Svein Elias Profile

Svein Elias
Svein Elias.

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...

Visited Sites Svein Elias

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Legend

  • Cultural
  • Natural
  • Mixed

Recent Reviews Svein Elias


Shiretoko

Svein Elias Norway - 09-Mar-24

Shiretoko

Shiretoko National Park is the northeastern most WHS in Japan. It’s a bit off the beaten track, but a few visitors from this community have managed to tick it off. We managed to visit in late June ‘23.

The nature in the park is wild and unspoilt and animal encounters are common. Somehow, we could connect to this Nordic environment, but then again – it’s far from the nature of northern Europe. On our two-nights visit we had encounters with bears, deer, and foxes. Meeting wild animals in their natural habitat is magnificent.

Read On

Shirakami-Sanchi

Svein Elias Norway - 04-Feb-24

Shirakami-Sanchi

Our first “mainland” Japanese whs in our Japanese quest July '23 was Shirakami-Sanchi. The shinkansen took us from Hokkaido to Aomori Honshu and a local train further on to Hirosaki where we picked up a rental car and then spent the night. The next morning, we drove the 40-50 min to Shirakami-Sanchi Information Centre near Aqua Village Anmon. The map shows that road 28 could take us somehow into the core zone if we just went far enough, but we assumed correctly that driving was impossible. Road 28 has been totally closed since 2020 – probably due to avalanches and broken-down bridges. The remaining option was the hike to Anmon Falls.

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Mana Pools

Svein Elias Norway - 04-Feb-24

Mana Pools

Zimbabwe has been on our radar since we started visiting sub-Sahara Africa some years ago. Late September '23 we realized the trip.

Our trip was a road trip starting in Lusaka Zambia southbound and our first goal was (except secondary goal of Chirundu twhs in Zambia) Mana Pools National Park. It’s the site that really drives the cost on this trip. The park is a valley hosting the Zambezi River on the northern border to Zambia and is famous for its dry season wildlife gatherings. The WHS consists of three areas (Mana Pools, Sapi and Chewore), but we were told that Mana is by far the best area - for wildlife encounters.

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Jomon Prehistoric Sites

Svein Elias Norway - 12-Nov-23

Jomon Prehistoric Sites

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 On

Amami-Oshima Island

Svein Elias Norway - 06-Nov-23

Amami-Oshima Island

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 On

Profile Data

Name
Svein Elias
Country
Norway
Most Impressive
Machu Picchu, Galapagos, Komodo & Grand Canyon

Recently Visited WHS

Update 01.04.24
Rating Stats
Angkor 5
Petra 5
Baalbek 4.5
Florence 4.5
Nikko 4.5
Rome 4.5
Serengeti 4.5
Sigiriya 4.5
Wadi Rum 4.5
Brugge 4
Oporto 4
Pompei 4
Prague 4
Toledo 4
Assisi 3.5
Bamberg 3.5
Butrint 3.5
Calakmul 3.5
Cordoba 3.5
Cuenca 3.5
Cuzco 3.5
El Tajin 3.5
Epidaurus 3.5
Evora 3.5
Fujisan 3.5
Garajonay 3.5
Genoa 3.5
Granada 3.5
Graz 3.5
Hampi 3.5
Himeji-jo 3.5
Hué 3.5
Jelling 3.5
Kotor 3.5
Kraków 3.5
Matera 3.5
Mostar 3.5
My Son 3.5
Mystras 3.5
Olympia 3.5
Palenque 3.5
Paphos 3.5
Quito 3.5
Québec 3.5
Reims 3.5
Riga 3.5
Segovia 3.5
Seville 3.5
Shiretoko 3.5
Siena 3.5
Split 3.5
Surtsey 3.5
Tallinn 3.5
Telc 3.5
Tequila 3.5
Tiwanaku 3.5
Trier 3.5
Uxmal 3.5
Vat Phou 3.5
Vienna 3.5
Yakushima 3.5
Zacatecas 3.5
Zamość 3.5
Anjar 3
Arles 3
Avila 3
Belem 3
Byblos 3
Chavin 3
Elvas 3
Hoi An 3
Lyon 3
Modena 3
Nancy 3
Orange 3
Pienza 3
Puebla 3
Røros 3
Sintra 3
Torun 3
Trogir 3
Tyre 3
Urbino 3
Verona 3
Visby 3
Warsaw 3
Agrigento 2.5
Ahmadabad 2.5
Al Ain 2.5
Albi 2.5
Ayutthaya 2.5
Belfries 2.5
Bordeaux 2.5
Burgundy 2.5
Carthage 2.5
Kairouan 2.5
Kerkuane 2.5
Kondoa 2.5
Kuldiga 2.5
Lima 2.5
Naples 2.5
Nice 2.5
Rabat 2.5
Reichenau 2.5
Tarraco 2.5
Trang An 2.5
Vilnius 2.5
Volubilis 2.5
Corvey 2
Ibiza 2
Kandy 2
Mafra 2
Meknes 2
Trebic 2
Troy 2
Aquileia 1.5
Campeche 1.5
Djerba 1.5
Ivrea 1.5
Kernavė 1.5
Pearling 1.5
Provins 1.5
Qalhat 1.5
Saltaire 1.5
Schokland 1.5
  1. Abraj Al-Kuwait (T)
  2. Aire du Dragonnier Ajgal (T)
  3. Amalienborg and its district (T)
  4. Ancient Cities of Lycian Civilization (T)
  5. Ancient Greek Theatres (T)
  6. Art and Architecture in the Prehistory of Sardinia. The domus de janas. (T)
  7. Asuka-Fujiwara : Archaeological sites of Japan's Ancient Capitals and Related Properties (T)
  8. Augustow Canal (T)
  9. Azraq (T)
  10. Bahá'í House of Worship at New Delhi (T)
  11. Barbar Temple (T)
  12. Beng Malea Temple (T)
  13. Brandberg National Monument Area (T)
  14. Cascata delle Marmore and Valnerina: Monastic sites and ancient hydrogeological reclamation works (T)
  15. Cattolica Monastery in Stilo and Basilian-Byzantine complexes (T)
  16. Central Kalahari Game Reserve (T)
  17. Central Park (T)
  18. Centre historique de Saida (T)
  19. Ceský ráj (Czech Paradise) Rock Cities (T)
  20. Cetinje Historic Core (T)
  21. Chirundu Fossil Forest (T)
  22. Chobe Linyanti System (T)
  23. Chott El Jerid (T)
  24. Citadel of Alessandria (T)
  25. Cité de Carcassonne et ses châteaux sentinelles de montagne (T)
  26. Cittadella (Victoria - Gozo) (T)
  27. City of Charlestown (T)
  28. City of Motovun (T)
  29. Coastal Cliffs (T)
  30. Delhi - A Heritage City (T)
  31. Diocletian's Palace and the Historical Nucleus of Split (extension) (T)
  32. Djerdap National Park (T)
  33. Dreams in Stone - the palaces of King Ludwig II of Bavaria: Neuschwanstein, Linderhof and Herrenchiemsee (T)
  34. Edifices for Worship of Fortress Type in Belarus, Poland and Lithuania (T)
  35. Etosha Pan (T)
  36. Evolution of Temple Architecture - Aihole-Badami- Pattadakal (T)
  37. Extension of the World Heritage Site "Historic Centre of Prague" with the important Monuments in its Vicinity (T)
  38. Fishriver Canyon (T)
  39. Flow Country (T)
  40. Fort Shirley (T)
  41. Francke Foundation Buildings (T)
  42. Frontiers of the Roman Empire - The Danube Limes in Bulgaria (T)
  43. Grobiņa archaeological ensemble (T)
  44. Großglockner High Alpine Road / Großglockner Hochalpenstraße (T)
  45. Group of Mozarabic buildings on the Iberian Peninsula (T)
  46. Guano Islands, Islets, and Capes National Reserve System (T)
  47. Habitat troglodytique et le monde des ksour du Sud tunisien (T)
  48. Heiligenkreuz Abbey (T)
  49. Hikone-Jo (castle) (T)
  50. Hire Benkal, Megalithic Site (T)
  51. Historic Center of the City of Trujillo (T)
  52. Historic zone of Basseterre (T)
  53. Historical city of Izamal (Izamal, Mayan continuity in an Historical City) (T)
  54. Historical Lisbon, Global City (T)
  55. Historical-town planning ensemble of Ston (T)
  56. Human Rights, Liberation Struggle and Reconciliation: Nelson Mandela Legacy Sites (T)
  57. Jerash Archaeological City (Ancient Meeting Place of East and West) (T)
  58. Jozani - Chwaka Bay Conservation Area (T)
  59. Khor Dubai (T)
  60. Knights Fortifications around the Harbours of Malta (T)
  61. Kyiv: Saint Sophia Cathedral with Related Monastic Buildings, St. Cyril's and St. Andrew's Churches, Kyiv-Pechersk Lavra (T)
  62. L'amphitheatre de Durres (T)
  63. L'ensemble rupestre de Basarabi (T)
  64. La Rioja and Rioja Alavesa Vine and Wine Cultural Landscape (T)
  65. Lake Maggiore and Lake D'Orta lakelands (T)
  66. Lake Titicaca (T)
  67. Las Pozas, Xilitla (T)
  68. Le centre historique de la ville de Batroun (T)
  69. Le Chateau-fort médieval d'Esztergom (T)
  70. Le complexe hydraulique romain de Zaghouan-Carthage (T)
  71. Le noyau historique de la ville d'Alba Julia (T)
  72. Le Palais de Justice de Bruxelles (T)
  73. Le site archéologique de Sbeïtla (T)
  74. Les Alpes de la Méditerranée (France) (T)
  75. Les Alpes de la Méditerranée (Italy) (T)
  76. Les Alpes de la Méditerranée (Monaco) (T)
  77. Les Mausolées Royaux de Numidie, de la Maurétanie et les monuments funéraires pré-islamiques (Tunisia) (T)
  78. Les passages de Bruxelles / Les Galeries Royales Saint-Hubert (T)
  79. Les Plages du Débarquement, Normandie, 1944 (T)
  80. Leuven/Louvain, batiments universitaires, l'héritage de six siècles au sein du centre historique (T)
  81. Levadas of Madeira Island (T)
  82. Makgadikgadi Pans Landscape (T)
  83. Maltese Catacomb Complexes (T)
  84. Mdina (Citta Vecchia) (T)
  85. Médina de Sfax (T)
  86. Mining Historical Heritage (T)
  87. Minoan Palatial Centres (T)
  88. Monastery of Santa María de La Rábida and the Columbus Memorial Places in Huelva (T)
  89. Morne Diablotin National Park (T)
  90. Mosquée de Tinmel (T)
  91. Mothia and Lilibeo Island: The Phoenician-Punic Civilization in Italy (T)
  92. Moulay Idriss Zerhoun (T)
  93. Mývatn and Laxá (T)
  94. Naletale Cluster of Dzimbabwes (T)
  95. Nasca Aqueducts (T)
  96. Natural and Cultural Landscape of Danube Region (T)
  97. Natural Reserves of Tatras Mountain (T)
  98. Negotinske Pivnice (T)
  99. Ngwenya Mines (T)
  100. Noyau historique d'Antwerpen -Anvers- de l'Escaut aux anciens remparts de vers 1250 (T)
  101. Nuragic monuments of Sardinia (T)
  102. Oasis de Gabes (T)
  103. Oasis of Fayoum, hydraulic remains and ancient cultural landscapes (T)
  104. Okavango Delta (T)
  105. Old Town of Bar (T)
  106. Orvieto (T)
  107. Patzcuaro, Site of Humanistic Memory and Cultural Confluence (T)
  108. Petrified Forest National Park (T)
  109. Phuphrabat Historical Park (T)
  110. Plasencia - Monfragüe - Trujillo : Paysage méditerranéen (T)
  111. Pobiti Kamani Natural Monument (T)
  112. Pombaline Lisbon (T)
  113. Pont sur la gorge du Salgina (T)
  114. Primošten Vineyards (T)
  115. Qasr Al-Mushatta (T)
  116. Region Lacan-Tún - Usumacinta (T)
  117. Ring of cenotes of Chicxulub Crater, Yucatan (T)
  118. Rocks of Belogradchik (T)
  119. Roman Ways. Itineraries of the Roman Empire (T)
  120. Royal Seats in Esztergom, Visegrád (T)
  121. Sacred Titicaca Lake (T)
  122. Salento and the Barocco Leccese (T)
  123. Salt Mines of Maras (T)
  124. Sarajevo - unique symbol of universal multiculture - continual open city (T)
  125. Saviour Transfiguration Church and St. Sophia Cathedral in the town of Polatsk (T)
  126. Seruwila to Sri Pada (Sacred Foot Print Shrine), Ancient pilgrim route along the Mahaweli river in Sri Lanka (T)
  127. Shaubak Castle (Montreal) (T)
  128. Sheikh Abdullah Al-Jabir Palace (T)
  129. Sites along the Uttarapath, Badshahi Sadak, Sadak-e-Azam, Grand Trunk Road (T)
  130. Sites of Globalization (T)
  131. Sites of Saytagrah (T)
  132. SS. Boris and Gleb (Kalozha) Church in the city of Hrodna (T)
  133. Sultan Bayezid II Complex: A Center of Medical Treatment (T)
  134. Sun Temple, Modhera and its adjoining monuments (T)
  135. Sungai Buloh Leprosarium (T)
  136. System of Fortifications at the Confluence of the Rivers Danube and Váh in Komárno - Komárom (Slova) (T)
  137. System of Fortifications at the Confluence of the Rivers Danube and Váh in Komárno - Komárom (Slovak) (T)
  138. Temple d’Echmoun (T)
  139. The Ancient Plovdiv (T)
  140. The Archaeological Heritage of Niah National Park’s Caves Complex, Sarawak, Malaysia (T)
  141. The Architectural Works of Alvar Aalto - a Human Dimension to the Modern Movement (T)
  142. The Central Axis of Beijing (including Beihai) (T)
  143. The Central Slave and Ivory Trade Route (T)
  144. The Cultural Landscape of Civita di Bagnoregio (T)
  145. The cultural landscape of the Benedictine settlements in medieval Italy (T)
  146. The Cultural Triangle (T)
  147. The Hadrianic city of Italica (T)
  148. The Historic Centre of Sibiu and its Ensemble of Squares (T)
  149. The Industrial Heritage of Barbados: The Story of Sugar and Rum (T)
  150. The Laponian Area - Tysfjord, the fjord of Hellemobotn and Rago (T)
  151. The late ancient tomb of Silistra (T)
  152. The Lofoten islands (T)
  153. The Murge of Altamura (T)
  154. The natural and architectural ensemble of Blidinje (T)
  155. The natural and architectural ensemble of Jajce (T)
  156. The Olive Grove Landscapes of Andalusia (T)
  157. The Rise of Systematic Biology (T)
  158. The Roussensky Lom National Park (T)
  159. The Sanctuary of Agios Lot, At Deir 'Ain 'Abata (T)
  160. The Scotland District of Barbados (T)
  161. The Tara National Park with the Drina River Canyon (T)
  162. The town of Melnik and the Rozhen Monastery (T)
  163. The Transhumance: The Royal Shepherd's Track (T)
  164. The Turf House Tradition (T)
  165. Thingvellir National Park (T)
  166. Tokaj Wine Region (T)
  167. Torfajökull Volcanic System / Fjallabak Nature Reserve (T)
  168. Trakai Historical National Park (T)
  169. Troodos, Mt.Olympus (T)
  170. Trowulan (T)
  171. Umm al-Jimal (T)
  172. Via Francigena in Italy (T)
  173. Victoria Lines Fortifications (T)
  174. VIKING MONUMENTS AND SITES / Thingvellir National Park (T)
  175. VIKING MONUMENTS AND SITES / Vestfold Ship Burials and Hyllestad Quernstone Quarries (T)
  176. Villas of the Papal Nobility (T)
  177. Volterra: Historical City and Cultural Landscape (T)
  178. Welwitschia Plains (T)
  179. White Sands National Monument (T)
  180. Worship wooden architecture (17th -18th centuries) in Polesye (T)

Top 200 WHS

  1. Isole Eolie
  2. Le Havre
  3. Ferrara
  4. Split
  5. Graz
  6. Berat and Gjirokastra
  7. Salzburg
  8. Warsaw
  9. Edinburgh
  10. City of Bath
  11. Matera
  12. Old City of Jerusalem
  13. Rome
  14. Istanbul
  15. Venice and its Lagoon
  16. Pontcysyllte Aqueduct and Canal
  17. Silk Roads Chang'an-Tianshan Corridor
  18. Polonnaruva
  19. Anuradhapura
  20. Angkor
  21. Rock Art of Alta
  22. Ohrid Region
  23. Plitvice Lakes
  24. Iguazu National Park
  25. Okavango Delta
  26. Victoria Falls
  27. Central Amazon Conservation Complex
  28. Works of Antoni Gaudí
  29. Brú na Bóinne
  30. Megalithic Temples of Malta
  31. Nasca Lines
  32. Stonehenge
  33. Chichen-Itza
  34. Tikal National Park
  35. Mesa Verde
  36. Speicherstadt and Kontorhaus District
  37. Zamość
  38. Vicenza and the Palladian Villas
  39. Vlkolinec
  40. San Marino and Mount Titano
  41. Valletta
  42. Urbino
  43. Old Rauma
  44. City of Luxembourg
  45. Riga
  46. Grand Place, Brussels
  47. Val di Noto
  48. Mostar
  49. Messel Pit
  50. Genoa
  51. Litomysl Castle
  52. Gardens and Castle at Kromeríz
  53. Würzburg Residence
  54. Wartburg Castle
  55. Schönbrunn
  56. Potsdam
  57. Versailles
  58. Palmyra
  59. Petra
  60. Durmitor National Park
  61. Dolomites
  62. Mount Kenya
  63. Pirin National Park
  64. Great Himalayan National Park
  65. Swiss Alps Jungfrau-Aletsch
  66. Machu Picchu
  67. Kilimanjaro National Park
  68. Canadian Rocky Mountain Parks
  69. Røros
  70. Wieliczka and Bochnia Royal Salt Mines
  71. Tower of London
  72. Malbork Castle
  73. Great Wall
  74. Gwynedd Castles
  75. Regensburg
  76. Spissky Hrad and Levoca
  77. Vilnius
  78. Kotor
  79. Sighisoara
  80. Strasbourg
  81. Bardejov Town
  82. Trogir
  83. Quedlinburg
  84. Gammelstad
  85. Torun
  86. Bamberg
  87. Telc
  88. Rammelsberg and Goslar
  89. Tallinn
  90. San Gimignano
  91. Cesky Krumlov
  92. Budapest
  93. Brugge
  94. Vienna
  95. Kraków
  96. Dubrovnik
  97. Siena
  98. Valparaiso
  99. Visby
  100. Bryggen
  101. Lübeck
  102. Maritime Greenwich
  103. Belize Barrier Reef
  104. Great Barrier Reef
  105. West Norwegian Fjords
  106. Cuzco
  107. Mammoth Cave
  108. Aggtelek and Slovak Karst
  109. Skocjan Caves
  110. Ha Long Bay – Cat Ba Archipelago
  111. Yosemite National Park
  112. Sinharaja Forest
  113. Redwood
  114. Greater Blue Mountains
  115. Serengeti
  116. Ngorongoro
  117. Yellowstone
  118. Galapagos Islands
  119. Komodo National Park
  120. Site of Xanadu
  121. Van Nellefabriek
  122. Rjukan / Notodden
  123. Grand Canyon
  124. Monticello
  125. Museumsinsel (Museum Island)
  126. Champagne
  127. Muskauer Park
  128. Vegaøyan
  129. Garden Kingdom of Dessau-Wörlitz
  130. Blaenavon Industrial Landscape
  131. Lednice-Valtice Cultural Landscape
  132. Portovenere, Cinque Terre, and the Islands
  133. Loire Valley
  134. Costiera Amalfitana
  135. Sintra
  136. Thingvellir
  137. Santa Ana de los Rios de Cuenca
  138. Old Havana
  139. Old Town of Galle
  140. Quito
  141. Thracian tomb of Kazanlak
  142. Madara Rider
  143. Ir. D.F. Woudagemaal
  144. Curonian Spit
  145. Kinderdijk
  146. Sydney Opera House
  147. Rock-hewn Churches of Ivanovo
  148. Modena
  149. Medieval Monuments in Kosovo
  150. Notre-Dame Cathedral in Tournai
  151. Studenica Monastery
  152. Reichenau
  153. Pannonhalma
  154. Euphrasian Basilica in Porec
  155. Pilgrimage Church of Wies
  156. Boyana Church
  157. Monastery of Horezu
  158. Urnes Stave Church
  159. Churches of Peace
  160. Rila Monastery
  161. Cologne Cathedral
  162. Speyer Cathedral
  163. Luther Memorials
  164. Belem
  165. Westminster
  166. Mont-Saint-Michel
  167. Piazza del Duomo (Pisa)
  168. Vatican City
  169. Meteora
  170. Ravenna
  171. Blue and John Crow Mountains
  172. Daphni, Hosios Loukas and Nea Moni of Chios
  173. Mystras
  174. Early Christian Necropolis of Pécs
  175. Taj Mahal
  176. Pyramids (Memphis)
  177. Rangiri Dambulla Cave Temple
  178. Kandy
  179. Lumbini
  180. Sigiriya
  181. Kathmandu Valley
  182. Samarkand
  183. Medina of Marrakesh
  184. Syracuse
  185. Gamzigrad-Romuliana
  186. Pompei
  187. Villa Romana del Casale
  188. Butrint
  189. Epidaurus
  190. Archaeological Site of Delphi
  191. Temple of Apollo Epicurius at Bassae
  192. Agrigento
  193. Hierapolis-Pamukkale
  194. Acropolis
  195. Olympia
  196. Vineyard Landscape of Piedmont
  197. Saint-Emilion
  198. Lavaux, Vineyard Terraces
  199. Viñales Valley
  200. Mount Etna