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Lonely Planet have released the latest update to their successful travel guide book on Iceland. This is 6th edition of this very popular 356 page book, which is more like a mini version of encyclopaedia Britannica than a mere travel guide.The book comes in A5 format and can easily be carried in a coat or a pack.

Like all of the excellent Lonely Planet guides this one is very well laid out and easy to follow. The authors Fran Parnell and Etain O’Carroll have produced a guide which is rich in information to help you find your way around Iceland and to enjoy the great variety of attractions, hiking, sports and night life that it has to offer. There is even a language section, which you might need a few beers to get your head around as the pronunciation requires your face muscles to be really relaxed

This is one of the best guide books on Iceland that we have seen and deserves a place on the bookshelf of every explorer and traveller. The book is crammed with useful information and is presented in a small package that you can carry with you in your pocket or in your pack. Read it before you go and then carry it with you.

Lonely Planet - Iceland

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ISBN 978-1-74104-537-6 £13.99 - Available from book sellers

Reproduced with kind permission of Lonely Planet

Photo courtesy Iceland Tourist Board

in order to verbalise the rather tricky verbs and syllables. There is so much information in this book that you will want to buy it before you travel, read it and read it again and then take it with you when you visit Iceland, which having read the book you will definitely want to do!

When you open the book you will find a well drawn map of the country. Whilst this is not suitable for navigating by it will give you a good idea of the size and layout of Iceland, which is one big island with a series of small islands just offshore. The furthest north of these islands is Grimsey, which lies inside the Arctic Circle.

The book has some beautiful colour plates similar to the one at right of this spectacular glacier, courtesy of the Iceland Tourist Board, together with images of geysers, whale watching, sea kayaking, waterfalls, icecaps and volcanoes.

The authors quote “The youngest country in Europe, Iceland is still throwing its toys out of the pram (geologically speaking) A massive fault line runs across the land causing all kind of volcanic mayhem. Fissures rip the ground apart, volcanoes erupt, lava spills, and steam, mud and boiling water come spurting from the earth. Some of the most dramatic scenery you will see is of past erruptions..” These include the mountain

lake of Laki where a row of craters stretch into the distance and Askja Caldera, the site of an explosion too huge to imagine.

The book also features some very good black and white maps of towns and country. The map at left is of the Landmannalaugar - Porsmork trek, which is the most popular hiking trail in Iceland.

The book is divided up into regions. Reykjavik, Southwest Iceland, West Iceland, The Westfjords, Northwest Iceland, Northeast Iceland, East Iceland, Southeast Iceland and the Interior.

Each region has detailed information of where to stay, what to do, where to go and how much it is likely to cost to do all this. Costs are given starting at budget rates upwards.

Campsites are listed with costs and also information about walking huts and where to book them. There is information for ice climbers, hikers and trekkers.

All in all this is a very comprehensive, well written, good value, enjoyable read, which we can recommend. (Ed)

Lonely Planet Web Page