Kyle Magnuson

United States of America \ Member since March 2010

#505 104 41 3

I live and work in Los Angeles, California, though I am originally from the Midwest. I graduated with a Bachelor's degree in History at the University of Wisconsin-Superior and a Master's degree in Teaching (Social Studies) from the University of Southern California (USC). As an undergraduate I completed coursework in China, Scotland, and Korea. As a member of AmeriCorps in my 20's, I provided educational services to communities throughout Los Angeles, which led to a career in Education. Today, I am a founding teacher at a middle school, where I teach United States History.

I have contributed an overabundance of information to the country page and forum for the Republic of Korea. I consider Korea to be one the great rewards for world heritage travelers. Firstly, a high number of accessible WHS reachable by efficient public transport. Secondly, excellent interpretation and management of each site, including translation. Lastly, the public awareness and domestic interest in world heritage in Korea is exceptional, including world heritage themed festivals and campaigns for aspiring nominations. 

I often travel plan and create lists/goals regarding future trips. While I'm not a completist World Heritage traveller, I certainly focus on World Heritage sites when planning. Listed below are the sites I hope to visit during the next few years.

My Flickr

Complete California

Next Trip December 2025: The Historic Town of St George and Related Fortifications, Bermuda

Next Trip March 2026: La Fortaleza and San Juan National Historic Site in Puerto Rico

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World Heritage Planning 2025-2035

Argentina/Uruguay/Brazil (9 WHS)

  • The Architectural Work of Le Corbusier (Argentina)
  • ESMA Museum and Site of Memory (Argentina)
  • Cordoba (Argentina)
  • Colonia del Sacramento (Uruguay)
  • Iguazu National Park (Argentina) *Top 100
  • Iguacu (Brazil) *Top 100
  • Rio de Janeiro (Brazil)
  • Valongo Wharf (Brazil)
  • Sítio Roberto Burle Marx (Brazil)

Australia (7 WHS)

  • K’gari Fraser Island (Queensland)
  • Gondwana Rainforests of Australia (Queensland)
  • Sydney Opera House (New South Wales)
  • Greater Blue Mountains Area (New South Wales)
  • Australian Convict Sites (New South Wales)
  • Royal Exhibition Building and Carlton Gardens (Victoria)
  • Budj Bim Cultural Landscape (Victoria)

Azores Portugal (1 WHS)

  • Central Zone of the Town of Angra do Heroismo in the Azores

Baja California Mexico (1 WHS)

  • Whale Sanctuary of El Vizcaino

Botswana/Namibia (3 WHS)

  • Okavango Delta *Top 100
  • Namib Sand Sea *Top 100
  • Twyfelfontein

Canada - East (9 WHS)

  • Grand Pré
  • Gros Morne National Park *Top 100
  • Joggins Fossil Cliffs
  • L'Anse aux Meadows
  • Mistaken Point
  • Old Québec
  • Old Town Lunenburg
  • Red Bay Basque Whaling Station
  • Rideau Canal

Canadian Prairie Provinces (4 WHS)

  • Writing-on-Stone / Áísínai’pi
  • Head-Smashed-In Buffalo Jump
  • Dinosaur Provincial Park
  • The Canadian Rocky Mountain Parks *Top 100

Caribbean (3 WHS)

  • Historic Bridgetown (Barbados)
  • Morne Trois Pitons (Dominica)
  • Volcanoes and Forests of Mount Pelée and the Pitons of Northern Martinique (France)

China via Shanghai (3 WHS)

  • Classical Gardens of Suzhou
  • The Grand Canal
  • Migratory Bird Sanctuaries

China via Shenyang (1 WHS)

  • Capital Cities and Tombs of the Ancient Koguryo Kingdom

France (9 WHS)

  • The Architectural Work of Le Corbusier
  • Routes of Santiago de Compostela in France
  • Chartres Cathedral
  • The Palace and Park of Fontainebleau
  • Roman Theatre and its Surroundings and the "Triumphal Arch" of Orange
  • Historic Centre of Avignon: Papal Palace, Episcopal Ensemble and Avignon Bridge
  • Pont du Gard (Roman Aqueduct)
  • Maison Carrée de Nîmes
  • Arles, Roman and Romanesque Monuments

Ghana/South Africa via Cape Town (2 WHS)

  • Forts and Castles, Central Region (Ghana) *Cape Coast/Elmina
  • Cape Floral Region
  • Robben Island

Gulf States (7 WHS)

  • Qal'at al-Bahrain (Bahrain)
  • Pearling, Testimony of an Island Economy (Bahrain)
  • Dilmun Burial Mounds (Bahrain)
  • Aflaj Irrigation System (Oman)
  • Bahla Fort (Oman)
  • Bat, Al-Khutm and Al-Ayn (Oman)
  • Al Zubarah Archaeological Site (Qatar)

India - Western Coast, Sri Lanka & Seychelles (12 WHS)

  • Victorian Gothic and Art Deco Ensemble of Mumbai (India)
  • Chhatrapati Shivaji Terminus (India)
  • Elephanta Caves (India)
  • Churches and Convents of Goa (India)
  • Valley de Mai Nature Reserve (Seychelles)
  • Sacred City of Kandy (Sri Lanka)
  • Old Town of Galle and its Fortifications (Sri Lanka)
  • Central Highlands (Sri Lanka)
  • Rangiri Dambulla Cave Temple (Sri Lanka)
  • Ancient City of Sigiriya (Sri Lanka)
  • Ancient City of Polonnaruwa (Sri Lanka)
  • Sacred City of Anuradhapura (Sri Lanka)

Japan (9 WHS)

ICN Flight to Tokyo

  • National Museum of Western Art (Le Corbusier)
  • Shrines and Temples of Nikko
  • Mount Fuji
  • Historic Villages of Shirakawa-go and Gokayama 
  • Hiraizumi Temples and Gardens

Busan to Fukuoka Ferry

  • Hidden Christian Sites in the Nagasaki Region
  • Sites of Japan's Meiji Industrial Revolution
  • Yakushima

ICN Flight to Hokkaido

  • Shiretoko

Jordan (4 WHS)

  • Petra *Top 100
  • Umm al-Jimal
  • Um er-Rasas (Kastron Mefa'a)
  • Wadi Rum Protected Area

Mongolia (2 WHS)

  • Deer Stone Monuments
  • Orkhon Valley Cultural Landscape

Nordic/Baltic Nations (9 WHS)

  • Visby (Sweden)
  • Karlskrona (Sweden)
  • Birka and Hovgarden (Sweden)
  • Fortress of Suomenlinna (Finland)
  • Tallinn (Estonia) *ferry from Helsinki
  • Struve Geodetic Arc - Tartu Observatory (Estonia)

Sweden via driving *Malmö to Oslo

  • Grimeton Radio Station (Sweden)
  • Rock Carvings in Tanum (Sweden)

Train from Oslo

  • Bryggen (Norway)

Northern Mexico via driving (1 WHS)

  • Nuevo Casas Grandes: Archaeological Zone of Paquimé

Rwanda/Zambia (3 WHS)

  • Memorial sites of the Genocide (Rwanda)
  • Nyungwe National Park (Rwanda)
  • Victoria Falls *Top 100 

Sicily - Malta - Tunisia (11 WHS)

  • Late Baroque Towns of the Val di Noto (Italy)
  • Mount Etna (Italy)
  • Syracuse and the Rocky Necropolis of Pantalica (Italy)
  • Villa Romana del Casale (Italy)
  • City of Valletta (Malta)
  • Megalithic Temples (Malta)
  • Hal Saflieni Hypogeum (Malta)
  • Isole Eolie (Italy)
  • Arab-Norman Palermo and the Cathedral Churches of Cefalú and Monreale (Italy)
  • Medina of Tunis (Tunisia)
  • Archaeological Site of Carthage (Tunisia)

Slovenia/Italy (3 WHS)

  • The Works of Jože Plečnik in Ljubljana (Slovenia)
  • Škocjan Caves (Slovenia)
  • Venice (Italy) *Top 100

Southern Spain (4 WHS)

  • Historic Centre of Cordoba *Top 100
  • Caliphate City of Medina Azahara
  • Cathedral, Alcazar and Archivo de Indias in Seville *Top 100
  • Alhambra, Generalife and Albayzin, Granada *Top 100

Thailand/Cambodia (5 WHS)

  • Historic City of Ayutthaya (Thailand)
  • The Ancient Town of Si Thep (Thailand)
  • Dong Phayayen - Khao Yai Forest Complex (Thailand)
  • Angkor (Cambodia) *Top 100
  • Koh Ker (Cambodia)

United Kingdom (12 WHS)

  • Flow Country
  • The Heart of Neolithic Orkney
  • Frontiers of the Roman Empire
  • Durham Castle and Cathedral
  • City of Bath
  • Great Spa Towns of Europe
  • Stonehenge
  • Kew Gardens
  • Westminster
  • Tower of London
  • Maritime Greenwich
  • Blenheim Palace

United States/Canada (2 WHS)

  • Alaska: Glacier Parks / Wrangell-St. *Top 100
  • Canada: Tr’ondëk-Klondike

Yucatán Peninsula Mexico via train (6 WHS)

  • Sian Ka'an
  • Pre-Hispanic City of Chichen-Itza *Top 100
  • Pre-Hispanic Town of Uxmal
  • Historic Fortified Town of Campeche
  • Pre-Hispanic City and National Park of Palenque *Top 100
  • Ancient Maya City of Calakmul, Campeche *Top 100

Travel Plans [Country List]

My most impressive site: Yellowstone, Machu Picchu

Recent Visits
  • 9
    6
    July 10, 2025
    Korea - Summer 2025: Ancient Mountain Fortresses in Central Korea, Capital Fortifications of Hanyang, Changdeokgung …
  • 4
    1
    June 19, 2025
    Southeast Asia - Summer 2025: Bali Subak system, FRIM Selangor, Melaka and George Town ...
  • 5
    0
    Dec. 15, 2024
    Spain - Christmas Season 2024: Mudejar Architecture of Aragon, Palau de la Musica Catalana & …
Completed Countries

About Kyle Magnuson

Member since
March 2010
Country of Origin
United States of America
Visits
Rank
#505
WHS
104
Tentative Sites
41
Website Participation
Reviews
151
Ratings

Ratings

World Heritage Sites
Tentative Sites
101 40
Locations
93
Zones
0
Reserved for members.

Reviews by Kyle Magnuson

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Fern Canyon (Redwoods)

Redwood (Inscribed)

Like Walking into a Primeval Forest

Following the previous days 11 hour drive from Los Angeles, visiting Redwood National Park is a challenge because of its remote location. (5 hrs drive north from San Francisco) Nevertheless, …

Everglades (KJM)

Everglades (Inscribed)

Wet Prarie

As I had plenty of time in Southern Florida in December 2011, I made three excursions into Everglades National Park. First I visited Shark Valley and walked more than half …

San Agustin Intramuros (KJM)

Baroque Churches (Inscribed)

San Agustin Church: Intramuros Manila

While in Manila for a brief time, my short excursion into Intramuros was enjoyable. Like others have mentioned, Manila is a somewhat chaotic city and San Agustin Church provides a …

Oeam Village Houses (KJM)

Oeam Village (On tentative list)

Joseon Farm Village

Oeam village is a beautiful small village, whose inhabitants are largely in the 60+ range. The village is not really a tourist site, more being an actual old village which …

El Nido Protected Area - Bacuit Bay (KJM)

El Nido-Taytay Protected Area (On tentative list)

Northern Palawan: El Nido & Taytay Municipality

The coast and archipelago's of El Nido and Taytay municipalities are certainly noteworthy for their biodiversity, habitat, and beauty. Yet, this promising nomination (in theory) has been stagnating on the …

Upo Wetland (KJM)

Upo Wetland (On tentative list)

Changnyeong Biosphere Reserve

I was pleasantly suprised by Upo. I honestly did not know what to expect. No one in Korea I knew ever visited Upo marsh, while only a few had even …

Namhansanseong (KJM)

Namhansanseong (Inscribed)

The Severing of the Ming and Joseon Alliance

This is where Joseon paid for its loyalty and mutual bond with the Ming Dynasty. A national disaster, the siege at Namhansanseong ended in a bitter defeat. Hostages were taken …

Goseong Dinosaur Footprints (KJM)

Sites of fossilized dinosaurs (On tentative list)

The Cretaceous Dinosaur Footprints in Korea

The Korean Cretaceous Dinosaur Coast or (KCDC) was nominated under criterion (viii) in 2009. While the nomination was rejected by IUCN, more than a decade later more more dinosaur footprints …

Baekje Fortress (KJM)

Baekje Historic Areas (Inscribed)

Three Kingdoms Period: Baekje's Capitals

To be honest, this world heritage site has one of the lowest overall scores within our community and I think I know why. I believe this is because instead of …

Ondal Sanseong (KJM)

Ancient Mountain Fortresses i… (On tentative list)

Strategic Interior Fortresses

Anyone familiar with Korea and its long history will know there are an incredible amount of fortresses in Korea. Current estimates number in the thousands. (Off course varying degrees of …

Sinan Getbol (KJM)

Getbol, Korean Tidal Flats (Inscribed)

Korea's West Coast

My two visits to inscribed getbol were lovely and a photographer's dream. However, I also want to share how my experience could have been greatly enhanced. Firstly, both components I …

Naganeupseong (KJM)

Naganeupseong (On tentative list)

Representative Korean Eupseong

Naganeup village has two defining characteristics. It is not a village of the aristocracy, but one of the common people, with thatched roofs and simple stone walls. The second important …

Petrified Forest National Park (KJM)

Petrified Forest National Park (On tentative list)

Hillsides Covered in Petrified Wood

The Petrified Forest is surreal. You might imagine the surface of another planet would look like this. The landscape is desolate yet beautiful. The fascinating petrified wood is scattered everywhere. …

Haeinsa Temple Woodblocks (KJM)

Haeinsa Temple (Inscribed)

The Depository of the Tripitaka Koreana

One of the great temples in Korea, Haeinsa is located in Gayasan National Park about an hour Southwest of Daegu. The temple itself is worth exploring, but the woodblocks is …

Jongmyo Shrine (KJM)

Jongmyo Shrine (Inscribed)

Confucian Royal Ancestral Shrine

What makes Jongmyo Shrine special is it's unique architecture and peacefulness. The site is a splendid place to take a walk, or as a quite spot for reflection. This site …

Hwasun Dolmen (KJM)

Gochang, Hwasun, and Ganghwa … (Inscribed)

Korea's Megalithic Culture

Korea's Dolmen WHS has long been the lowest rated site in Korea. My theory is there are three reasons for this. Firstly, I think Korea has struggled to show off …

Historic Areas of Istanbul (KJM)

Istanbul (Inscribed)

Seat of the Byzantines and the Ottomans

Ranked within our community as one of the Top 25 WHS, Istanbul remains a deeply rewarding city to visit. Collectively over two visits (16 years apart), I've spent about a …

Mammoth Cave (KJM)

Mammoth Cave (Inscribed)

Worth Exploring Below & Above Ground

As of September 2022, Mammoth Cave includes a total of 426 miles (685 km). In the IUCN evaluation (1981) the total cave system was listed at 190 miles (306 …

Bulguksa Temple Entrance (KJM)

Seokguram Grotto and Bulguksa… (Inscribed)

Korea's 1st World Heritage Site

A trip to Gyeongju is not complete without a visit to at least one of these two Buddhist treasures. Seokguram Grotto is a masterpiece of Silla artistry, while Bulguksa is …

Historic Centre of Lima (KJM)

Lima (Inscribed)

Expanded Historic Centre

Updated Review: January 2024

For visitors to Lima, the new 2023 Map will come in useful! The map of the inscribed area is 18.5 ha larger than the 2013 map …

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