Niah Caves (T)

Frederik Dawson Netherlands - 21-Jul-24

With Niah’s UNESCO inscription means Malaysia have two paleontology sites making this country to be on the same league with South Africa and Ethiopia on center of humankind evolution study, something remarkable and mind-blowing facts you have never expected from this Southeast Asian country. Also with this inscription, Miri, the capital of Malaysian petroleum production, becomes the gateway of two World Heritage Sites, and surely will become the tourism center of Sarawak. After underwhelming experience at Lenggong Valley, I hoped that Niah will not be the same.

El Tajin

3.00 Clyde Malta - 12-Jul-24

I visited El Tajin in March 2024 just before the Cumbre Tajin event and after a very near miss during COVID-19 times. All COVID restrictions have been lifted although the local museum on-site is closed more often than not due to the never-ending protests and strikes. Although this WHS does not receive the same amount of tourists as Teotihuacan or Chichen Itza, after renting a car in Mexico City the night before, I decided to rest at a motel just outside Papantla just a few kilometres away from the ruins to head there first thing in the morning. Surrounding the ruins are tobacco fields, banana plantations, apiaries and vanilla groves.

Classical Gardens of Suzhou

3.50 Shwabb1 - 15-Jul-24

I've visited the Humble Administrator's Garden in spring a few years ago, and it left a good impression. This weekend I re-visited it – apparently in peak season, according to the tickets – and, unsurprisingly, it was very crowded. Either way, this one seems to have the most reviews so I’ll focus on other gardens I visited instead. 

Nearby is the Lion Grove Garden. It is significantly smaller than the Humble Administrator’s, but interesting nonetheless. As soon as you enter, you will notice them: the rockeries. A LOT of rockeries. Clearly, they are the major landscaping feature of this garden

Great Smoky Mountains

4.00 Digits Ireland - 14-Jul-24

Three generations of my family visited the Great Smoky Mountains at the beginning of June 2024, being in almost the four corners of the national park over four days out of our 10 day trip across Tennessee. This provided us the opportunity to take in the expanse of “scenic vistas of characteristic mist-shrouded mountains”, the “clear running streams” and the ancient and ecologically rich woodlands that see this site inscribed under four natural criteria. 

We flew into Knoxville, rented a car (is there any other option?), entered the park through the Townsend / Wear Valley direction before embarking on a 31 mile trip along the Foothills Parkway which closely matches the boundary of the park and racks up plenty of the aforementioned scenic vistas. One of them is Look Rock Tower which is actually an air pollution monitoring station needed due to extensive coal power plants in the Tennessee Valley. Since 2023, it is now required to have an official paid parking tag matched to a license plate number to park anywhere in the national park for longer than 15 minutes

Jodensavanne

Patrik Netherlands - 07-Jul-24

There is a bus from Paramaribo 3 or 4 times a week, leaving for Casipora at 8.30h. It passes right by the access road to the Jodensavanne and takes around 2 hours, including a shopping stop of about 20 minutes at a Chinese supermarket along the way.

The driver told me the return bus passes around 12.10h but when I left Jodensavanne at noon, the caretaker said the bus will only pass the police checkpoint, which is close to the bridge over the Suriname river. So I walked there, arriving around 12.20 and waited and waited until a car stopped around 12.50h and asked me where I am going, and took me back to Paramaribo.

Evaporitic Karst and Caves

2.50 Clyde Malta - 12-Jul-24

I visited this WHS in June 2023. Since I visited before inscription I wasn't sure which components would be inscribed or left out, so to be on the safe side I picked the 200 million year old circa Triassic Gypsums (Gessi Triassici) evaporite karsts around the Alta Valle Secchia component, making sure to visit the Tanone Grande-Tanone Piccolo cave system which is mentioned quite a number of times in the nomination dossier. Not being a speleologist and usually not so comfortable in claustrophobic crawling and messy activities in muddy terrain, my target was to safely get to the entrance of the caves alone and explore a small area which is clearly in the core zone (a headlamp and a hard hat are a must).

City of Bath

4.00 Elena Y Ireland - 11-Jul-24

We visited Bath by way of the beautiful Bristol Temple Meads station in February for our anniversary. It's not the best time to see it, as anyone familiar with the wet weather of these isles could surmise, but it was an enriching time nonetheless. When the sun did decide to rear its head on the last of three days, the already beautiful Georgian architecture became all the better. Our first stop was the famed Royal Crescent, more precisely the No. 1 Town House exhibit. It's an odd visit with projections and dialogue from actors playing historical inhabitants, which does at least make it stand out from the myriad other preserved houses that the UK has (YMMV on how tacky it is, I found it as tasteful as something of that nature can be)

Tusi Sites

3.00 Els Slots The Netherlands - 11-Jul-24

As it has been 5 years already since the last review, I can provide some updated information on visiting the location of Laosicheng – the "Machu Picchu of China".

When doing it all on public transport, be aware that it takes a full day from Zhangjiajie. The return trip (including 2-3 hours at the site) takes 9 hours at best; leaving 10+ hours between your departure from Zhangjiajie and any onward transport from that city upon return is even better.

I started from Zhangjiajie bus station (next to the Central Railway Station), where at 7.30 I caught the minibus to Yongshun (2h15)

Central Amazon Conservation Complex

Patrik Netherlands - 06-Jul-24

I hadn't intended to review this site but after reading Frédéric's review I thought I will add mine as well as there are both similarities and a few differences that may be of interest to others. I visited the site end of June 2024.

I took the night boat from Iquitos to the [...]

Giant's Causeway

3.00 Solivagant UK - 11-Jul-24

In May 2024 we revisited the Giants Causeway (GC) for the first time in many years. There is a confusing range of logistical/cost options/issues for a visit and, since 6 of the 10 reviews currently here predate the opening of the Visitor Centre (VC) in 2012 which created a new situation, and the others don’t address the options, it seems worthwhile trying to clarify matters as of our visit. I concentrate on those for arriving by car but some will also apply to those traveling by Bus/Train/Coach/Bike. 

St.Georges Anglican Cathedral (T)

Patrik Netherlands - 02-Jul-24

I visited the Cathedral on a Friday just after 13.00h, it was probably still open after the noon mass, as the lady was closing up. I walked by also on Saturday and Sunday but everything seemed closed (and almost everything in Georgetown is closed on Sunday).

The renovations are finished and the whiteness on the outside is dazzling, except for the steeple. Perhaps they overdid things at the start and ran out of paint.

I walked around for several hours outside in Georgetown taking pictures with my old phone and did not feel unsafe at all, so it seems things have changed for the better.

Sheikh Abdullah Al-Jabir Palace (T)

CugelVance Germany - 16-Jun-24

I visited this site in late february 2023.The Sheikh Abdullah Al Jaber Palace (Diwan Khaz'aal) was incredibly difficult to find....why???

Well,first of all it is fenced off,but that is not the real reason why it is so inaccessible.

First things first. the palace,or better its ruins,are clearly visible from the viewing platform of one of the water towers (3 towers near the ocean and in front of the Kuwait Aqua Park) near the Dasman Palace

Andrefana Dry Forests

5.00 Randi Thomsen Norway - 07-Jul-24

Els has covered this site pretty good, but we like to add a few comments. 

First of all, what an adventure to get here! We really enjoyed the drive through wonderful lansdscape, small villages and the river crossings. We stayed three nights, two days and did the Grand Tsingy first. For the Grand Tsingy, our guide convinced us to do the Grand tour, combining circuit Ranotsara, Broadway and Andamozavaky. It will take about 6-7 hours and almost no one does it. And he was right, we didn’t meet any other people until at the end. The route adds one more viewpoint and a hanging bridge. And as Els explained, we used harness to clip on to safety ropes, up ladders and stepping stones,  climbing our way to the top. I am impressed how they made this marvelous rocky terrain available to «common people»

Guanacaste

Patrik Netherlands - 02-Jul-24

I stayed three nights in Liberia in March 2024 and used the full first day to visit the Rincon de la Torre national park. I took an uber taxi there for around $22. The driver gave me his number in case I needed a pickup for the way back at the going rate of $30.

One has to book the tickets online, they cannot be bought at the park itself, though there is wifi and it shouldn't be a problem to book there for the same day.

I was there a bit before 8am and I had to wait to be registered. It was a windy day and I started off with the trail to the waterfalls. There are several karst phenomena, such as an underground river shortly coming to surface.

Seaflower Marine Protected Area (T)

Frédéric M Canada - 30-Jun-24

I visited San Andrés Island in February 2024 during my trip to Colombia. I spent four nights there. After the arrival day (from Cartagena), the next three were scheduled for scuba diving. I flied back to the continent to Medellín.

For my first day of scuba diving, following the recommendation of a diver I met in Cartagena, I opted for Sharky Diving

Trading town of Julfar (T)

CugelVance Germany - 16-Jun-24

Of the four components of the tentative WHS "Trading town of Julfar", I only visited the old town of the Emirate of Ras Al-Khaimah, where the Sheikh Al Quasimi Mosque is located, the National Museum of Ras Al-Khaimah, and the port area.

I visited that area in february 2023 after I had visited another nearby tentative whs site,the Jazīrat al Ḩamrā pearling town.

I took the bus from Jazeera al-Hamra bus stop and got off at the  Corniche Al Qasimi bus [...]

Yogyakarta

2.50 Elis - 23-Jun-24

The site was a bit of a challenging visit, mostly because of the palace. A significant portion of the front area was under renovation, which made navigating the entrance quite confusing. There was no clear signage and at the ticket purchase point someone dressed as Spiderman along with a local tried directing us to an alternative entrance, it all felt a bit like a fever dream. We did manage to get the right tickets in the end.

Once inside the palace grounds, we saw the main pavilions at the back and the museum. But as Frédéric M mentions the lack of info made it difficult to understand the relevance of the things on display

Arequipa

3.00 Ilya Burlak USA - 02-Jul-24

I visited Arequipa in May of 2024, possibly very close to the time that Dennis was there as well, and truth be told, I have little to add to his review. Arequipa is a type of town I usually label "not without interest" - a different way of saying "pleasant but not exceptional". The volcano peaks and the volcanic rock material used in construction add a bit of appeal. Mestizo Baroque church portals offer occasional eye-catching details, as do a number of buildings within the historic core grid. The overall ensemble, though, is no more than fine.

Talamanca Range-La Amistad Reserves

Patrik Netherlands - 02-Jul-24

When I started to look into the possibilities to visit one of the national parks, the climb up to Chirripo came out as the most attractive option. To properly enjoy the guarrapo, a principal characteristic of the world heritage site, one needs an overnight at the mountain guesthouse. When I checked the site around New Year, there was just one night available in March. I booked this quickly and then planned the rest of my trip around it.

One first books and pays the park entrance at the SINAC website, then one sends a whatsapp message to the mountain hut organisation with the SINAC reservation number

Central Amazon Conservation Complex

3.00 Frédéric M Canada - 30-Jun-24

I worked hard to find an affordable way to visit this WHS. First, I contacted various tour operators in Manaus to inquire about a boat trip lasting a few days. However, I couldn't find any offer that didn't involve chartering an entire boat at an outrageous price. I then evaluated the possibility of spending a few days in a lodge rather than on a boat. Once again, the price put me off. I have the impression that the Uakari Lodge visited by Els would have been an excellent choice, but the price was high, and the logistics of getting to the lodge complicated matters considerably. Indeed, my Amazon journey didn't begin in Manaus.

Jazirat Al-Hamra (T)

CugelVance Germany - 16-Jun-24

I visited the Al Jazeera Al Hamra Heritage Village in February 2023. I was on the way from the emirate of Sharjah to the emirate of Ras al Khaimah, the last emirate in the United Emirates that I had not yet visited. The bus stopped at the bus stop Jazeera al Hamra and several passengers left the bus; I decided very spontaneously to get out there, too. According to the schedule, I had two hours until the next bus. I bought a bottle of water in a small shop opposite the bus stop and walked for about 35 minutes in hot temperatures through dusty and fairly deserted streets. You hardly saw anyone, and when you did, they were foreign workers from India or Bangla Desh

Great Wall

4.50 Tony H. Finland - 28-Jun-24

Last review of the Great Wall on this site is from 2016 so I guess it's good to update how things look like at the wall in the 2020s. I visited the Badaling section of the wall in June 2024.

I took the high speed train from Beijing's Qinghe station which has the most of the high speed departures to Badaling. You can also depart from the Beijing North station. Tickets are very affordable, 20 RMB at the cheapest (one way)! You can book the train tickets even just the day before if you're visiting on a weekday. I booked both the train tickets and the Great Wall tickets through Trip.com on the Alipay app few days in advance. High speed trains have their own station at Badaling and when you exit the train station, you'll see the cable cars that will take you to the up to the north section of the wall. If you want to walk up the wall, you need to go to the opposite direction from the station and walk through the bus parking lot towards the main gate of the wall

The Ancient City of Sardis and the Lydian Tumuli of Bin Tepe (T)

Hubert Austria - 23-Jun-24

Ancient Sardis is best known for Croesus, the last king of Lydia, and his legendary wealth. Already in ancient times, Lydia was associated with immense wealth. Whether King Croesus was really the richest man of his time has not been proven. Perhaps this attribute is rather a symbol for the introduction of gold coins, which is attributed to the Lydians. The supposedly oldest gold coin was found during excavations in Sardis. But if you visit Sardis to find traces of its former glory, you may be disappointed. The present-day town of Sart does not exude any flair of pomp and wealth.Ancient Sardis and the Tumuli of Bin Tepe are nominated for decision in 2025. And I guess that an inscription is verly likely

Sangiran Early Man Site

2.00 Elis - 23-Jun-24

I went here on a day trip from Yogyakarta, only visiting the main museum called Museum Manusia Purba Sangiran.

The museum was ok, nothing great, and I would probably be rating this much lower had I already been familiar with the subject matter, but it was cool to go in somewhat blindly and see the skulls, learn about the excavations, etc. for the first time. There are about 3-4 different rooms/halls some of which (particularly the 1st and last) are very focused on homo erectus as well as other animal remains, fossils, etc. I seem to remember the 2nd room being a bit of a mess, my memory fails me a bit but there were a lot of random displays about anything from climate change to Immanuel Kant in here

Dazu Rock Carvings

4.00 Frederik Dawson Netherlands - 22-Jun-24

After great time in Xiannvshan visiting Three Natural Bridges and Furong Cave, parts of the UNESCO listed South China Karst, we made a day trip with guide from Chongqing to Dazu for another World Heritage Site. At the outer entrance of Dazu, literally means big foot but also means plentiful land, we had to choose between 30-minute walk to the real entrance or 10-minute ride on electric golf cart, we easily chose the latter. Along the way crossing the large buffer zone, we saw impressive building museum, Chinese temple styled halls, Chinese Buddhist statues, gardens, so big so grand that almost like a pathway to imperial palace!

Great Smoky Mountains

5.00 Ted Coombs United States - 20-Jun-24

I love the Great Smoky Mountains. The best time to visit is in June when you can view the synchronized fireflies. This is an unforgettable experience. Camping there is also a great experience. The mountains are beautiful with an abundance of local wildlife. You will often see elk, and an occassional bear. It is conveniently located near resort towns that are also fun to visit.

Rostov Kremlin (T)

CugelVance Germany - 16-Jun-24

I visited the quiet and pleasant little town of Veliky Rostov on a sunny and mild summer day in June 2018 during the Football World Cup in Russia.
I took the train from Jaroslavl early in the morning to V.Rostov train station. From there I walked past the Church of St.Nicolas ("Храм Николая Чудотворца На Всполье") to my accommodation, a beautiful old palace that was converted into a hotel.
Shortly afterwards I went into the city center to the Rostov Kremlin...to be honest, my jaw dropped when I saw this fantastically beautiful Kremlin...delightful...like something out of a fairy tale...a true joy and feast for the eyes...absolutely impressive.

Construction de la Co-principauté d’Andorre (A) (T)

James F United Kingdom - 14-Jun-24

Visited June 2024.

Many other reviewers have inadvertently visited one of the proposed locations for this site in Andorra, although noone yet on the Casa de la Vall, which is what I will focus on here.

The proposed OUV of this site has to do with the establishment of a "peaceful state in the Pyrenees." The historical accidents that led to the statehood of the Co-Principality of Andorra are doubtless interesting, but don't seem to me to reflect any unique interchange of values or real that would constitute OUV... I still think a couple of these places are worth a visit if/when you're in Andorra... if only to keep your sanity in the discount mall/duty-free area/tacky firearm shop zone of the capital!!!

Yogyakarta

3.50 Lithobates Canada - 12-Jun-24

Visit date(s): Wednesday, September 20, 2023. The same week, possibly even the same day, that the site was inscribed!
Nearby sites on trip: Borobudur, Sangiran Early Man Site, Prambanan 
Overnight location: We left Borobudur that morning and stayed 3 nights just NE of Pasar Beringharjo after.

Location(s):

Parts of outer walls, gates and fortifications

Tomioka Silk Mill

2.50 Svein Elias Norway - 18-Jun-24

It’s satisfying being positively surprised by a site, like we did on one of this lesser-known sub site of Tomioka Silk Mill!

According to our Japan quest of July 2023 we were going to visit Tomioka round halfway in our Honshu train crossing from northeast to southwest. But as the weather forecast didn’t agree, we skipped the site and went for nicer weather further southwest. Thus, this site was visited on our last full day in Japan as a day trip from Tokio. Our Japan Rail Pass took us easily to Takasaki. We considered using the non-JRP railway to Tomioka, but since we were two and we wanted to visit all the four sites we chose a rental car. We were certain that six hours with a car would be sufficient for the task, but … we were so wrong.

Vegaøyan

2.00 Els Slots The Netherlands - 25-Jun-24

Late June is when the young eider ducks first go swimming with their mums. I had hoped to see some moving around between the small islands and skerries that characterize the Vegaøyan landscape known as 'Strandflat'. But it was not to be, and neither did I see any Stone Age graves. I may have spotted an Eider house from a distance on one of the islands (it may just have been a pile of wood as well), and I did pass a few interesting older farmhouses on my 9km walk up from Rørøy ferry dock to the Vega World Heritage Center. It is mostly the landscape though that is memorable and the ferry ride alone makes a trip worthwhile.

Lima

3.00 Ilya Burlak USA - 12-Jun-24

My trip to Peru in May 2024 had two full-day bookends in Lima, which gave me plenty of time to explore the historic center. I share the opinion that you can find more impressive ensembles elsewhere. "Ensemble" is the key word here. While there are plenty of eye-catching details, they do not add up to a consistent overall picture. Nor is there a killer must-see feature, as has already been stated.

Plaza de Armas and the San Francisco Convent are the main attractions, and the library at Santo Domingo is as impressive as any old library elsewhere

Purnululu National Park

4.00 DannyB Australia - 10-Jun-24

Some Sites it is the Destination itself, however the Purnululu National Park is a combination of the journey and the destination.  There are a number of ways to get to Purnululu, although Kununurra in Western Australia is the easiest gateway.  We chose to drive there, however, many fly into Kununurra and hire a car to travel to the site or chose to fly to or over the site from Kununurra.  A high clearance 4wd vehicle is essential to visit the site, otherwise you will not be able to get there at all.  The first 220 kilometres is all bitumen paved road and will take you about 2 hours until you turn left onto the unpaved dirt road to Purnululu National Park.  The Visitor Centre is 56 kilometres in and this journey will take you about the same time of 2 hours

Mudejar Architecture of Aragon

2.50 Hubert Austria - 11-Jun-24

It is funny that the last review of this WHS is my own from 2014 about Zaragoza. And now, ten years later, after having completed this serial WHS, I can report on my visit to Teruel. And of course, the question arises which of the two cities is the more worthwhile destination? Both have their highlights and complement each other well. Zaragoza stands out with the Aljafería Palace and its painted wooden ceilings, typical elements of the Mudéjar style. In Teruel, it's all about the bell towers, or more precisely, their exterior decorations.

The Architectural Work of Le Corbusier

2.00 James F United Kingdom - 09-Jun-24

Visited March 2024.

I visited the Cité Frugès in Pessac while living in Bordeaux, which is what my review will focus on. I don't think it's worth coming here just for Le Corbusier, but it's worth the half-day detour for those travellers who're in Bordeaux as a base for other sites in the area.

As a new(-er) community member who's benefited immensely from previous reviewers, I'm continuing my mission to provide some 2024 updates to sites that others may not have visited in some time.

Tet el Bad (T)

Weecheng Singapore - 08-Jun-24

Tet el Bad is a very strange Unesco tentative site. It is a rectangular stone coffin or sarcophagus located on top of a raised platform behind the chiefs’ meeting house in Ollei traditional village in Ngarchelong State. The stone coffin is a fine example of expert carving of a sarcophagus with both the casket and the lid made of andesite rock. The coffin has a length of 233 centimeters and a width 66 centimeters and a height of 40 centimeters.No human remains have been found inside, leading to speculation about whether it was ever used or if the remains were removed or decayed beyond recognition. The absence of inscriptions or artifacts within the coffin leaves its story untold

Saryarka

3.00 Els Slots The Netherlands - 05-Jun-24

One of the best things about using WHS as your travel compass is that it sometimes pushes you to go somewhere that seems inconvenient and involves a subject you have no interest in. And after you complete that visit, you are glad you did it. That was how it went with my June 2024 visit to Saryarka, the WHS of Steppe and Lakes.

The Korgalzhyn Nature Reserve (the most accessible part of Saryarka) superficially has a similar geographical position to the Kazakh capital Astana as Tanbaly WHS has to Kazakhstan's second city Almaty

Cuetzalan and its Historical, Cultural and Natural Surrounding (T)

Jarek Pokrzywnicki Polska - 07-Jun-24

Cuetzalan or Cuetzalan del Progreso – site visited in February, 2024.

On a map it looks as nice stopover while travelling from Mexico City to El Tajin. It is a bit more than 300 km from MEX airport but since the roads are not perfect and you drive partly through the mountains it took around 8 hours to get there (instead of 5 - 6 as shown in navigation). In fact it was one of the worst road I have encountered in Mexico (so many holes in asphalted roads, speed bumps while driving through populated areas – some of them require speed of 10 km/h and they not always marked). All in all not recommended to get there in the night.

South China Karst

4.00 Frederik Dawson Netherlands - 07-Jun-24

Almost exactly 14 years after I visited Shilin near Kunming, one of the most famous parts of this World Heritage Site, I had a chance to visit Wulong Karst and got a glimpse of Jinfoshan Karst during my trip to Chongqing. For Wulong Karst I only saw 2 of its components, the Three Natural Bridges and Furong Cave. Like Wulingyuan that tourism industry people prefer to call it Zhangjiajie, Wulong Karst is known as Xiannvshan or Fairies Mountains after the nearby booming tourist town that full of fake European especially Italian architectural style bungalows. From the big pyramid shaped tourist center there are frequent bus services to the Three Natural Bridges, the most well known and most visited part of Wulong.

Tiwanaku

3.50 Dennis Nicklaus - 05-Jun-24

There's just enough left of the Tiwanaku site that I was able to get a decent appreciation for this ancient culture. The museums are very well done, featuring several impressive stone sculptures.  The highlight of the museums is the Bennett Monolith, an amazing 7-meter tall statue in excellent condition after over 2000 years.  It survived the Spanish by being buried until rediscovered in the 1930s. Out in the main site, we started our tour at the Akapana Pyramid which gives a nice overview of the site.  While the Sun Gate on the Kalasasaya courtyard is probably the most famous artifact here, I really liked the semi-subterranean temple.  This sunken area is where the Bennett Monolith was found

Rock Art of the Mediterranean Basin

1.00 CugelVance Germany - 02-Jun-24

I visited the pedra de les orenetes on tuesday,the 28th of may. I am no aficionado of rock art sites. Thats for sure! However,the pedra de les orenetes site really suprised me in a very positive way.

But first things first I took the bus nr.500 at exactly 8.45 near the metro station "Artigues/Sant Adria in Barcelona. The bus was punctual and on the minute. Luckily, I arrived at the supposed bus stop around 15 minutes earlier.....well, I couldnt find the bus stop...it was not  there where it was supposed to be according to google.I asked some locals but nobody had an idea where that bus stop could be.I was running out of time when I discovered the thin pole with the timetable of the bus 500.That pole was the bus stop. Actually,it is only 50 meters away from the place indicated by google,but bloody difficult to find as the time table can only be seen if you walk on the street and not from the side walk

Orkhon Valley

3.00 Christravelblog Netherlands - 03-Jun-24

VISIT: LATE NOVEMBER 2023

Orkhon Valley has been covered a couple of times in reviews but never in winter. I made a combined visit with the Deer Stones at Khoid Tamir valley. I did not stay overnight in Karakorum but visited two places. Balgas Ordu Baliq on my way from Ulaanbaatar to Tsetserleg and the Erdene Zuu Monastery on the way back. The roads are well paved and also cleaned if there is snow but still in winter the drive takes long.

Balgas Ordu Baliq can only be reached in winter if there is not fresh snowfall and you can see the tracks of others. As, it's off-road and if you do not see where you go you will get stuck in a ditch in no time

Cultural landscape of Bač (T)

Szucs Tamas Hungary - 05-Jun-24

Bač - to my surprise - is next year's candidate for the World Heritage List for Serbia. It was to be expected, as they already tried in 2023, but the very fact that this sleepy little town has been targeted for Serbian heritage protection agency is thought-provoking. There are many truly outstanding sites in the country, from Lepenski Vir to the synagogue in Subotica, that are not even on the tentative list. Bac is neither a tourist site nor a historically significant one. There are quite a few castles like Bač on the territory of historic Hungary, and the only one that has made the World Heritage List is the castle of Spis

Medina of Tétouan

3.00 CugelVance Germany - 02-Jun-24

I stayed in Tetuan from april the 15th to april the 17th,2024,two nights. I had been to Marrakech's(4 days) ,Meknes(2 days)',Rabat's(2 days),Essaouira s (1 day) and Fez(3 days) medina a few years before so that my expectations were influenced by my experiences. 

Tetuan's medina turned out to be a quite authentic one,a friendly one,an accessible one. Usually a medina in Morroco means to be careful, to run with foresight, to watch out for motorcycles and other obstacles, to scan potential dangers in advance, to be on the lookout, to beware of money-thirsty sharks and rabble of all kinds. Tetuan's medina is hassle-free and no maze witout any exit. 

Nan Madol

4.00 Weecheng Singapore - 08-Jun-24

Mysterious ancient city built on coral rocks on the SE corner of Pohnpei. You can either get a boat there (nice approach from the sea) that can be arranged via Pohnpei Surf Club (google them) or drive about 1.5 hr to get there. I will talk about the second method since I did not take a boat. A taxi will cost you US$80 for one person and a bit more for the whole car if more than one person. I went with the taxi driver named Augustine (691)9264085 who is recommended by many on Facebook EPS. For US$80, he can drive you to multiple sites all over Pohnpei for a full day.I do not suggest you drive yourself due to the complexity of finding one’s way to the ruins from the car parking area

Mount Sanqingshan

2.00 Els Slots The Netherlands - 02-Jun-24

Sanqingshan is another under-reviewed WHS in this part of Central-East China: the last report dates from a visit 7 years ago. I got there in May 2024 from the hub of Shangrao, where I took a private Didi taxi to take me in 70 minutes via a toll highway to the site’s Southern Cable Car station (a.k.a. Waishuangxi station). I visited on a Monday and there were no queues. After buying your ticket (entrance + cable car rides = 252 yuan in total) near the Hilton hotel, you have to walk up via a shopping/restaurant street to reach the lower cable car station.

Rachid Karami International Fair-Tripoli

1.50 Bill Maurmann USA - 04-Jun-24

 The site is very rundown and dilapidated. Nevertheless Niemeyer's buildings are always imaginative and interesting. The site is reminiscent of the Sputnik era when we looked to what our space age future would be like. It reminded me of the 1962 Seattle Worlds Fair designed by his disciples that I visited when a child. Unfortunately his vision of wide open public spaces never seems to attract the masses as he intended. Even Brasillia felt empty and neglected.  There were virtually no other visitors here, yet the grounds could have been a lovely park for families

Vézère Valley

4.00 James F United Kingdom - 03-Jun-24

Visited March 2024.

Other reviewers were immensely helpful in planning my trip and I shan't repeat their excellent advice, but I felt a 2024 update may be in order as certain things -- most notably the fact that entirely online pre-booking is now available at all the sites! -- seem to have changed very recently.

That's right, no more queueing at 6am required, at least for the sites that were open when I visited in March (the last month of the 'off-season'). For the sites within Les Eyzies that don't have a welcome hut, you must go to the one at Font-de-Gaume to have your ticket checked, but this is the only necessary remnant of the old system from what I can tell.

The Hadrianic city of Italica (T)

CugelVance Germany - 02-Jun-24

I stayed three days in Seville in april 2024 where I had spent 4 weeks in 2008 taking part in an intensive spanish language course. I revisited some places,discovered some new places,had a guided tour on the roofs of Seville's cathedral " la Giralda"( fantastic tour with a knowledgeable guide), revisited the alcazar( just horrible,totally overcrowded with tourists and extremely long queues) and a visit to my missing part of the seville's unesco heritage site,the archive of the americas(quite exciting to see the treaty of Tordesillas -which changed the new world- with my very own eyes).

Deer Stone Monuments

5.00 Christravelblog Netherlands - 03-Jun-24

VISIT: LATE NOVEMBER 2023

Mongolia in winter? It was not my initial plan, but when my business trip to Beijing got rescheduled from early October to late November, I had no choice. Ok, I had a choice, but I wanted to visit Mongolia. Period. Mongolia is a huge country, and visiting the various WHS in one trip would take a lot of time, so I decided to visit two in a total of 3 days (plus, of course, arrival and departure days): the Orkhon Valley and the Deer Stone Monuments. The Deer Stone Monuments were inscribed in 2023, and their locations were well documented with good maps at UNESCO. There are many more Deer Stones in Mongolia, though

Dutch Water Defence Lines

2.00 Tony H. Finland - 03-Jun-24

Visited in April 2024. When I was preparing for my trip to the Netherlands I realised that I've visited this site already on all my previous trips to the country. Basically every road and train line out of Amsterdam goes through the core zone of this site and I have done multiple trips out of Amsterdam before. I might have also visited some of the forts around Utrecht but that was a long time so I can't count on my memory anymore. But this time I wanted to visit the site consciously.

I chose to stop by Fort Uitermeer, near the town of Weesp

Wulingyuan

4.00 Els Slots The Netherlands - 28-May-24

Wulingyuan has already received a lot of praise, with a very high 4.32/5 community rating, and it was also the undoubted highlight of my 2 weeks in China in 2024. I visited on a Wednesday, arriving by taxi around 8 a.m. from the city of Zhangjiajie. Although there were plenty of people around, there were no queues at the ticket office, bus stops or cable car so it was all enjoyable. This also was the first site on this trip where I encountered Western tourists – about 6 of them during the whole day.

Historic Jeddah

2.50 Tony H. Finland - 29-May-24

Visited in February 2024. Walking around the historical Jeddah during noon on a weekday, you'll get the place all for yourself. Not much local life here during the daytime, which is the case everywhere in Saudi Arabia. The old town is still mostly a construction site. Almost every building is undergoing renovations and none of the museums were open for the public during my visit. However, the old town is still quite picturesque with the tall buildings and their wooden balconies. 

I started my visit from the Al Bayaa Square in the northern part of the old town, where one of the old gates is located. There was a lot of buzz around here as people were building up stalls for the Jeddah half marathon. From there I started to walk towards Shafei Mosque. I found this northern part of the old town to be the most pleasant part, maybe because there was no one around, but also the buildings were there more beautiful. Rest of the old town has more non-traditional buildings in the mix. At Shafei Mosque I was invited to join a tour group and heard about the history of the mosque. The beautifully carved wooden door of the mosque is 600 years old. From the mosque I continued to Nassif House Museum which was closed for renovations

Lake Titicaca (T)

Dennis Nicklaus - 29-May-24

I visited the beautiful Lake Titicaca from both the Peruvian and the Bolivian sides. From Puno, Peru, I took an excursion out to see the Uros floating islands.  While they are unique, these islands constructed out of reeds seem to have mostly devolved into platforms for little floating markets.  At least the one I visited seemed to be supported by the resident family selling touristy souvenirs and cloth weavings. All things that I'm sure they bought wholesale and are just reselling and providing us visitors a way to thank them for letting us tour their little island.  And I got the impression that's how most of the tours work, just to different little islands.  I guess you're kind of sunk if you aren't lucky enough to attract a tour boat to your island

Madriu-Perafita-Claror Valley

3.00 James F United Kingdom - 02-Jun-24

Visited June 2024.

As this is one of my first reviews, I will aim to limit myself just to the important information reviewers before me have not covered. The situation seems to have changed somewhat since the signage situation was most recently reviewed, which is principally what I will cover here.

As with all my trips, I challenged myself to do this without my own vehicle or any private vehicle.

I'm hardly a strong hiker and always conscious of doing stuff like this by myself. Like many other reviewers, I opted for the route to the Fontverd Plateau and found it -- if not nothing -- completely accessible and felt safe the whole time.

Roman Ways. Itineraries of the Roman Empire (T)

CugelVance Germany - 02-Jun-24

I visited the archaeological site of the ancient Ilici -nowadays known under its arabic name, " La Alcudia",the hill- on tuesday,the 21st of may 2024.

The location is approximately 4 km from Elche's city centre

The entrance fee is 5€ and the archaeological site is open from tuesday to sunday, from 9.30 am till 03.00 (15.00)pm ,closed on mondays.

After having had a coffee and a light breakfast in one of  Elche's countless bars in its city centre I walked along the river bed till I reached the avenida de Ramon Pastor,there I turned left and within a few minutes I arrived at Lidl,a german supermarket,where I bought a bottle of water and a snack

Ivrea

2.50 Frederik Dawson Netherlands - 29-May-24

To be honest my main reason to visit Ivrea was its famous chocolate cake, the Torta900 or Torta Novecento at Pasticceria Balla, something that I really wanted to try after seeing the cake on TV couples of years ago, the UNESCO site was just a bonus. Unintentionally the road I used from highway exit to Pasticceria Balla was Via Guglielmo Jervis that run through the core zone of this World Heritage Site. At that time, I had no idea that those buildings were the inscribed ones, I even told my friend that this area must be a new modern zone of Ivrea

Imperial Kiln Sites of Jingdezhen (T)

Els Slots The Netherlands - 26-May-24

We will surely see a nomination and subsequent inscription of Jingdezhen in the coming years. Chinese porcelain was a major global export product and Jingdezhen was the undoubted primary location for its production from the 14th century onwards.

For those who want to visit the site already, there’s always the tricky task of deciding which possible location to go to. It seems likely that this will become a serial nomination with all things related to the porcelain history of Jingdezhen scattered around town. There is a kiln site outside of the city center called Hutian, there is the Jingdezhen Ceramics Folk Museum which Zoë described in her review, and there is the Imperial Kiln Site (a.k.a. Yuyaochang Relic Site) right in the commercial heart of the city.

Hegra

4.00 Tony H. Finland - 28-May-24

Visited in February 2024. Visiting Hegra and the nearby town of Al Ula is a reminder that Saudi Arabia is not yet ready for the mass tourism that it's hoping to achieve. I arrived to Al Ula by plane and took one of the official Al Ula taxes from the airport to my accommodation which was a van parked in someone's date palm farm. Finding mid-priced accommodation (budget accommodation is non-existent) is still very hard in this town and that might lead you to stay in fun places like a van! Most people from my flight seemed to opt for rental cars but I tried to survive without one. Careem was working now fine but you had to usually wait for some time for a pick-up.

Arequipa

3.00 Dennis Nicklaus - 29-May-24

Arequipa is a pleasant enough city and I enjoyed my stay there, but it didn't seem particularly outstanding to me.  The main square and cathedral are quite nice, and there are a couple nice small museums featuring Andean mummies.  I think the volcano connection makes it a little special -- the city has grand views of multiple snow-capped volcanos, and the signature white buildings are made from pyroclastic stone. This is the first place where I was aware of that being used as a building material. 

Ban Chiang

2.50 Timonator Germany - 21-May-24

The worldheritagesite in Ban Chiang relates to the remains of the Ban Chiang culture that was named after the village that developed on the site where the ancient culture has lived around 200 years ago when settlers moved there from the territory that is today Laos. The site is famous for the pottery which was most famously used for burial rituals and that can be split into three time intervals between around 5,000 years ago and 2,000 years ago. Additionally remains of bronze and iron processing have been found often next to skeletons.   We have visited the three components that are presented in the leaflet available in the national museum of Ban Chiang

Red Fort

3.00 Carlo Sarion Philippines | New Zealand - 19-May-24

Three reviews out of 400 visitors, with the last review written more than a decade ago… Surely, the Red Fort Complex deserves better, given how important and popular this site is (emphasis on the word ‘popular’). I visited the site in Dec 2013 and Dec 2023, although this review will be based mostly on my second visit.

Shah Jahan, the Mughal Empire’s 5th emperor, founded Red Fort (aka Lal Qila) to serve as his fancy residential palace-fort, only to be later imprisoned by his son Aurangzeb in Agra Fort. The fort later became a British military garrison and is now a crowded tourist site with museums that hold art exhibitions such as the India Biennale, which was quite enjoyable and ate up half of the time we were there.

Gaya Tumuli

3.00 Frederik Dawson Netherlands - 23-May-24

After I visited Oksan Seowon and on my way to see Dodong Seowon, adding Goryeong as a detour for Gaya Tumuli seem to be a compulsory for World Heritage Site enthusiasts despite uncertainty that the nomination will be accepted or not. I reached Daegaya Museum on lunch time, the first thing I saw apart from modern museum building and some drivers had lunch around the empty carpark, was the impressive view of many tumuli on the hills surrounding the museum complex. The location of Tumuli on the high hills was really different from those Silla Tumuli I saw in Gyeongju but quite similar to the Baekje one I saw in Gongju, but the numbers of Tumuli on the hill here was already impressive

Migratory Bird Sanctuaries China

2.50 Els Slots The Netherlands - 25-May-24

Like the other reviewers, I went to Yancheng for my ‘tick’ of the coastal Migratory Bird Sanctuaries. The visit starts at the iconic museum building, where it’s all about the cranes. The threatened red-crowned crane is the flagship species of the Reserve. The exhibition tells you about crane species all over the world and there is even a video shown of how to fold a paper crane. Another room shows the role cranes play in Chinese culture: it’s especially a Taoist symbol of longevity.

Turaif Quarter

2.00 Tony H. Finland - 28-May-24

Visited in February 2024. Things are changing fast in Saudi Arabia and At-Turaif Quarter is not an exception to that. I visited At-Turaif (also known as Diriyah) on a weekday just before the Saudi Founding Day. My Uber took me to the entrance of Bujairi Terrace, a fancy restaurant and shopping district, that you have to walk through to get to the historical site. You needed a ticket to enter, which you got by scanning a QR code at the entrance, and the ticket was for free, which might have been because of the Founding Day.

Rock Paintings of the Sierra de San Francisco

2.50 Clyde Malta - 27-May-24

I visited the Rock Paintings of the Sierra de San Francisco within the El Vizcaino Biosphere Reserve in March 2024

The Central Axis of Beijing (including Beihai) (T)

Zoë Sheng Chinese-Canadian - 25-May-24

I definitely like this nomination but it needs to be limited to only important areas. I used this picture (public domain) because it shows 100 years ago Tiananmen Square was an important place and unfortunately the modern student protests including a car terrorist attack in 2013 make us feel the place isn't right for UNESCO. It was also massively renovated with the people's hall, Mao's mausoleum (which used to be the Gate of China area), the museum, none of these should be listed as world heritage. This is only the square, with the other locations usually the same: important, old, but renovated and improved. My picture of Qianmen above (not actually public domain) shows a modern shopping street

Primeval Beech Forests

3.50 Adrian Turtschi Germany - 26-May-24

Sonian Forest, May 2024

The Sonian Forest is a small 2-km2 property in Flanders located on the south-eastern outskirts of Brussels – all that remains of what used to be a much larger forested area going all the way to the Ardennes. Pretty much all of it was chopped down over time, including some trees ending up – rather uselessly – for building Napoleon’s never-carried-out English invasion fleet.

A Flemish-only UNESCO forest would not work in the complex dynamics that is the non-country (to quote the rather infamous former MEP), hence two smaller pieces along both sides of a busy road to the north in the Brussels-Capital Region as well as two really tiny areas on the other side of a major highway to the south in Wallonia were added to balance things out nicely.

Alto Douro

3.50 Frederik Dawson Netherlands - 21-May-24

Alto Duoro, from my experience on visiting countless European UNESCO listed vineyards, is probably the best of its kind. The inspiring views of endless beautiful steeply sloping vineyards on endless mountains along the Duoro River valley really show its superlative of its long history of manmade landscape for viticulture. From Porto, we drove to Sao Leonardo de Galafura for its famous viewpoint. Duoro Valley welcomed us with heavy rain and thunderstorm, we thought that Bacchus already cursed us since we could not find any outstanding wine for the past couples of day in Porto and Coimbra. Luckily that when we reached the viewpoint, the rain stopped, and we could admire the breathtaking view of the Douro valley, a perfect start for wine hunting day.

Dong Phayayen

3.50 Timonator Germany - 21-May-24

We've done the full day tour in Khao Yai National Park and stayed overnight in the park after the tour. The second day we did the trail number 1 close to the visitor center and afterwards another half day tour by our recommandable operator Greenleaf outside the national park which however was the most memorable visit.   For the full day tour we were picked up early in the morning by a Greenleaf driver at our hostel in Pak Chong which is connected by a train line to Ayutthaya and Bangkok. The car brought us to the operators' place on the road towards the most popular entrance of the huge Khao Yai NP. This area of the road is still full of commercial life incl

Jantar Mantar

2.50 Carlo Sarion Philippines | New Zealand - 15-May-24

Jantar Mantar in Jaipur is an 18th-century observatory built to study the sky with the naked eye (yep, no telescopes). It's a small, accessible, and quite straightforward site to visit, and you get to tick both this site and Jaipur in one go. I visited Jantar Mantar twice (Dec 2013 and Dec 2023) and spent no more than an hour on both visits.

1. A UNESCO site within a UNESCO site

I used to share the opinion that Jantar Mantar as a separate site from Jaipur seemed confusing. I mean, it is well within Jaipur City’s core zone and is an integral part of the city palace’s compound. However, Jantar Mantar as a separate site has its own merits, and as I see it, India intended it that way. Its OUV rests on being an excellent example of an 18th-century architectural ensemble of scientific and technical instruments. It is also a testament to the monarch's (Jai Singh II) patronage of astronomy and cosmology, and sort of a reflection of the rich artistic and scientific culture at the time

Jantar Mantar

Alikander99 Spain - 19-May-24

I agree with the general sentiment that jantar Mantar is a confusing nomination.

Foremost, it's Right in the middle of jaipur old city. So it's hardly justifiable to make it a whs on its own. This is a clear case of duplication, something I've found India is particularly adept at. 

Furthermore, the site is quite hard to interpret at the moment, with very simple and lackluster explanations. 

The there's the OUV. The instruments though certainly monumental, weren't that advanced for the time, and in fact their size is somewhat unjustified

Orkhon Valley

1.50 Zoë Sheng Chinese-Canadian - 25-May-24

One of the easier Mongolia sites with a bus going daily from UB and it "only" takes most of the day with lunch break. The main reason would be to visiting Karakorum's Erdene Zuu. The town is small and was the capital of the Mongol Empire for only a short time. One often thinks of the Mongol Empire as a huuuuuge place but people were scarce and if they would join the empire it's mainly because "woah this guy has a horse" and they never see him again. Well you might giggle now but this wasn't exactly Alexander the Great conquesting the area. With the monastery gone (it's an hour visit tops and right in town) you can arrange for your hotel/homestay to go visit the locals

Whale Sanctuary of El Vizcaino

3.50 Clyde Malta - 22-May-24

I visited this WHS in 2024. Due to its location, it is much easier to visit from the United States and/or Canada (especially overland but also by flight) than it is from Mexico City.

There are flights to Loreto (still a good 3.5-4 hours drive to the San Ignacio base) from the United States (San Francisco, Los Angeles, Dallas and Phoenix), from Canada (Calgary) and from Tijuana (Mexico) but NOT from Mexico City. Wanting to avoid 2 internal flights CDMX-Tijuana-Loreto and back, and since the rental car rates with unlimited mileage as well as domestic flight prices were significantly cheaper on my planned dates, I opted to travel to Mexico City-La Paz (a much longer 8hr drive; a very boring extra 4 hours when compared to starting from Loreto)

Nasca Aqueducts (T)

Dennis Nicklaus - 14-May-24

The Nasca Aqueducts are a very impressive work of hydrological engineering from the pre-Columbian Nazca culture.  The Cantalloc Aqueducts are the best preserved of these, just outside the city of Nazca.  The Nazca culture flourished between about 200 and 700 A.D., and these aqueducts are generally dated to around 300 A.D.  Several of them still have water flowing through them and are useful today.   A large part of the extensive network of water channels (many kilometers) is/was underground, which makes the work even more impressive to me, that the ancient Nazca were able to build and maintain these.  At Cantalloc, the most visually striking element are the broad spiral access points

Nasca Lines

5.00 Dennis Nicklaus - 14-May-24

Seeing the Nazca lines was the biggest thrill of my April 2024 Peru trip. I had been to Peru about 25 years prior, but back then had not been able to include Nazca and Lake Titicaca in the itinerary, so this trip was to make up for that. The Nazca lines have been such an iconic site for me since I was in grade school, so I'm feeling very satisfied to visit them.  Seeing the three figures from the roadside viewing tower was nice, but I had to get the full experience with the flight.   My flight was midday, and it all went off without any problems. I flew with AeroNazca, but I'd echo what others have said about the provider probably not making much difference, with taxes & all it cost about US$100

Archaeological Sites on the Deltaic Landscape of Bangladesh (T)

Kurt Lauer USA - 19-May-24

The Archeological Sites of the Deltaic Landscape are a series of old mosques and burial sites in Western Bangladesh.  Most are well off the beaten path, and even the sites I visited in Barbobaza where not known by my guide or driver.   There are 48 listed sites, and about 6 of them are located around the town of Barobaza, which was located along the road to Khulna from Rajshahi (where we were heading to go to the Sunarbans.  Of the sites in the area a few are just old burial mounds that are not in very good shape.  There are two old mosques in the town that are also listed: Gorar and Golkata Mosque.   Gorar is in the attached picture and was quite beautiful, especially the interior

Qutb Minar

3.00 Carlo Sarion Philippines | New Zealand - 13-May-24

This complex of mosques, tombs, towers, and other structures was the first site we visited on my “revenge” trip to India in Dec 2023, having missed this back in Dec 2013. The site is located in the Mehrauli neighbourhood in southern Delhi and is adjacent to the Mehrauli Archaeological Park. This site is a pretty solid testament to early Islamic art in India and it deserves to be a part of everyone’s itinerary in Delhi.

We went mid-morning, hoping that the smog would be gone by that time. The ticket booth, shops, food stalls, and toilets are located across the site’s main entrance. We paid INR 500 for the entrance ticket (as foreign travellers) and went straight in to avoid the influx of visitors, which were mostly students. We visited all the main structures within the complex

Grand Canal

3.00 Els Slots The Netherlands - 18-May-24

I may have seen glimpses of the Grand Canal before in Beijing, Suzhou and Hangzhou, but I had never visited it consciously and thus hadn’t counted it so far. Remarkably, the Chinese have pulled off an inscription in one go (a “perfect inscription”) for such a vast serial site.

In this review, I will focus on the Hangzhou sites of interest within the Jiaxing-Hangzhou section. Most of those lie some 5km north of that other Hangzhou WHS, West Lake

Si Thep

3.00 Timonator Germany - 18-May-24

I chose the nearby city of Lam Narai based on various factors including Thomas' review with transportation options as a base to explore Si Thep. It has a "Grand Hotel" (600 THB per night), a train station that is a 2 hour direct ride away from Ayutthaya and some other city advantages like restaurants, transport etc.. It turned out that a car rental with taxi driver would only work our at 2500 THB for a full day which was too much for us as we paid the same for the two national park visits in the west of Thailand which involved much more driving (around 200 km vs. 60 km to Si Thep and back). However our hotel reception arranged us a Tuk Tuk for 1000 THB for 5 hours for the next day which worked perfectly fine

Aachen Cathedral

4.50 Leafar98 Poland - 01-Jun-24

While from the outside the cathedral is not as impressive as the one in Cologne (even though I reached it from the more impressive perspective), the interior is beautiful! I definitely recommend this WHS to all people who love visiting the old churches. I've only seen the main side, didn't go for the tour or anything, but even the short visit was enough to impress me.

Le Charolais-Brionnais (T)

Argo France - 18-May-24

We explored the Charolais-Brionnais area (a “pays”, in French) during a sunny week-end in May 2024. Charolaises cows (together with Bazadaises, from the South-West of France) are very well known in France for being the paramount of beef meat. What makes the proposed area for WHS special is that is it totally dedicated to the breeding of these cows, and the landscape was completely transformed and adapted to that activity some 250 years ago : fields were replaced by meadows, bordered by hedges or lines of trees. The result is a green, hilly “bocage” landscape, dotted with white cows here and there.

Tanbaly

3.00 Els Slots The Netherlands - 31-May-24

On a map, the Kazakh WHS of Tanbaly (not to be confused with Tamgaly Tas!) doesn’t look to be too far from Almaty, but it takes quite some time to cover the 170km between the two places (we did it in 2h45). I went with a car & driver which I’d hired for the day via Indyguide, and we first had to navigate the busy and chaotic traffic to get out of Almaty. Then there’s a good stretch of highway west and, after the turnoff to the north which is signposted to the Site of Tanbaly, what remains is a B-road with some potholes but little traffic

Longobards in Italy

3.00 Zach USA - 15-May-24

I was pleasantly surprised by how much I enjoyed the one Longobard site I visited so far (Castelseprio-Torba), partly due to apprehension from reading some of the previous reviews, but also because I don't think I could have chosen a day with worse weather. One benefit of going on one of the rainiest days in May that anyone I spoke to could remember is that I was the only visitor in the park.

Thankfully, much has seemingly improved since Els's visit with regard to signage and navigation, as I began to see signage for the archeological park for several kilometers. I drove, and Google Maps had the correct location and a parking lot available next to the info point

Robben Island

2.00 Dennis Nicklaus - 10-May-24

Unlike some of the other reviewers here, I thought the required bus tour around Robben Island was a pretty good way to get an overview of the site. I also very much enjoyed the former inmate guide we had for the tour of the cell block. He wasn't the most dynamic speaker, but it was still a good experience overall.  I learned a few things on my tour and appreciate the visit and got to see Mandela's cell, but it isn't the most interesting WHS.

The whole experience does take a very long time. I understand the need for a boat, but I don't really understand the reason for asking everyone to line up in the building by the dock for so long before the boat departs. This seemed a huge waste of about 45 minutes

ShUM Sites

4.00 MoPython Switzerland - 13-May-24

I visited the Judenhof in Speyer in autumn 2020, when the ShUM cities were still part of the Tentative List. I found it very impressive and it actually fascinated me more than Speyer Cathedral, which is right next door and which I was actually there for.

On a trip through western Germany in May 2024, I also visited the Heiliger Sand cemetery in Worms. I was extremely impressed by it and have even upgraded my already positive rating on this website.
The cemetery is very small, after half an hour you have seen everything (unless you are able to read the Hebrew writing on the gravestones...). The cemetery is the oldest Jewish cemetery preserved in situ in Europe with graves dating back to the 11th century. The grounds are also very beautiful with old trees and flowers.

Bom Jesus do Monte

3.50 Frederik Dawson Netherlands - 23-May-24

On my first visit to Portugal two decades ago, Bom Jesus do Monte was one of the destinations I planned to see, but I had to cut Bragas from the plan as the Guimares – Bragas bus did not show up as per schedule. When my friend asked me to join their wine trip in Portugal, Bom Jesus do Monte was add as a condition of my participation. As a result, on one Sunday afternoon, we drove from Porto to Bragas to fulfil my old itinerary. When we reach the carpark area, my unhappy and reluctant friends who wanted this visit to be short suggested that we should not use funicular and better to drive up to the top of the hill, but I as a driver had a different idea. I knew that there is a small parking lot at the base of the famous staircases which make the visit easy and free of charge

Thungyai-Huai Kha Khaeng

3.00 Timonator Germany - 12-May-24

Basically I did the same visit as Els did, so I will not repeat most of it. However I took a different transport approach and had a different experience on site. That´s what I will describe below.  I chose also the Huai Khai Khaeng wildlife sanctuary as Els´ review was very helpful and also on the website thailnationalparks.com you get good information on many of the countries parks including this one. I wanted to visit the site without rental car (self-drive) so I chose the closest city to the headquarters where the visitor area can be found. The website has a detailed map of the different trails and watch towers available there

Würzburg Residence

5.00 Leafar98 Poland - 21-May-24

During my visit to Wurzburg, I couldn't miss the Residence. It is definitely impressive, especially from the inside. What's even more impressive than the building itself, is the fact that it was almost completely destroyed as a result of the British bombing during the World War Two and rebuilt after that. The building used to be the residence of Wurzburg bishops and now is open for the public and it is one of the best example of the Baroque palaces in Europe. The gardens also look great, but after seeing the interior, they don't impress that much, but they are worth visiting anyway.

Namib Sand Sea

5.00 Carlo Sarion Philippines | New Zealand - 11-May-24

I visited this site in the summer (Dec 2015) as part of an organised tour to Etosha Pan (Etosha NP) and Sossusvlei (Namib-Naukluft NP). This was one of the best travel experiences I've had, despite the oppressive summer heat (this was supposed to happen in winter, Jul 2015, with a friend who made this trip possible). While this trip was a decade ago, I hope readers will pick something useful from this review of my 2-night trip to Sossusvlei. 

Day 1 - Flying to Kulala

I flew on a 4-seater Cessna from Hosea Kutako (Windhoek) Airport to Kulala Desert Lodge, which is located within the boundary of the national park. The late-morning flight gave a great introduction to the arid Martian-like landscape. Upon arrival, we went straight to the lodge to take shelter from the heat. There was a small pool outside of the dining area to cool off, though I spent the early afternoon eating and just enjoying the breezy thatch-roofed accommodation. Our first activity went on late in the afternoon, which involved driving around the desert, walking around rocky hills, and having a wee picnic while watching the sunset

Liangzhu Archaeological Site

2.50 Els Slots The Netherlands - 16-May-24

My visit to Liangzhu started at the museum, located in a building designed by David Chipperfield architects - it seems that companies like these thrive on the construction booms of China and the Gulf states. This building too must have cost a small fortune. It lies within a pretty landscaped garden setting with a manmade lake, probably referencing the Liangzhu civilization's wetland origins.

The exhibition experience wasn't so pleasant due to the large school groups roaming around. Overall the building comprises more empty space than original exhibits, but it holds the jade grave objects that were taken from the site and some interesting pottery displaying primitive written characters (the Liangzhu culture had no script but they were getting there!). The best thing I found was the 3d video performance, which much more clearly than the nomination file explains the nature of Liangzhu: how its people ‘tamed’ the wetlands by buildings dams and turned it into a liveable city with stilt houses and people navigating around by wooden boats

Petra

5.00 J_neveryes Canada - 12-May-24

Considering the fame and rave reviews of Petra, this review will focus on the lesser known aspects of visiting this magnificent ancient city, rather than convincing the reader to visit it. 

Alternative Entrance via Little Petra

Although back entrance/trail to Petra has existed for a while now, it has only been very recently that it has become more conveniently accessible.  If you are visiting Petra for two or more days, I strongly recommend using the back trail on one of those days. 

Pobiti Kamani Natural Monument (T)

Clyde Malta - 22-May-24

I visited this tWHS as a pleasant detour after visiting the Madara Rider WHS. Although there is a parking lot hidden just behind the site proper, it didn't feel safe at all to leave my car there so I decided to park my car in the very wide shoulder of the main road (as did most other local cars). The main road passes right through the pretty natural landscape and there are very minor limestone formations also on the other side of the road although the beware of snakes sign and the overgrown grass made me just watch from a distance.

Caral-Supe

4.00 Dennis Nicklaus - 09-May-24

The ancient buildings of Caral-Supe really impressed me. This most ancient city in the Americas has a good collection of major structures that are at least partially restored.  The site includes several pyramids, and the biggest of these is quite a sprawling construction with a signature sunken circular plaza in front of it. The Amphitheater (photo) was a unique building, so named because the archaeologists found remains of musical instruments (flutes) in the arena area. Due to their 5000 year age, you aren't allowed to climb on any of the structures, or enter the amphitheater.  There is a nice trail that leads through all the main structures, and there are good signs (English and Spanish) for each major structure

Tongariro National Park

4.50 Carlo Sarion Philippines | New Zealand - 09-May-24

Tongariro National Park boasts a couple of records. First, it is the first national park in New Zealand and one of the oldest national parks in the world. Second, it is the first to be inscribed (in 1993) under the revised criteria that describe cultural landscapes and their intangible cultural values. There's nothing much to say about the OUV of this site: it is breathtakingly beautiful (criterion VII), geologically active (criterion VIII), and culturally significant to tangata whenua (Māori) (criterion VI). It's also great to note that its 2020 conservation outlook is rated “good”.

Nubian Monuments

5.00 Bergecn - 07-May-24

As with most World Heritage sites in Egypt the Nubian Monuments is not one single place to visit but many spread over a couple of hundred kilometres.   This was my third visit to Abu Simbel in more than 50 years.  The first time was in 1972, only one year after the New Dam had been completed and the water had started rising and flooding all those Nubian villages and monuments that had not been moved to higher ground.  The UNESCO-led rescue operation that was completed in 1968 in itself deserves mentioning on the world heritage list.  In 1972 we travelled in a Russian hydrofoil boat from the New Dam to Abu Simbel.  It was a time of high political tension: the windows of our boat were blacked out and for three hours we could not see anything

Luther Memorials

1.50 Caspar Dechmann Switzerland - 07-May-24

This is a hard one. There is no doubt that the reformation had a huge effect on European and World history, not only changing religious practices but the society, education, politics. In that respect it totally deserves its place on the list. The great question is how you represent a spiritual and intellectual movement with a building or a group of buildings if you do not want to downgrade it to an intangible heritage. How to represent such a complex movement stretching over many countries and several centuries? UNESCO or rather the German nomination chose to concentrate on the probably most famous reformer Martin Luther

China Danxia

2.00 Els Slots The Netherlands - 23-May-24

China usually doesn’t have much trouble inscribing sites, but it did have a hard time with China Danxia. “Danxia” is an elusive subject, even Wikipedia isn’t able to define it in one sentence (it calls it “pseudo-karst” consisting of red-coloured sandstones from the Cretaceous and limited to China). ICOMOS and IUCN couldn’t really wrap their heads around it either – IUCN basically saying there isn’t such a thing as a globally acknowledged Danxia landform and ICOMOS insisting that this should be a cultural site (criterion VI, rich cultural associations) instead of a natural site (criterion VII, natural beauty).

Rock Art of the Mediterranean Basin

1.50 Hubert Austria - 06-May-24

How to find among 758 sublocations those that are worth visiting? The problem is not only the large number, but also the fact that many sites are very difficult to access or are not accessible at all. And those that are accessible differ widely in the quantity and quality/visibility of the paintings. The information on the UNESCO website is not very helpful. Nevertheless, I was able to identify a few potentially worthwhile locations for my visit on Easter weekend 2024. And one of them, the Abrigo Grande de Minateda (not described in previous reviews), offered a guided tour that fitted into my itinerary.

Buddhistic cloister of Ajina-Tepa (T)

Szucs Tamas Hungary - 06-May-24

Quite frankly, I don't know why Tajikistan has this venue on its shortlist. The only spectacular monument - the large reclining Buddha - has been removed from here and is in the National Museum in Dushambe. Anyone can visit it there - the museum is interesting, by the way, and the price of the ticket includes a guided tour in English. There is virtually nothing on site. The road from Bokhtar is signposted and it's really not far. You have to cross a bridge over a small ditch to get to the site - there is no entrance fee, no guards, and not much to guard. They used to put up signs, which are now quite hard to read