notes in the corner of almost every page give the traveler a look into the psyche of the subject country. Frances Linzee Gordon's well focused encyclopedic collection of asides in this book arm the traveller with a treasury of notes that help the traveller understand their Ethiopian/Eritrean/Djiboutan hosts and provide a veritable arsenal of discussion topics while on the road. So armed, the traveler will have no problems making friends with the locals. Well done FLG!


helpful, amusing, informative . . .   July 25, 2001
Tom Sheahan (London United Kingdom)
3 out of 4 found this review helpful

Frances Linzee Gordon's guide to Ethiopia, Eritrea and Djibouti is not only clearly the best of the available guide books for these countries, but is also a real pleasure to read. I have used it twice this year while filming television documentaries in Ethiopia for National Geographic Television and it has made both trips easier, more interesting and more enjoyable than they would otherwise have been. The practical information is comprehensive and accessible and the historical and geographical information is elegantly written and more readable than is often the case in guide books. But what makes this guidebook stand out is the infectious passion and enthusiasm for the countries which it displays. The personal reflections and the incidental information (particularly in the boxed text) give the guidebook a texture which really helps to make the country come alive. I would higly reccomend it to anyone making a trip to Ethiopia.