Alexander Barabanov Profile
I work in finance field. I started to specifically target UNESCO Heritage sites while travelling approximately from 2006. Currently I'm combining several long trips to WHS rich remote regions with weekend visits just to reach one specific site (mainly in Europe).
Of course, there is certain percentage of oddly sites, when you're asking yourself, what I am doing here, but in general these sites are special and very rewarding to reach and see. The uniqueness is often in their diversity and globality. Visting them and exploring some specific aspects of human activity and nature phenomona increases significantly knowledge horizons. During the process you will find out details of mercury mining, will see thin layer of soil containing remains of 60 million years old, admire mosaics from V century or climb Africa's highest mountain. I think that WHS travelling will be gaining popularity and we also have to contribute to this process.
Visited Sites Alexander Barabanov
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- ●● Cultural
- ●● Natural
- ●● Mixed
Recent Reviews Alexander Barabanov
Petroglyphs of the Lake Onega and the White Sea
Alexander Barabanov Russia - 05-Nov-21
Visited Belomorsk cluster in October 2021. Logistics – flight to Karelia’s capital Petrozavodsk, then 370 km by rented car via surprisingly good road to Belomorsk. Petrozavodsk’s national museum of Karelia has dedicated room with a couple of original stone petroglyph stelas and description. There is also museum in Belomorsk, but unfortunately it’s closed on Sundays and I didn’t visit. There are two main areas in this cluster – Zalavruga and Besovy Sledki (translated as Demon’s footprints). Between them a number of minor sites are also inscribed, but they require very detailed map to be identified among the forest and river shores and the glyphs are faded
Read OnGolden Mountains of Altai
Alexander Barabanov Russia - 10-Nov-20
Visited this site in September 2020. Our first priority was a trip to Plateau Putorana with the group tour, but unfortunately the minimum required number of tourists was not met and the tour was cancelled. We therefore arranged in short notice for an individual tour around so called Golden circle of Altay. Altay is one of the most popular tourist regions of Russia and offers significant variety of natural landscapes (mountains, waterfalls, passes, rivers, lakes, geysers, stone formations) and cultural sights (petroglyphs, monasteries, mounds). The main logistic hint about classic route is that it is not looped, and at some point, you need to change car to boat in order to cross Lake Teletskoye (otherwise driving back the same road)
Read OnVirgin Komi Forests
Alexander Barabanov Russia - 04-Oct-20
Visited this site in August 2020 as weekend trip from Moscow. I decided to visit Manpupuner Plateau, which is located in the heart of Pechoro-Ilychskiy Nature Reserve, part of Virgin Komi Forests site. The quick visit here without hard backpacking is only possible with helicopter tour. The logistics has changed as compared with visit made by Martina Ruckova back in 2017. The change is explained to improve accessibility of the helicopter flight due to weather conditions. You first fly on your own to Ukhta, then the car drives you 170 km through sometimes good and sometimes awful road to Troizko-Pechorsk. Troizko-Pechorsk is a depressive municipal village located on the shores of the Pechora River and is the closest large inhabited point to the Pechoro-Ilychskiy Nature Reserve
Read OnLena Pillars
Alexander Barabanov Russia - 11-Aug-20
Visited this remote site in August 2020. Yakutsk (population over 300 thousand) is one of the largest cities not accessible by road full year. It seems that Lena Bridge would finally be constructed by 2025, meaning that the city will be connected with federal roads. Current ferry system can only operate during summer time, requires up to 4-5 hours waiting during peak time, then it takes 1.5 hours for ferry transfer itself via 16-km fairway. During winter, the road goes on ice and becomes dangerous at border temperatures. Yakutsk is the mammoth and diamond capital of Russia with some dedicated museums and exhibitions
Read OnVolcanoes of Kamchatka
Alexander Barabanov Russia - 11-Aug-20
Visited this amazing site in July 2020. We were part of probably the first organized tourist groups after removing regional Covid restrictions. Kamchatka is considered one of the most outstanding volcanic regions in the world and is also part of iconic highlights of Russia. It is still not possible to determine exact number of volcanoes on the peninsula; usually the sources indicate 29 active volcanos and approximately 300 dormant volcanos. From time to time devastating eruptions take place; the latest was in 1975-1976. However many active volcanos continue to eject ash with various level of density and are closely monitored scientifically. On average, there are 3-7 eruptions each year in Kamchatka.
Read OnProfile Data
- Name
- Alexander Barabanov
- Country
- Russia
- Most Impressive
- Machu Picchu, Brugge, Angkor Vat
- Proposal
- Volgograd (Stalingrad battlefield monuments), Old city of Pskov, Manhattan Iconic highscrapers from 30s like Empire State Building or Chrysler Building, certainly some nature park from Faroe Islands, Por-Bazhyn (Tuva)
Recently Visited WHS
- Update 25.03.24
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Visited WHS
Rating StatsAngkor 5Bagan 5Brugge 5Hattusha 5Iguacu 5Palmyra 5Prague 5Québec 5Vienna 5Arles 4Avignon 4Belfries 4Bukhara 4Calakmul 4Damascus 4Lyon 4Mostar 4Orange 4Paphos 4Pergamon 4Ping Yao 4Salzburg 4Shibam 4Tallinn 4Tanbaly 4Aphrodisias 3.5Babylon 3.5Butrint 3.5Kazan Kremlin 3.5Novgorod 3.5Ohrid Region 3.5Ouro Preto 3.5Samarra 3.5San Agustín 3.5Soltaniyeh 3.5Sviyazhsk 3.5Takht-e Soleyman 3.5Telc 3.5Tierradentro 3.5Wadi Al-Hitan 3.5Bisotun 3Bolgar 3Bosra 3Burgundy 3Dengfeng 3Derbent 3Djémila 3Graz 3Khinalig 3Konso 3Lumbini 3Macao 3Morelia 3Nancy 3Nessebar 3Nisa 3Pearling 3Provins 3Reims 3Sarazm 3Sheki 3Shushtar 3Susa 3Timgad 3Tipasa 3Trebic 3Vézelay 3Yin Xu 3Al Ain 2.5Tiya 2.5Battir 2Camagüey 2Jelling 2Le Havre 2Nesvizh 2Qalhat 1.5Reviewed WHS
- Petroglyphs of the Lake Onega and the White Sea
- Golden Mountains of Altai
- Virgin Komi Forests
- Lena Pillars
- Volcanoes of Kamchatka
- Medici Villas and Gardens
- Brú na Bóinne
- Krzemionki prehistoric flint mines
- Daphni, Hosios Loukas and Nea Moni of Chios
- Churches of the Pskov School of Architecture
- Early Christian Necropolis of Pécs
- Pyramids (Memphis)
- Sarazm
- Grimeton Radio Station
- Decorated Farmhouses of Hälsingland
- Alejandro de Humboldt National Park
- Champagne
- Desembarco del Granma National Park
- Camagüey
- First Coffee Plantations
- Trinidad and the Valley de los Ingenios
- San Pedro de la Roca Castle
- Cienfuegos
- Old Havana
- Western Caucasus
- Stevns Klint
- Christiansfeld
- Neolithic Flint Mines at Spiennes
- Kernavė
- Sviyazhsk
- Bolgar
- Rock Art of the Mediterranean Basin
- Kremlin and Red Square
- Fujisan
- Tomioka Silk Mill
- Solovetsky Islands
- Mount Taishan
- Soltaniyeh
- Santa Maria de Guadalupe
Visited TWHS
Reviewed TWHS
Top 50 Missing Sites
- Alexandria, ancient remains and the new library
- Andaman Islands
- Bagan
- Baikonur Cosmodrome / Cape Canaveral
- Chernobyl
- Communist heritage of Volgograd
- Cultural Landscape of Santorini
- Dzongs of Bhutan
- Ephesus
- Fortified City of Famagusta
- Historic University Towns of Oxford and Cambridge
- Mecca, Kaaba
- Mount Rushmore
- Neuschwanstein Castle
- Rainforests of Polynesia
- Scrovegni's Chapel
- Silk Roads
- Svalbard
- Transiberian Railway
- Vatnajökull National Park