Svein Elias Profile

I never travelled - until i was in my forties. Then I met Randi who had a wide experience with travelling. Since 2006 we have been travelling together, and since 2010 we have been "hunting" WHS'.
Through the last decade I've learnt to really appreciate the feeling of visiting new places, the curiosity and the excitement seeing different habits and cultures. Seeing nature's grand places with its unique animal life gives me great satisfaction. Historic places is another great experience, it makes you learn history along the way.
Seeing odd places which few people have visited before, preferably combined with the above, is the top of my list. Maybe it's kind of naive, but anyway...
Recent Reviews Svein Elias
Jomon Prehistoric Sites
Svein Elias Norway - 12-Nov-23

In our July 2023 Japan quest we visited 6 of the Jomon Prehistoric Sites, 5 of them on Hokkaido. All sites visited by rental car.
As our first goal in Hokkaido was Shiretoko National Park, we “elegantly” missed the first possible Jomon Site, the Kiusu Earthwork Burial Circles. We could have visited it on the way back west, but as our route was along the southern shore of Hokkaido, we headed for Kitakogane Site as our first site.
The [...]
Read OnAmami-Oshima Island
Svein Elias Norway - 06-Nov-23

Yamburu National Park resides in the northern part of Okinawa Island and a part of this whs. Our visit was late June.
By rental car the toll road highway took us from Naha Airport to the site. Arriving in the evening we took only a quick drive through the core of the park on narrow, overgrown roads and made plans for the next day.
After a night at the Ada Garden Hotel (remember to book half board) on the eastern side we re-entered the park, that is after we could watch the endemic Okinawa rail bird just outside the hotel. Another hotel guest told us she’d been here 8 years, but never seen it until now. Driving into the park we also spotted the tiny wild boar along the road.
Read OnRichtersveld
Svein Elias Norway - 02-Oct-22

This site defines why I’m in this “game”! Totally remote and so different from my home environment! It’s the feeling of being on another planet! It’s just awesome!
Richtersveld is the most remote corner of South Africa, bordering probably the most remote corner of Namibia. From any direction it’s a long drive. Coming from the Kgalagadi Transfrontier Park we chose to approach Richtersveld Transfrontier Park through Namibia visiting Fish River Canyon on the way. We had decided to spend some time in the Sendelingsdrift Rest Camp, but as we hadn’t booked anything upfront, we planned to do it along the way. That was a good idea if it hadn’t been for the fact that our South African sim card didn’t work in Namibia nor in Kgalagadi. Anyway, we planned to arrive early and could do the booking in the camp reception, but there were some “obstacles”
Read OnBarberton Makhonjwa Mountains
Svein Elias Norway - 28-Sep-22

Barberton Makhonjwa Mountains world heritage site is in the northeast corner of South Africa bordering northwest Eswatini. There are several reserves in the area and the world heritage site is large and covers a few of them.
The sleepy little town of Barberton, which was founded in the 1880s during a goldrush, is an entrance gate to the geotrail of this site. We started out visiting the museum in the town, but it wasn’t very interesting because it’s focus was golddigging.
We enjoyed this route towards the border of Eswatini. The geotrail is road R40 upwards to the Bulembu border post
Read OnMapungubwe
Svein Elias Norway - 25-Sep-22

Mapungubwe National Park is located 5-6 hours of driving north of Jo’burg airport or 2 ½ hours north of Polokwane. Inside the national parks resides the world heritage site of Mapungubwe Cultural Landscape. The heritage site is just a small part of the park although the national park is not very big either.
The tracks leading to heritage site is open only to those who join the Heritage Tour which is at 7 in the morning and at 10. The park has a circular dirt ring road and the hill that is the centre of the heritage site can easily be seen from the road, but you must know what you are looking for (the correct one between several hills).
Read OnProfile Data
- Name
- Svein Elias
- Country
- Norway
- Most Impressive
- Machu Picchu, Galapagos, Komodo & Grand Canyon
Recently Visited WHS
- Update 05.10.23
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Visited WHS
Rating StatsAngkor 5Petra 5Ancient Thebes 4.5Baalbek 4.5Florence 4.5Great Wall 4.5Ngorongoro 4.5Nikko 4.5Plitvice Lakes 4.5Qadisha Valley 4.5Rila Monastery 4.5Rome 4.5Serengeti 4.5Sigiriya 4.5Victoria Falls 4.5Wadi Rum 4.5Xochicalco 4.5Brugge 4Budapest 4Ephesus 4Istanbul 4Oporto 4Ping Yao 4Pompei 4Prague 4Toledo 4Tsodilo 4Aachen Cathedral 3.5Ancient Nara 3.5Anuradhapura 3.5Assisi 3.5Bamberg 3.5Bauhaus Sites 3.5Brú na Bóinne 3.5Butrint 3.5Camino Real 3.5Carlsbad Caverns 3.5Chola Temples 3.5Cienfuegos 3.5Cordoba 3.5Cuenca 3.5Cuzco 3.5El Pinacate 3.5El Tajin 3.5Epidaurus 3.5Evora 3.5Fujisan 3.5Garajonay 3.5Genoa 3.5Granada 3.5Graz 3.5Great Zimbabwe 3.5Hampi 3.5Himeji-jo 3.5Horyu-ji Area 3.5Hué 3.5Isole Eolie 3.5Jelling 3.5Khami Ruins 3.5Kinabalu Park 3.5Kinderdijk 3.5Kotor 3.5Kraków 3.5Laponian Area 3.5Loire Valley 3.5Mahabalipuram 3.5Malbork Castle 3.5Mapungubwe 3.5Matera 3.5Mostar 3.5My Son 3.5Mystras 3.5Nasca Lines 3.5Neolithic Orkney 3.5Nubian Monuments 3.5Ohrid Region 3.5Old Havana 3.5Olympia 3.5Paphos 3.5Plain of Jars 3.5Pont du Gard 3.5Quedlinburg 3.5Quito 3.5Québec 3.5Rani-ki-Vav 3.5Reims 3.5Riga 3.5Rock Art of Alta 3.5San Gimignano 3.5Segovia 3.5Selimiye Mosque 3.5Seville 3.5Shirakami-Sanchi 3.5Shiretoko 3.5Siena 3.5Sighisoara 3.5Skocjan Caves 3.5Split 3.5Summer Palace 3.5Surtsey 3.5Tallinn 3.5Telc 3.5Temple of Heaven 3.5Tequila 3.5Tiwanaku 3.5Trier 3.5Tugendhat Villa 3.5Vat Phou 3.5Versailles 3.5Vienna 3.5Villa d'Este 3.5Wartburg Castle 3.5Yakushima 3.5Zacatecas 3.5Zamość 3.5Anjar 3Arequipa 3Arles 3Avignon 3Avila 3Belem 3Bryggen 3Byblos 3Caceres 3Chavin 3Elvas 3Ferrara 3Hoi An 3Koh Ker 3Le Havre 3Lyon 3Lübeck 3Mazagan 3Modena 3Morelia 3Mérida 3Nancy 3Nessebar 3Nesvizh 3Orange 3Paquimé 3Pergamon 3Pienza 3Potsdam 3Puebla 3Ravenna 3Red Fort 3Røros 3Salzburg 3Sintra 3Syracuse 3Torun 3Trogir 3Tyre 3Urbino 3Valletta 3Vegaøyan 3Verona 3Visby 3Warsaw 3Agrigento 2.5Ahmadabad 2.5Al Ain 2.5Albi 2.5Ayutthaya 2.5Ban Chiang 2.5Belfries 2.5Bellinzone 2.5Bordeaux 2.5Burgos Cathedral 2.5Burgundy 2.5Cahokia Mounds 2.5Canal du Midi 2.5Carthage 2.5Centennial Hall 2.5Choirokoitia 2.5Dong Phayayen 2.5El Escurial 2.5Elephanta Caves 2.5Fagus Factory 2.5Gammelstad 2.5Grand Canal 2.5Holasovice 2.5Ironbridge Gorge 2.5Kairouan 2.5Kerkuane 2.5Kew Gardens 2.5Kondoa 2.5Las Medulas 2.5Lima 2.5Luang Prabang 2.5Luther Memorials 2.5Medina of Sousse 2.5Medina of Tunis 2.5Monticello 2.5Naples 2.5Nice 2.5Poblet Monastery 2.5Quseir Amra 2.5Rabat 2.5Reichenau 2.5Saint-Emilion 2.5Schönbrunn 2.5ShUM Sites 2.5Southern Öland 2.5Stevns Klint 2.5Tarraco 2.5Thang Long 2.5Tower of London 2.5Trang An 2.5Um er-Rasas 2.5Val d'Orcia 2.5Vilnius 2.5Volubilis 2.5Vredefort Dome 2.5Vézère Valley 2.5Western Ghats 2.5Úbeda and Baeza 2.5Aranjuez 2As-Salt 2Corvey 2Hollókö 2Ibiza 2Kandy 2Mafra 2Meknes 2Trebic 2Troy 2Vézelay 2Aquileia 1.5Beemster Polder 1.5Crespi d'Adda 1.5Djerba 1.5Forth Bridge 1.5Ivrea 1.5Kernavė 1.5New Lanark 1.5Pearling 1.5Provins 1.5Qalhat 1.5Saltaire 1.5Sammallahdenmäki 1.5Schokland 1.5Stoclet House 1.5Stećci 1Blenheim Palace 0.5Danube Limes 0.5Reviewed WHS
- Jomon Prehistoric Sites
- Amami-Oshima Island
- Richtersveld
- Barberton Makhonjwa Mountains
- Mapungubwe
- Serengeti
- Selous Game Reserve
- Ruins of Kilwa Kisiwani and Songo Mnara
- Djerba
- Struve Geodetic Arc
- Sambor Prei Kuk
- Okavango Delta
- Dinosaur Provincial Park
- L'Anse aux Meadows
- Camino Real
- Medina Azahara
- Komodo National Park
Visited TWHS
- Abraj Al-Kuwait (T)
- Aire du Dragonnier Ajgal (T)
- Amalienborg and its district (T)
- Ancient Cities of Lycian Civilization (T)
- Ancient Greek Theatres (T)
- Art and Architecture in the Prehistory of Sardinia. The domus de janas. (T)
- Asuka-Fujiwara : Archaeological sites of Japan's Ancient Capitals and Related Properties (T)
- Augustow Canal (T)
- Azraq (T)
- Bahá'í House of Worship at New Delhi (T)
- Barbar Temple (T)
- Beng Malea Temple (T)
- Brandberg National Monument Area (T)
- Cascata delle Marmore and Valnerina: Monastic sites and ancient hydrogeological reclamation works (T)
- Cattolica Monastery in Stilo and Basilian-Byzantine complexes (T)
- Central Kalahari Game Reserve (T)
- Central Park (T)
- Centre historique de Saida (T)
- Ceský ráj (Czech Paradise) Rock Cities (T)
- Cetinje Historic Core (T)
- Chirundu Fossil Forest (T)
- Chobe Linyanti System (T)
- Chott El Jerid (T)
- Citadel of Alessandria (T)
- Cité de Carcassonne et ses châteaux sentinelles de montagne (T)
- Cittadella (Victoria - Gozo) (T)
- City of Motovun (T)
- Coastal Cliffs (T)
- Delhi - A Heritage City (T)
- Diocletian's Palace and the Historical Nucleus of Split (extension) (T)
- Djerdap National Park (T)
- Dreams in Stone - the palaces of King Ludwig II of Bavaria: Neuschwanstein, Linderhof and Herrenchiemsee (T)
- Edifices for Worship of Fortress Type in Belarus, Poland and Lithuania (T)
- Etosha Pan (T)
- Evolution of Temple Architecture - Aihole-Badami- Pattadakal (T)
- Extension of the World Heritage Site "Historic Centre of Prague" with the important Monuments in its Vicinity (T)
- Fishriver Canyon (T)
- Flow Country (T)
- Francke Foundation Buildings (T)
- Frontiers of the Roman Empire - The Danube Limes in Bulgaria (T)
- Großglockner High Alpine Road / Großglockner Hochalpenstraße (T)
- Group of Mozarabic buildings on the Iberian Peninsula (T)
- Guano Islands, Islets, and Capes National Reserve System (T)
- Habitat troglodytique et le monde des ksour du Sud tunisien (T)
- Heiligenkreuz Abbey (T)
- Hikone-Jo (castle) (T)
- Hire Benkal, Megalithic Site (T)
- Historic Center of the City of Trujillo (T)
- Historical Lisbon, Global City (T)
- Historical-town planning ensemble of Ston (T)
- Human Rights, Liberation Struggle and Reconciliation: Nelson Mandela Legacy Sites (T)
- Jerash Archaeological City (Ancient Meeting Place of East and West) (T)
- Jozani - Chwaka Bay Conservation Area (T)
- Khor Dubai (T)
- Knights Fortifications around the Harbours of Malta (T)
- Kyiv: Saint Sophia Cathedral with Related Monastic Buildings, St. Cyril's and St. Andrew's Churches, Kyiv-Pechersk Lavra (T)
- L'amphitheatre de Durres (T)
- L'ensemble rupestre de Basarabi (T)
- La Rioja and Rioja Alavesa Vine and Wine Cultural Landscape (T)
- Lake Maggiore and Lake D'Orta lakelands (T)
- Lake Titicaca (T)
- Las Pozas, Xilitla (T)
- Le centre historique de la ville de Batroun (T)
- Le Chateau-fort médieval d'Esztergom (T)
- Le complexe hydraulique romain de Zaghouan-Carthage (T)
- Le noyau historique de la ville d'Alba Julia (T)
- Le Palais de Justice de Bruxelles (T)
- Le site archéologique de Sbeïtla (T)
- Les Alpes de la Méditerranée (France) (T)
- Les Alpes de la Méditerranée (Italy) (T)
- Les Alpes de la Méditerranée (Monaco) (T)
- Les Mausolées Royaux de Numidie, de la Maurétanie et les monuments funéraires pré-islamiques (Tunisia) (T)
- Les passages de Bruxelles / Les Galeries Royales Saint-Hubert (T)
- Les Plages du Débarquement, Normandie, 1944 (T)
- Leuven/Louvain, batiments universitaires, l'héritage de six siècles au sein du centre historique (T)
- Levadas of Madeira Island (T)
- Makgadikgadi Pans Landscape (T)
- Maltese Catacomb Complexes (T)
- Mdina (Citta Vecchia) (T)
- Médina de Sfax (T)
- Mining Historical Heritage (T)
- Minoan Palatial Centres (T)
- Monastery of Santa María de La Rábida and the Columbus Memorial Places in Huelva (T)
- Mosquée de Tinmel (T)
- Mothia and Lilibeo Island: The Phoenician-Punic Civilization in Italy (T)
- Moulay Idriss Zerhoun (T)
- Mývatn and Laxá (T)
- Naletale Cluster of Dzimbabwes (T)
- Nasca Aqueducts (T)
- Natural and Cultural Landscape of Danube Region (T)
- Natural Reserves of Tatras Mountain (T)
- Negotinske Pivnice (T)
- Ngwenya Mines (T)
- Noyau historique d'Antwerpen -Anvers- de l'Escaut aux anciens remparts de vers 1250 (T)
- Nuragic monuments of Sardinia (T)
- Oasis de Gabes (T)
- Oasis of Fayoum, hydraulic remains and ancient cultural landscapes (T)
- Okavango Delta (T)
- Old Town of Bar (T)
- Orvieto (T)
- Petrified Forest National Park (T)
- Phuphrabat Historical Park (T)
- Plasencia - Monfragüe - Trujillo : Paysage méditerranéen (T)
- Pobiti Kamani Natural Monument (T)
- Pombaline Lisbon (T)
- Pont sur la gorge du Salgina (T)
- Primošten Vineyards (T)
- Qasr Al-Mushatta (T)
- Rocks of Belogradchik (T)
- Roman Ways. Itineraries of the Roman Empire (T)
- Royal Seats in Esztergom, Visegrád (T)
- Sacred Titicaca Lake (T)
- Salento and the Barocco Leccese (T)
- Salt Mines of Maras (T)
- Sarajevo - unique symbol of universal multiculture - continual open city (T)
- Saviour Transfiguration Church and St. Sophia Cathedral in the town of Polatsk (T)
- Seruwila to Sri Pada (Sacred Foot Print Shrine), Ancient pilgrim route along the Mahaweli river in Sri Lanka (T)
- Shaubak Castle (Montreal) (T)
- Sheikh Abdullah Al-Jabir Palace (T)
- Sites along the Uttarapath, Badshahi Sadak, Sadak-e-Azam, Grand Trunk Road (T)
- Sites of Globalization (T)
- Sites of Saytagrah (T)
- SS. Boris and Gleb (Kalozha) Church in the city of Hrodna (T)
- Sultan Bayezid II Complex: A Center of Medical Treatment (T)
- Sun Temple, Modhera and its adjoining monuments (T)
- Sungai Buloh Leprosarium (T)
- System of Fortifications at the Confluence of the Rivers Danube and Váh in Komárno - Komárom (Slova) (T)
- System of Fortifications at the Confluence of the Rivers Danube and Váh in Komárno - Komárom (Slovak) (T)
- Temple d’Echmoun (T)
- The Ancient Plovdiv (T)
- The Archaeological Heritage of Niah National Park’s Caves Complex, Sarawak, Malaysia (T)
- The Architectural Works of Alvar Aalto - a Human Dimension to the Modern Movement (T)
- The Central Axis of Beijing (including Beihai) (T)
- The Central Slave and Ivory Trade Route (T)
- The Cultural Landscape of Civita di Bagnoregio (T)
- The cultural landscape of the Benedictine settlements in medieval Italy (T)
- The Hadrianic city of Italica (T)
- The Historic Centre of Sibiu and its Ensemble of Squares (T)
- The Laponian Area - Tysfjord, the fjord of Hellemobotn and Rago (T)
- The late ancient tomb of Silistra (T)
- The Lofoten islands (T)
- The Murge of Altamura (T)
- The natural and architectural ensemble of Blidinje (T)
- The natural and architectural ensemble of Jajce (T)
- The Olive Grove Landscapes of Andalusia (T)
- The Rise of Systematic Biology (T)
- The Roussensky Lom National Park (T)
- The Sanctuary of Agios Lot, At Deir 'Ain 'Abata (T)
- The Tara National Park with the Drina River Canyon (T)
- The town of Melnik and the Rozhen Monastery (T)
- The Transhumance: The Royal Shepherd's Track (T)
- The Turf House Tradition (T)
- Thingvellir National Park (T)
- Tokaj Wine Region (T)
- Torfajökull Volcanic System / Fjallabak Nature Reserve (T)
- Troodos, Mt.Olympus (T)
- Trowulan (T)
- Umm al-Jimal (T)
- Via Francigena in Italy (T)
- Victoria Lines Fortifications (T)
- VIKING MONUMENTS AND SITES / Thingvellir National Park (T)
- VIKING MONUMENTS AND SITES / Vestfold Ship Burials and Hyllestad Quernstone Quarries (T)
- Villas of the Papal Nobility (T)
- Volterra: Historical City and Cultural Landscape (T)
- Welwitschia Plains (T)
- White Sands National Monument (T)
- Worship wooden architecture (17th -18th centuries) in Polesye (T)
Reviewed TWHS
- Les Mausolées Royaux de Numidie, de la Maurétanie et les monuments funéraires pré-islamiques (Tunisia) (T)
- Le site archéologique de Sbeïtla (T)
- Habitat troglodytique et le monde des ksour du Sud tunisien (T)
- Karstic caves in prehistoric Apulia (T)
- The Laponian Area - Tysfjord, the fjord of Hellemobotn and Rago (T)
- The Turf House Tradition (T)
- Worship wooden architecture (17th -18th centuries) in Polesye (T)
- Edifices for Worship of Fortress Type in Belarus, Poland and Lithuania (T)
- Saviour Transfiguration Church and St. Sophia Cathedral in the town of Polatsk (T)
Top 200 WHS
- Isole Eolie
- Le Havre
- Ferrara
- Split
- Graz
- Berat and Gjirokastra
- Salzburg
- Warsaw
- Edinburgh
- City of Bath
- Matera
- Old City of Jerusalem
- Rome
- Istanbul
- Venice and its Lagoon
- Pontcysyllte Aqueduct and Canal
- Silk Roads Chang'an-Tianshan Corridor
- Polonnaruva
- Anuradhapura
- Angkor
- Rock Art of Alta
- Ohrid Region
- Plitvice Lakes
- Iguazu National Park
- Okavango Delta
- Victoria Falls
- Central Amazon Conservation Complex
- Works of Antoni Gaudí
- Brú na Bóinne
- Megalithic Temples of Malta
- Nasca Lines
- Stonehenge
- Chichen-Itza
- Tikal National Park
- Mesa Verde
- Speicherstadt and Kontorhaus District
- Zamość
- Vicenza and the Palladian Villas
- Vlkolinec
- San Marino and Mount Titano
- Valletta
- Urbino
- Old Rauma
- City of Luxembourg
- Riga
- Grand Place, Brussels
- Val di Noto
- Mostar
- Messel Pit
- Genoa
- Litomysl Castle
- Gardens and Castle at Kromeríz
- Würzburg Residence
- Wartburg Castle
- Schönbrunn
- Potsdam
- Versailles
- Palmyra
- Petra
- Durmitor National Park
- Dolomites
- Mount Kenya
- Pirin National Park
- Great Himalayan National Park
- Swiss Alps Jungfrau-Aletsch
- Machu Picchu
- Kilimanjaro National Park
- Canadian Rocky Mountain Parks
- Røros
- Wieliczka and Bochnia Royal Salt Mines
- Tower of London
- Malbork Castle
- Great Wall
- Gwynedd Castles
- Regensburg
- Spissky Hrad and Levoca
- Vilnius
- Kotor
- Sighisoara
- Strasbourg
- Bardejov Town
- Trogir
- Quedlinburg
- Gammelstad
- Torun
- Bamberg
- Telc
- Rammelsberg and Goslar
- Tallinn
- San Gimignano
- Cesky Krumlov
- Budapest
- Brugge
- Vienna
- Kraków
- Dubrovnik
- Siena
- Valparaiso
- Visby
- Bryggen
- Lübeck
- Maritime Greenwich
- Belize Barrier Reef
- Great Barrier Reef
- West Norwegian Fjords
- Cuzco
- Mammoth Cave
- Aggtelek and Slovak Karst
- Skocjan Caves
- Ha Long Bay – Cat Ba Archipelago
- Yosemite National Park
- Sinharaja Forest
- Redwood
- Greater Blue Mountains
- Serengeti
- Ngorongoro
- Yellowstone
- Galapagos Islands
- Komodo National Park
- Site of Xanadu
- Van Nellefabriek
- Rjukan / Notodden
- Grand Canyon
- Monticello
- Museumsinsel (Museum Island)
- Champagne
- Muskauer Park
- Vegaøyan
- Garden Kingdom of Dessau-Wörlitz
- Blaenavon Industrial Landscape
- Lednice-Valtice Cultural Landscape
- Portovenere, Cinque Terre, and the Islands
- Loire Valley
- Costiera Amalfitana
- Sintra
- Thingvellir
- Santa Ana de los Rios de Cuenca
- Old Havana
- Old Town of Galle
- Quito
- Thracian tomb of Kazanlak
- Madara Rider
- Ir. D.F. Woudagemaal
- Curonian Spit
- Kinderdijk
- Sydney Opera House
- Rock-hewn Churches of Ivanovo
- Modena
- Medieval Monuments in Kosovo
- Notre-Dame Cathedral in Tournai
- Studenica Monastery
- Reichenau
- Pannonhalma
- Euphrasian Basilica in Porec
- Pilgrimage Church of Wies
- Boyana Church
- Monastery of Horezu
- Urnes Stave Church
- Churches of Peace
- Rila Monastery
- Cologne Cathedral
- Speyer Cathedral
- Luther Memorials
- Belem
- Westminster
- Mont-Saint-Michel
- Piazza del Duomo (Pisa)
- Vatican City
- Meteora
- Ravenna
- Blue and John Crow Mountains
- Daphni, Hosios Loukas and Nea Moni of Chios
- Mystras
- Early Christian Necropolis of Pécs
- Taj Mahal
- Pyramids (Memphis)
- Rangiri Dambulla Cave Temple
- Kandy
- Lumbini
- Sigiriya
- Kathmandu Valley
- Samarkand
- Medina of Marrakesh
- Syracuse
- Gamzigrad-Romuliana
- Pompei
- Villa Romana del Casale
- Butrint
- Epidaurus
- Archaeological Site of Delphi
- Temple of Apollo Epicurius at Bassae
- Agrigento
- Hierapolis-Pamukkale
- Acropolis
- Olympia
- Vineyard Landscape of Piedmont
- Saint-Emilion
- Lavaux, Vineyard Terraces
- Viñales Valley
- Mount Etna