Panama

by Sarah Woods

Published 23 March 2005
Dictators, cigars and the world's most famous short-cut? There's more to Panama than its cliches. More than a third of Panama's land is protected; it's home to 940 bird species and some of the world's most important turtle nesting grounds. Here puma prowl, the drumming of riotous festivals fills the air - and visitor numbers are soaring by more than 10% year on year. It's also a land where timetables are unpredictable and public holidays occur without notice, where places have three names spelt four different ways and roads terminate unannounced. The Bradt guide is the most thorough on the market. Visitors to Panama will need it.

Colombia

by Sarah Woods

Published 15 April 2008
With its jagged, volcanic peaks; sands of gold, black and silver; palm-trimmed Pacific and Caribbean coastlines; tufted fields of coffee; dense jungles, snow-capped mountains and idyllic islands; numerous indigenous cultures and exciting buzzing cities, Colombia is 'ten countries in one': a diverse and little-explored succession of eye-popping geological highlights on one of Latin America's most varied terrains. Now in its second edition Bradt's "Colombia" enchants flora and fauna fanatics and provides plenty of first-hand insight into striking colonial cities, rainforests, beaches, historic villages and secret gems.