2 comments about Belize: Reefs, Rain Forests, and Mayan Ruins.

1. Nicely illustrated throughout, Belize: Reefs, Rain Forests, And Mayan Ruins begins with an account of a tour of Belize, and then continues with a thoroughly "reader friendly" history of Belize, including a description of its government, people, problems, and environmental beauty. Author Dick Lutz is a gifted travel writer who showcases the many features and attractions of this remarkable Central American country. Chapters cover Belize's rain forests, the history of the Mayans, the history of local tourism, the history of Belize itself, and the conditions of Belize today. An index allows for quick and easy lookup of specific topics. Belize: Reefs, Rain Forests And Mayan Ruins is an excellent resource for bringing the lay reader up to date quickly on the people, forces, and events that have shaped Belize up to the present day, recommended for armchair travelers, amateur historians, and would-be tourists looking to better understand their travel destination.



2. Once again, Dick Lutz has written a fascinating book to add to his list of travel books.
   He spares no detail, and writes with his usual clarity and insight. Should be on every adventurer's bookshelf, and should also be given as a gift to friends.

5 comments about Jaguar: One Man's Struggle To Establish The World's First Jaguar Preserve.

1. This book is essential reading for anyone interested in the Central American Rainforest. It has a little bit of everything..field notes, natural history, local culture, paranormal experiences, adventure, and romance. The book was engaging and easy to read. I learned a lot about jaguars and the struggle to protect them. The only drawback was Rabinowitz's negative portrayl of the present day Mayans. Undoubtedly, the author is a scientist and not an anthropologist, but i do feel that he should have shown more respect for their culture and more understanding of their situation.
   I reccomend this book, and then i reccomend traveling to Cockscomb Basin in Belize to fully appreciate the conservation effort. Even if you can't get there, you will feel like you have been there after reading this book.



2. "Jaguar" is the fascinating story of one scientist's journey to study and protect the elusive jaguar, the third largest cat in the world.
   
   Written like a book of fiction, "Jaguar" reads smoothly, capturing your attention and curiosity with its first-person portrayal of life in an alien world: the jungles of Belize. It is peopled with the Maya, a culture rich in history yet suffering poverty, disease, and insignificance in modern times. And in this world exists the jaguar, a powerful cat who is rarely seen and is not a man-eater, yet is hunted almost to extinction for its exquisite spotted fur and because, quite simply, people fear it.
   
   I read "Jaguar" in about 2 days, and fell completely in love with its spirit. The author, a young scientist, struggled hard to successfully understand the lives of these cats within its world and to keep it alive, often to his own personal tragedies. His description of the jungle is unromantic and riveting, as are the terrible hardships that go with it. I will never forget all the diseases, snakes, and parasites than run amok in this story, practically characters of their own. One lesson I came back with is how thankful I am to live in a country with exceptional sanitation and medical care.
   
   "Jaguar" is haunting. You can't finish it without wishing to enter that dark, dangerous jungle of the majestic jaguar. It draws out the adventurer in you. It stirs your compassion.



3. "Jaguar" is an interesting mix of memoir and natural history, with eye-opening descriptions of life in a remote Mayan village. I read the book while at Cockscomb Basin. I met people who lived there when "Dr. Alan" was doing his work, and they said the book is accurate (though it perhaps made things seem "better" than they were, which is a startling statement once you've read how hard life was for the Maya in this book). He writes in a surprisingly engaging style for a scientist and tells a satisfyingly complete story. There is also a lot in this book for readers who enjoy adventure travel narratives in which people endure extreme hardship and live through things we would never like to experience in person.



4. Very well written and interesting. Rabinowitz gives an amazingly personal account of his work in Belize. It is truly a great read for anyone.



5. An excellent, passionate book by one of the world's greatest explorers and conservationists. High price for a paperback - hopefully some of the proceeds go to wildlife or land conservation.

1 comments about Insight Fleximap Belize (Insight Fleximaps).

1. This handy and sturdy map accompanied us everywhere - in wet and dry backpacks, on snorkeling excursions, up jungle rivers, at Mayan ruins - and we studied it once in gale force winds and often often with wet hands. A great travel help in every regard with great detail.

4 comments about Belize: And Northern Guatemala (Travellers' Wildlife Guides).

1. From Planeta journal:

   An impressive first edition, not as much a tourist's guidebook as a naturalist's handbook. Color illustrations document native birds, mammals and reptiles. The author provides a brief eco-history of the region as well as background on environmental threats and conservation. Excellent!




2. Great book, but where's the picture of the red footed booby?



3. I actually saw this book while travelling in Belize and wanted it to help me identify all the great animals we were seeing, but it was rather expensive. I got it on Amazon when we got home and it really helped identify some of the things I had taken pictures of. Next time I visit Belize I will be taking it with me. Nice colour photos and descriptions with some interesting information about the natural history.



4. As a frequent traveler to Belize I found this book a wonderful guide to all the natural beauty of Belize.

3 comments about Belize Map by International Travel Maps.

1. I just returned from driving thru Belize for 7 days and this map was indispensable. We put over 400 miles on our car and never got lost. It was pretty current with the highway system (such that it is) in Belize and it held up pretty good. I would only question the use of the term "main road" vs "secondary road" and "seasonal road" as most other roads other than highway are dirt roads. And all the dirt roads looked seasonal.



2. I lived in Belize for six years, and carried this map most of the time. I was always sorry I didn't have it at my fingertips, particularly when flying over the cayes, or driving someplace new. There are plenty of road signs in Belize, but you need THIS MAP in order to really understand the layout.
   
   sr. ric



3. This is a great map. It is very detailed, and doesn't fold out too big. It lists all the roads both major and minor, very good if you intend to rent a car.

3 comments about Moon Belize (Moon Handbooks).

1. Inspired travel-writer Joshua Berman lays Belize out like a fine banquet table in this indispensable guidebook. Contemplating Belize as your next port of call? Get this book. I liked it in my armchair, and loved it in the bush. Joshua's wonderful photos and exposition set the standard for Moon, a terrific publisher, but his practical advice is what really justifies the purchase. I'd wanted to stay on a budget, treating myself right on the occasional night, and I found Joshua's advice to be gold. I ended enjoying the trip so much I bought his Moon Handbooks Nicaragua (Moon Handbooks). Not sure if I'll two-peat to Central America for my next trip, but it's amazing how an unfamiliar place can feel like home with the right guide. Highly recommended.



2. We do a good bit of traveling, and I was excited to get the newest edition of the Moon Belize in the mailbox about a month before we left for both Belize and Guatemala. We used this and the Lonely Planet, and I was more impressed with the Lonely Planet Belize version.
   
   This book was well-written but hard to follow at times and the prices were way off (this is also due to Belize inflation). We didn't find the places the author mentioned as wonderful as he did, but we did use it to compare with the Lonely Planet and see what matched up.
   
   Overall, okay. Not the best Moon.



3. I've lived and worked in Belize for approximately 6 months/year for the past 10 years. The Moon Handbooks Belize is the most accurate and up to date book on the market. Josh has spent months in Belize to insure it's accuracy...everything thing he writes is from first hand experience.

5 comments about Traveler's Guide to Mexican Camping: Explore Mexico and Belize with RV or Tent (Traveler's Guide series).

1. There is not much useful in this book. Traveling widely in Mexico and checking out many of the suggested stops, few still exist. Just try calling them. One of the few that was still in operation had an overflowing septic tank and was intolerable.
   Alas, dry camping with permission is the order of the day. Luckily Mexicans are nice about it. US style RV or tent camping sites are rare as hen's teeth. Since the right to bear arms does not exist in Mexico, security can be a real issue if you make a bad decision. Maybe the best advice, if you do not caravan, would be to drive a decrepit, ratty, small RV so as not to attract the wrong sort.



2. Thanks to this book, we will be able to get on with our project, drive into Mexico with our Class A. We probably would have done it anyway, but this book makes things easier and with less hassle and waste of time.
   We know, now, exactly what and where we will go on our 3 month trip.



3. I've been searching on the internet for information on RV (Trailer Parks in Mexico) Resorts in Mexico and it hasn't been very useful. This book however is exactly what I was searching for on the internet but MUCH, MUCH handyer.



4. Excellent book on camping in Mexico. We have used their Baja Camping book twice to camp in the Baja and they give excellent advice and great reviews of the campgrounds.



5. Great Book !!! Full of handy information. We are planning our RV trip in Mexico, this book is going with us.
   Book, A-1 condition, seller did not exagerate the contents.

5 comments about Belize (Country Guide).

1. A must have for traveler's going off the beaten path. If you're the type that likes to take local transportation and call ahead to hotels, this guide is what you need. If you prefer to stay in an all-inclusive resort, you'll still get inside information about what to do and see locally.



2. Rarely has a book been so useful in traveling around a country. Belize is not so big and the information inside covers most details you will ever want to ask about Belize. Very much in the best spirit of Lonley Guides whose devoted user I have become for any travel to a new destination. Highly recommended for all the Belize travellers (incl. Tikal in Guatemala).



3. As always, the Lonely Planet guide is well-structured with key features such as bus schedules. This particular guide was hit-and-miss with its information, however. Lodging prices were out-of-date (not just seasonally); the Tropical Education Center's prices have nearly doubled. The biggest problem is the outright-misinformed notion that Belize's dry season starts in November; every Belizean told me that it always starts in January or February, hence water levels were still high and wildlife was scarce during my February trip. Several towns and locations of interest were left out, forcing me to buy the Rough Guide. Although the Rough Guide reads like a novel and not so much a field guide, it has more information than the Lonely Planet guide. This was the first trip where nobody I met was using the LP guide.



4. I am a planner freak, so I used this book and Frommers. I ended up relying on the Frommers as it was more detailed, more accurate with pricing, and included alot of stuff LP didn't.
   
   LP is outdated, and it only had general information about Belize....not as specific as Frommers.



5. This was a good book, but nothing fabulous, however I did like it better than the Moon Handbook we bought (which I normally like more!). This is definitely geared toward the mid-range traveler, and we liked that about this book.
   
   The prices were fairly accurate, and the food recommendations were good. We stayed at the Anchorage Resort in Caye Caulker, and it wasn't listed in the book. That is unfortunate as it's a very decent place.
   
   Also, the beautiful casitas that are featured in the opening pages are nowhere to be found in the book. We stumbled upon them in Caye Caulker, checked them out, but found them a little too rustic for our tastes (Ignacio's Resort).
   
   Overall, we used both of the books on our trip, and would often double-check each book to try to cross-check our decisions.

1 comments about Fodor's Belize 2008 (Fodor's Gold Guides).

1. This is the most up to date, accurate reviews and ratings of where to go and what to do in Belize. We had everything lined up before our trip.

1 comments about The Rough Guide to Belize 4 (Rough Guide Travel Guides).

1. I got this book on a reccomendation from the Toucan Trail, A budget traveler's online guide to Belize. I have to say that this is the most comprehensive guide for vacationers that I have ever seen. I had to wait a while for the most receent edition, but it was worth it. Topics that hadn't even occured to me to research are included here (thank gawd!). The book even covers traveling into Guatemala to vist the ruins at Tikal. If you only buy one guide for your trip to Belize, this should be the one.