Late additions to LoneLy PLanet'ssePtember 2010 - February 2011 FrontList

ABOUT THE BOOK • The international best selling The Travel Book is back, having sold

more than 250,000 copies in the US and half a million copies globally in its first edition.

• All completely new images: 850 stunning, full color images and completely updated text.

• Features a double page spread for every country in the world in user-friendly A-to-Z coverage.

• Vivid photography for each country is accompanied by short sections of evocative text highlighting various elements of the country, from hard facts and figures, to more experiential types of information.

• With the traveler’s experience at its heart, this book shows a slice of life in every corner of the globe, and all points in between, engaging the reader’s senses in an adventure which conjures up the sights, smells, tastes, sounds and feel of our amazing world.

tHe traVeL booK 2

AvAilABlE sEpTEmBEr 20102nd edition | 9781741792119 | pAGEs 448 | COlOr FuLL-CoLor | siZE 14” x 10” | HArdCOvEr | us $50.00 | materiaL number 2881

850 imaGes 230 Countries one ComPLete PiCture

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Kolkata (Calcutta)

VaranasiShillong

Bhubaneswar

Khajuraho

Leh

Jaipur

Chandigarh

AgraJaisaimer

Mumbai (Bombay)

Hyderabad

Panaji

Bengaluru(Bangalore)

Chennai(Madras)

Vijayawada

BhopalGandhinagar

Kochi (Cochin)

NewDelhi

Andaman Islands

Nicobar Islands

A R A B I A N S E A

I N D I A N O C E A N

B E N G A L O FB A Y

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B A N G L A D E S H

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Crowned by the Himalaya, crossed by sacred rivers, coveted by empires from the Persians to the British Raj, India is vast and unfathomable, a kaleidoscope of cultures and the birthplace of at least two of the world’s great religions. Countless civilisations have risen and fallen among the paddy elds and palms, but India still endures. Overcrowding, poverty and bureaucracy are daily challenges, but for every rush-hour crush there is a moment of utter serenity – dawn breaking over a sacred pool, or a monk chanting to the music of the spheres. Besides, the frenetic energy is part of the appeal. After India, other countries feel like they have the sound turned down.

BEST TIME TO VISIT November to March in the plains; July to September for the Himalaya

TOP THINGS TO SEEThe white marble magni cence of the Taj MahalPilgrims crowding the banks of the Ganges River in the sacred city of VaranasiThe astounding crush of humanity in Mumbai and KolkataMountain views and relics of the Raj in Shimla, the quintessential Indian hill stationThe Himalaya, up close and personal, on a trek through rugged Ladakh

TOP THINGS TO DOEmbark on a camel safari through the desert dunes of RajasthanScan the jungle for tigers in one of India’s glorious national parksKick back on the palm-brushed beaches of GoaBend your body into shapes you never thought possible in Rishikesh, India’s yoga capitalRumble across India by sleeper train – it’s the most atmospheric way to explore the subcontinent

GETTING UNDER THE SKIN Read Salman Rushdie’s Midnight’s Children; Vikram Seth’s A Suitable Boy; or Kiran Desai’s The Inheritance of Loss

Listen to the myriad lmi (movie soundtracks) recordings of Allah Rakha Rahman

Watch Ramesh Sippy’s Bollywood classic Sholay; or Satyarjit Ray’s haunting Pather Panchali

Eat delicious thalis (rice, curries, chapatis, pappadams and condiments, served on a metal platter or banana leaf)

Drink lassi (sweet or salty yoghurt shakes); or chai (sweet Indian tea)

IN A WORDJai hind! (Long live India!)

TRADEMARKSMaharajas; holy cows; Gandhi; the Taj Mahal; hill stations; the Himalaya; towering temples; bottomless slums; Bollywood; the outsourcing revolution

RANDOM FACTThere is no such thing as curry in India – the Southern Indian word kari simply means ‘fried’ or ‘sauce’

1. The everyday and the extraordinary: vegetable sellers carry their wares to market past Agra’s Taj Mahal 2. A Kathakali dancer’s face is transformed by performance make-up3. Tea plantation workers pick their way homewards, the day’s harvest carried on their heads, in Kerala4. In a swirl of red, a young dancer and a musician entertain at Jaipur’s City Palace

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Fianarantsoa

Antananarivo

Mahajanga (Majunga)

MozambiqueChannel

I N D I A NO C E A N

Manambondro

Androka (Fort Dauphin)

Vangaindrano

Taolagnaro

Toliara (Tuléar)

Morombe

Morondava

(Tamatave)

Sambava

(Diego Suarez)Antsiranana

Toamasina

Mayotte

Comoros

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4.

Who says science isn’t fun? The great Madagascar experiment began some 165 million years ago when it was ripped from Africa and sent oating off into the newly formed Indian Ocean. Isolated, the island’s plants and animals evolved, creating thousands of dumbfounding species that Madagascar could call its very own. The remaining forests still teem with this outlandish life, and encounters with it can’t help but make you giggle with delight. The Malagasy, who are relatively recent arrivals, are equally captivating. Although ercely patriotic, they believe family is central to life, and their startling exhumation ceremonies prove the dead are just as important to them as the living. Pure fantasy? No. Unforgettable? Yes.

BEST TIME TO VISIT April to October (the dry season)

TOP THINGS TO SEETsingy, surreal limestone pinnacles that would make Antoni Gaudí proudRemote Madagascar from a pirogue oating down the Tsiribihina RiverAvenue du Baobab, a road lined by giantsFamadihana, or ‘turning of the bones’, a sacred ceremony of exhumationMalagasy life in fast forward, the colourful streets of Antananarivo are full of it

TOP THINGS TO DOTry not to get caught up in it all while walking through the remarkable ‘spiny forest’ in Parc National d’AndohahelaTrek deep into the lush cloud forests of Parc National de Ranomafana to swap looks with lemursStep into an envy-evoking postcard at Andilana’s beach on Nosy BeExperience the geological, biological and spiritual wonders of Parc National de l’IsaloFind your own personal treasure when diving the reef off Nosy Ve, a former haunt of Malagasy pirates

GETTING UNDER THE SKIN Read A History of Madagascar by Mervyn Brown, an eminently readable, authoritative description of the island’s history

Listen to hira gasy, live storytelling spectacles in Madagascar’s central highlands

Watch Raymond Rajaonarivelo’s Quand les Étoiles Rencontrent la Mer (When the Stars Meet the Sea), the story of a boy born during a solar eclipse; Rajaonarivelo’s Tabataba, a lm about the bloody rebellion against the French in 1947

Eat vary hen’omby (rice served with stewed or boiled zebu)

Drink rano vola (rice water), a brown, smoky-tasting concoction – it’s an acquired taste!

IN A WORDManao ahoana ianao (How do you do?)

TRADEMARKSLemurs; tsingy; chameleons; Avenue du Baobab; zebu-drawn carts; aggressive forestry

RANDOM FACTRice is so signi cant in Malagasy culture that words used to explain the growth of it are the same as those used to describe a woman becoming pregnant and giving birth

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1. The Avenue du Baobab is lined with these spectacular and strange trees2. As with so much of Madagascar’s extraordinary wildlife, sifakas aren’t found anywhere else in the world3. Women from a religious community wend their way through the Soatanana village, expertly carrying cargo on their heads4. Time for tea: train passengers purchase snacks at a stop in Fianarantsoa

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the traveller’s guide to planet earth 31

co.nz) featuring 85 species of birds and animals. It’s not a zoo – expect llamas and sheep rather than lions and giraffes. It also runs leisurely horse treks (www.alturaparktreks.co.nz)

» museum of caves This museum (www.waitomo-museum.co.nz) has excellent exhibits explaining how caves are formed, the flora and fauna that thrive in them and the history of Waitomo’s caves and cave exploration. Displays include a cave model, fossils of extinct birds and animals that have been discovered in caves, and a cave crawl. Free entry is included.

getting you there

» intercity/newmans (www.intercity.co.nz) runs a daily bus service from Auckland and Rotorua, as well as the Waitomo Caves Explorer daytour service with return trips from Auckland or between the two.

exploring the caves

» spellbound (www.glowworm.co.nz) is a good option if you don’t want to get wet and want to avoid the big groups in the main caves. This threehour tour and raft-ride departs from the village and goes through parts of the glowworm-filled Mangawhitiakau cave system, 12km south of Waitomo.

» waitomo adventures (www.waitomo.co.nz) offers five different cave adventures, with discounts for various combos. The Lost World trip starts with a 100m

abseil down into the cave then – you take a three-hour journey through a 30m-high cave to get back out. The price includes lunch (underground) and dinner.

» caveworld ( www.caveworld.co.nz ) runs the black-water rafting trip through glowworm-filled Te Anaroa. Skinny Joe’s Hole is a dry expedition in the same cave. You’ve also got the choice of a day or (glowworm-illuminated) night abseil down a 45m crevice called The Canyon.

» absolute adventure ( www.absoluteadventure.co.nz )Indiana Jones–types will opt this one, with endurance-testing caving experiences, with hard-man names like The Mission (four hours, $125), The Expedition (six hours, $185) and The Journey (24 hours, $380, minimum 3 people, accommodation and meals provided).

Ruakuri Cave was discovered by Maori 400 to 500 years ago when a hunter travelling in a war party with Kawhia chief Tane Tinorau was attacked by a pack of dogs living in the cave entrance. The dogs were caught and eaten but the name Ruakuri (Den of Dogs) stuck.

The Glow-worm Cave had long been known to local Maori but they had no desire to explore it. That changed in December 1887 when the local chief, another Tane Tinorau, headed into the cave system, taking English surveyor Fred Mace with him. Mace prepared an account of the expedition, a map was made, photographs given to the government, and before long Tane Tinorau was operating tours of the cave. Since 1989 the hapu now owns and leases back the land, gets a slice of admission charges.

Left : Into Aranui cave you go, taking in vast chambers of glowworms, subterranean streams and waterfalls.

Right : It’s almost spiritual, the grand silence and dark leaving room for your mind to wander.

Waitomo

27 the traveller’s guide to planet earth

“This galaxy of little lights is created by thousands of living creatures”˜ D A V I D A T T E N B O R O U G H ˜

THE CAVE OF A THOUSAND LIGHTS

The limestone caves of Waitomo, with their geological formations and glowing bugs, are deservedly one of the premier attractions of the North Island. The experience can be as claustrophobe-friendly as the electrically lit, cathedral-like and extremely beautiful Glowworm Cave. But if it’s adrenaline-pumping, gut-wrenching, soaking-wet, pitch-black, squeezing, plummeting excitement you’re after, Waitomo can take care of that too.

Waitomo, New Zealand

LOCATION ::Waitomo, North Island, New Zealand

ON SCREEN ::In Planet Earth you were introduced to the stunning display of Arachnocampa Luminosa – the glowworm. They lit up the giant cavern of Glowworm Cave, their silk lures decorating the chamber ceiling and attracting small flying insects as its prey.

WHEN ::Though it’s really an all-year round experience, you might plan your trip with a view to what other activities you might undertake in New Zealand. If hiking is an interest, February & March are the picks – school holidays have passed and it’s still summer and warm. If it’s snow adventures, you should target August.

ABOUT THE BOOK • You’ve seen the series, now it’s time to see the world. In partnership

with BBC books we are proud to announce The Traveller’s Guide to Planet Earth.

• This book visits 50 destinations featured in the television series and provides unique travel insight into each destination, enabling readers to experience the world as they never have before.

• It offers a glimpse of life in these destinations through the eyes of Lonely Planet’s expert author community.

• Divided into sections based on broad habitat types as featured in the series: oceans; grasslands; jungles; deserts; urban; Arctic, mountains, rivers.

• It’s the ultimate traveler’s guide, taking readers on a unique journey through our world.

THE TrAvEllEr’s GUidE TO

AvAilABlE NOvEmBEr 2010 1st edition | 9781741798852 | pAGEs 344 | COlOr FuLL-CoLor | siZE 6.5” x 8.3” | pApErBACK | Us $22.99 | materiaL number 3485

eartH as you’Ve neVer exPerienCed it beFore

PLanet eartH

disCoVer neW ZeaLandABOUT THE BOOK • Lonely Planet’s first full-color guide to this popular destination.

• Detailed itineraries to each region including Winter Wanderings: Queenstown skiing, West Coast glaciers & Kaikoura, and Hit the Beach: Northland, Coromandel and Waikato beaches.

• Packed with on-the-ground research – we know New Zealand better than anyone.

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• More detailed itineraries than any other guide to Costa Rica.

AvAilABlE NOvEmBEr 20101st edition | 9781742200897 | pAGEs 400 | COlOr FuLL CoLor | 72 maPs | us $24.99 | materiaL number 3731

AvAilABlE dECEmBEr 20101st edition | 9781742201092 | pAGEs 400 | COlOr FuLL CoLor | 70 maPs | us $22.99 | materiaL number 3791