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Visiting Busan 9 years later, I sought to add more components of the Busan Wartime Capital nomination. From my first visit, I could not form an opinion whther this serial property is deserving of world heritage status or not. I feel confident I can now.

Ami-dong Tombstone Village

As previously mentioned, the village can be a bit tricky to navigate. At the Ami Culture Village Information Center there is a QR Code map that will help significantly. One of the best examples of spolia (pictured) is number #4 'Rest Area Tombstone'. Using the map I visited tombstone spolia at locations 1-5. I did not cross the street to visit locations 6-9. Besides the spolia, the small exhibits in the homes (via small labelled doors) highlight the life of refugees. These are free and open with no staff, so you just browse at your own pace (there are about six 'home or work' exhibits).

Uam-dong Cattle Shed Village

The main place to visit here is the Uam-dong Somangmaeul House, where a shed house has been converted into a museum. Like the small refugee homes in Ami-dong, its a wonder these modest structures survived. The museum does a good job showing the evolution of the village during the war years and afterward. You can walk around the village and you will notice a few other cattle shed features, but I'm unsure if anything beyond the museum will be included.

United Nations Memorial Cemetery

Arriving at the cemetery, I had to take shelter …

As we toured Romania northern region of Maramures this summer, looking for the wooden churches WHS, we found ourselves in Sighetu Marmatiei (“Sighet”), a border town where we visited the Memorial of the Communism victims and Resistance. The place is a former prison, built by Austrians at the end of the 19th century and re used by Communist authorities to jail their opponents, mainly between 1945 and 1955 at the time of “sovietisation” of the country, and until 1977. Prisoners here were mainly intellectuals and politicians (a former prime minister of Romania from interwar period died there).

Cells have been turned into exhibition rooms, each of them covering one aspect of prisoners life but also Romania history after WWII, how Communists came to power and the impact on the whole country. There are two courtyards still guarded by miradors. A modern, underground round chapel was dug in the first one ; the second one hosts a group of modern statues (“the procession of the Sacrificed”) which has now became the symbol of the Memorial.

You can really spend hours there and learn a lot through all the gathered documents and testimonies. Information is in Romanian but you can get a booklet in other language at the reception when you buy your tickets. We got one in French, which was very comprehensive, clear and written in excellent French. Above all, there is a right balance between History and Remembrance. Things are clearly told without exaggeration or “revenge” spirit. While Romania is …

I certainly share the previous reviewers enthusiasm that Unjusa is special. I am also happy that this site created such a positive response within our community, in fact this is why it became a must-see site for my recent visit to Korea. The truth is ten years ago I had no idea this temple existed and it remains largely unknown within Korea. Recently, along with the Hwasun Dolmens it became part of the Mudeungsan Global Geopark. One thing is clear Unjusa is beginning to get more attention domestically and internationally.

The BEST Temple in Korea?

Where I diverge a bit, I do not think (if inscribed) it will be Korea's best cultural heritage site. Namsan Mountain (Gyeongju) alone has far more stone pagodas then Unjusa, all of them older. With respect, I would make the claim the historic value and diversity of treasures that comprise the Sansa, Buddhist Mountain Monasteries makes it largely incomparable with Unjusa (12 National Treasures to 0). Though I suspect 1-2 treasures at Unjusa will be elevated to the highest designation in the future. Furthermore, all seven Sansa are well-documented throughout the centuries, whereas Unjusa remains largely a mystery. In fact, its mostly missing from the historical record until the early 16th century, less than a century before the temple was burned and left in ruins by Japanese invaders.

In some ways Unjusa is an anomaly and the mystery is alluring. There are plenty of claims about a specific feature at Unjusa as 'the …

Many experienced World Heritage travelers who visited Korea have likely come across remnants of ancient Buddhist Temples, such as those found in Gyeongju, Buyeo, or Iksan. Sometimes all that remains are foundation pillars, perhaps a stone pagoda.

At Hoeamsa, you will see more than that. This temple only closed in the late 16th century and presumably fell into ruin over the next few centuries. From 1997 to 2019, there were extensive excavations at the site, which revealed more of the temple layout, and unearthed a plethora of artifacts currently housed in the museum on-site.

The pathway toward OUV is through the sites 'material testimony to the emerging Seon (Zen) monastic system that was adopted across East Asia in the 14th century.' Additionally, the temple still prospered during the first two centuries of Joseon, despite the decline of Buddhism and rise of Confucianism in Korea. It seems some members of the royal family were not entirely ready to abandon Buddhism as Hoeamsa enjoyed extensive support from within the royal palaces.

Korea is submitting the preliminary evaluation nomination next month (September 2025) with an aim for 2029. I would honestly prefer this site to be included as part of the Eastern Silk Roads initiative (rather than a standalone site) which will eventually become a large serial nomination that includes several dozens sites in China, Korea, and Japan sometime in the next decade.

I believe that Hoeamsa will not be a favorite of this community, yet I suspect it might not have too …

I believe I might be the only person since Els who visited both villages (at least among the reviewers). I visited Hahoe (Andong) in 2011, just after inscription and now I've completed the set with a visit to Yangdong (Gyeongju) in 2025. I will only cover the two villages, as the key associated Seowon (Oksan, Byeongsan) were inscribed again in 2019. Yangdong has been made modestly accessible to visitors (visitor center / museum), while maintaining its traditional character. Tourist trap, Yangdong is surely not. When you have infrequent buses in Korea, this will prevent the vast majority of city-dwellers from venturing out to the countryside. Therefore, I believe Yangdong specifically will not be overwhelmed by tourism in the foreseeable future. Moreover, the iconic sites of Gyeongju are nearby, which pre-occupies most domestic tourists.

Once you receive your ticket (WHS memento) at either village, you will be given a map. My advice (which is reflected in other reviews as well) is mark a couple key places as destinations to walk toward and then simply go explore. You might not see all of the best-preserved historic houses (if your time is restricted to 1-2 hours), but you will surely get a sense of the village and what makes it special.

Some of the best Yangban houses have been designated as treasures, making them ideal destinations within the village.

Treasure Designations

Yangdong Village

Mucheomdang House (Treasure)

Hyangdan House (Treasure)

Gwangajeong House (Treasure)

Hahoe Village

Yangjindang House (Treasure)

Chunghyodang House (Treasure)

Yangdong Bus …

I first visited Gyeongju in early Spring 2008 and again that following Summer, those memories remain special. Yet, at the time I knew little about what sites in Gyeongju to prioritize. Returning in 2025 meant truly exploring and appreciating the icons of Gyeongju. I planned long in advance that an essential visit would be Chilburam in Namsan Mountain.

Chilburam (Namsan) - The fastest route to Chilburam is starting from the Three-story Stone Pagoda of Yeombulsa Temple Site, a local route that is not included in a lot of the brochures or promoted hiking routes for Namsan Mountain. It only takes 2-3 hours round-trip and that includes times for pictures and options to visit the Sinseonam Hermitage directly above Chilburam.

Tumuli - The variety of tumuli in around the Gyeongju city center is impressive, I enjoyed the view from the OAR Contemporary Art Museum.

Cheomseongdae - A delightful structure (night picture)

Bunhwangsa - Built only a little after the Baekje stone pagoda at Mireuksa, this is a particularly magnificent example of an ancient Silla Buddhist Temple.

Flickr Album

Pimachiowin Aki covers a vast wilderness dotted with carefully stewarded First Nation cultural sites, so I don't want to presume that my short visit in late July 2025 gave me any particular insight into its OUV, but I was able to reach the inscribed zone relatively easily by traveling to the very tiny town of Loon Straits, about three hours' drive north from Winnipeg, and staying in one of the cabins operated by the Loon Straits Wilderness Retreat for a few days. My partner and I formulated this plan as an alternative to transiting through Nopiming Provincial Park and staying on Wallace Lake, as other reviewers here have done, which ended up being very lucky for us, since wildfires in the eastern part of the site during our time there may have made things much more dicey if we had gone that route.

The twin peninsulas of the Loon Straits area are within the inscribed area (although we had our doubts until we started seeing the UNESCO sigil on signs along the highway!) and the serene shores of Lake Winnipeg provide a taste of the remoteness that the interior of Pimachiowin Aki conceals. Even on the periphery of the site we still saw quite a bit of wildlife: a black bear during our drive; a fox from our cabin; about a half-dozen otters during a dawn trip on a kayak provided by our lodging; and a great variety of different birds, including a bald eagle family that seemed to be …

My expectations weren't high in visiting this site and sadly this came to fruition. Reading the previous comments, I was still expecting that some of the site would be 'open' to visit and explore the history including commercial ventures / museums to explore surrounding the wine making history and reason for this nominated site. Sadly, we walked around what I would describe as a "renovated" ghost town that was all locked up.

We visited this site on a Thursday in late July, which I would have expected things to be open. ie It was not a weekend or sometimes Mon - Tues closure days, which we have encountered at other sites. It was obvious that the area has been closed for some time and there were no signs indicating when, or even if, some of the wineries / buildings / restaurants would be open. No physical museum or information on the history of the site at all. We came across to other groups of people that were also wandering around perplexed about the site. The only information available was a map of the site and previous usages of building located in the small town on top of the hill as well as a sign indicating that it had been refurbished with funding by the EU. The cynic in me would say that it was funded to provide a tourist attraction rather than protect heritage in that area and the investment has failed to attract the tourists, so it lays dormant …

Devil's Town is the common name for this site located in Southern Serbia. We drove there on our way between Novi Pazar and Nis. It is bitumen roads all the way to the carpark of this site. Entrance fee is 350 Serbian Dinar entry per adult and it is dog friendly if your dog remains on their lead. The core area is a geomorphologic phenomenon of earthen figures caused by erosion on the slope of the Radan Mountain. The eroded earthen pillars have a large rock as the head of the pillar, precariously balanced. It is about a 40-minute return walk to the viewing area, however I would give yourselves about 90 minutes to really enjoy the walk and take time to admire the site and scenery. A number of platforms have been constructed to provide you with optimal viewpoints of these earthen phenomena. We attended on Monday the 4th of August 2025, which was a nice overcast day. The site has recently commenced a Saturday Night viewing of the site and installed a range of lights to guide you on your forest walk to the site and lights that illuminate the core zone. If you are intending to visit, which I would recommend, and your diary allows it, I think a night viewing would look amazing. Complimentary to the site is an old well (spring) and evidence of historical mining in the area. The minerals in the water provide a copper red / brown colour in the water. There …

The primary entry to The Niger River Basin is by boat from the important crossroads town of Mopti. Upon our arrival in Mopti in Dec 2007 we were fortunate enough to learn that the rains had been good that year and the river level was still high enough that the ferry that travels between Mopti and Gao via Timbuktu had been extended by an extra month and we would be able to catch the last sailing of the season. I assume because of the unusual schedule extension there were not many others on the ferry and we opted for deck class and pitched our tents out on the open upper deck for the 41hr journey to Timbuktu. The bottom deck was full of cargo; watermelons, guavas, drying fish, chickens, a few goats and a huge stack of timber, all making for an interesting smell.

The river is a large delta in this region with a lot of small villages of fishermen on the banks. Often these are no more than a dozen little mud and straw huts that look ready to wash away with the next rains. Our ferry seemed to be mostly used for transporting cargo and made numerous stops along the way. For us it was an unorthodox Christmas but a relaxing one just watching a very simple and traditional way of life play out before our eyes. As much as I think of it as a cultural landscape, the nomination is a natural one and in that …

I visited these waterfalls in 2012 as a very easy day trip from the popular beach town of Kribi. The falls are more of a series of small cascades over a length of about 1km which are unique in that they finally empty directly into the ocean. This is a fairly rare phenomenon globally and in this case has led to a strong spiritual and cultural connection to it by the groups living along the Lobe river.

Views from the sea are supposed to be the most impressive. I didn't bother as I was visiting in late February and the falls were quite dry overall and broken into many small streams. Many areas could be walked around and the only cultural activity I saw around the falls was laundry washing and people relaxing on the nearby beach.

It has been a long time since the last review of Leptis Magna. This is not too surprising given that it has been on the In Danger list for almost a decade and even before the civil war, Libya was not an easy country to visit. I was able to visit Leptis Magna in May 2025 on a standard 4-day Libya tour with a couple of friends using the company Rozaria. At the time of my visit Libyan tourism seemed to be expanding after a couple years of relative stability, the evisa system had been successfully rolled out and mostly debugged and a number of new tour operators had appeared on the scene to compete for business.

Leptis Magna needs very little introduction, the average WHS or Roman Empire enthusiast will most likely have heard of it and descriptions of the site are typically filled with superlatives. It had been on my wish list for a long time and I was excited to finally visit after 2 previous failed attempts to secure a visa (in 2007 and 2023). Having visited many other roman ruins over the intervening years the question became would Leptis Magna still live up to the hype? In short, the answer is yes. The longer answer is a little more nuanced. There are no unique elements specific to Leptis Magna itself. Colonnaded streets, forum, baths, theatre, arches, market area, port, mosaics, hippodrome, amphitheatre, etc are all present and in all honesty more outstanding examples of each of …

Visited December 2024

The easiest way to visit this site is to have an organized one-day tour from Addis Ababa that takes you to Gombore component of <Melka Kunture and Balchit> and Tiya, another site on WHL. (You can combine it with the visit to Adadi Maryam church, the only rock-hewn church south of Addis.) Many Ethiopian guides and tour operators can organize it for you, you can find them on different social media; check some of them before making the final decision or ask people from this world heritage travellers’ community for some advice. Our (I travelled with a friend) guides to Melka Kunture and Tiya were very helpful and experienced.

The guide with a car and the driver took us from the airport and we… off to the south. We visited MK after Tiya. We started at a small museum located in the middle of the forest. By the bridge over Awash River there is a small handmade sign showing the way to the museum. No UNESCO plaque yet. The museum – they called this way – consists of three African style huts. We were lucky ‘cos there was a museum director at the site, and he was very, very happy to welcome us and show around the museum and the area. We did not pay any entrance fee, at the end of the tour we simply tipped him. There was not electricity in the museum, we used our torches to have a close view of the artefacts …

Erebuni Fortress was founded in 782 BCE by King Argishti I and is considered the birthplace of Yerevan. This ancient Urartian citadel once stood as a powerful military and administrative center overlooking the Ararat plain.

Today, the site offers only a modest glimpse into its former glory. The Erebuni museum building appears impressive from the outside, with wide steps leading up to the entrance — but inside, there’s surprisingly little to see, apart from a handful of interesting artifacts.

From the museum, a staircase leads up to the reconstructed fortress. The outer walls have been rebuilt all around, giving a sense of the original scale. At the entrance, a replica(?) of an inscription stone marks the foundation of the fortress by King Argishti I.

Within the ruins, you can see the outlines of the palace, various rooms, storage areas, and other structures, all surrounded by reconstructed perimeter walls. We also came across traces of ancient wall paintings. 

Much of the signage is outdated and barely readable, with only a few newer panels added. The site is somewhat overgrown, and, overall, feels a bit neglected. We were almost alone at the site and used about an hour. 

A visit is worthwhile for the historical significance, but don’t expect something extraordinary. 

Entrance fee was 1500 dram (covers both museum and fortress), as all the other state museums in Armenia. The site is closed Mondays. 

Getting there by public transport is virtually impossible, but Manchester has the best options of getting there as close as possible.

This really is a great achievement for mankind. Other than walking around the impressive telescope itself, the site offers videos, events and some great explanations on the history of the site, astronomy, physics, and everything related, catering to each level of interest, from children to adults. If the topic doesn't really peak your interest, then this might get a little boring after a while, but I spent a full day reading all texts, doing all experiments and watching each and every video. Sadly, some of the interactive things were broken. Some of the texts and videos lack explanation and context to the laymen, which might leave some visitors with more questions than answers.

Strangely enough the only available tickets are yearly memberships coming in at 14.85 GBP (2025). There are additionally priced ticketed events all year round.

As the parliament visits were completely booked out already I decided to focus on the Westminster Cathedral. I have been lucky to have visited quite a decent number of English cathedrals and other big churches already, and given the quite steep entrance fee (30 GBP in 2025), I approached this one a bit differently. I attended a mass in the church. This is only possible on Sundays, but the entrance fee is 0 GBP. No photos or videos allowed, but it is a great way to get a glimpse of how the Abbey is still used today.

As this site stretches more than 150 km (96 miles), only true completionists will cover the whole track. I took two buses from Exeter to get to Weymouth enjoying the ride along the way, and to walk around the beach town that is Weymouth a little. It's full of touristy things for families. Then got on the train to Bournemouth where I spent the night. The next day I got on the Jurrassic Coast bus and got off at Studland to start my hike to Harry Old Rocks, which is just a short walk. Continuing along the cliffs, the sites are amazing, but care should be taken not to get too close to the edge, especially on windy days. I walked up to Svanage and had lunch there, walked around town a bit to later return to Bournemouth on the same bus.

The Pontcysyllte aqueduct is visually impressive and walking on top as well as underneath it is an amazing experience. Having said that, the surrounding area shouldn't be missed.

Getting there by public transport

As this site is quite big, there are several options.

If you just want to see the aqueduct: Get off at Ruabon train station and take the bus to Trevor.

If you want to do a decent hike: Get off at Chirk train station and start walking from there.

By boat

Several different canal boat trips can be made. Kayaks can be rented.

Hiking

Once outside Chirk train station, walk southwards to the Chirk aqueduct and viaduct, and the Chirk Tunnel. Go down and start walking northwards along the Canal. Be sure to use your phone light to light your path in this and upcoming tunnels. Some are quite long and could be claustrophobic. As not many people do it this way, some of the paths might be a bit overgrown, but rest assured it's a very peaceful part of the trail with amazing sights and other than a handful of other hikers and the occasional local you won't encounter many people. Once you get closer to the actual aqueduct, it gets crowded. Facilities at the aqueduct are limited and the site itself isn't that big either. Half an hour is probably more than enough to walk around, and observe, take pictures. One could take the bus from here (from Trevor) to Ruabon train station, but it's …

Regardless the fact that the entrance fee is 35.80 GBP (July 2025) this site is full of tourists, so there's no way you can visit this in all peace. If you don't like long queues get there early and do the popular things first: The Crown Jewels and the Royal Armouries and then the adjacent sites.

This really can't be missed. There is a ticket sale booth outside the site itself on the west side of the site, but online booking is probably a good idea, especially in high season. They are time slotted, but I was allowed to get in 10 minutes before my half hour window, so they might not (always) keep you to it.

The Crown Jewels are impressive and amazing. The Royal Armouries are equally impressive. There is a lot of text to be read. You can easily spend over an hour there. The wall walk gives you great explanations about the past and present of the site and all its different parts.

The site is very versatile, diving into different topics like war, history, archaeology, coin minting, culture, and whatnot. The poppy artwork representing war victims is another one of these.

Certainly a major achievement by mankind, this bridge is important, but only impressive if you consider when it was built: Construction began in 1779, and the bridge opened on New Year's Day 1781.

There isn't much to see, but you can walk across and underneath it, making it easy to observe and take some shots of the bridge. There is a tourist information desk at one end of the bridge. There's a site museum, too, which was already closed when I got there. The bridge is said to be open until sun set.

Getting there

This can easily be reached by public transport from Birmingham and other places in the area. There are some buses going from other places near, but I got off at Telford train station and took the bus to Telford bus station. Direct buses depart from there. Make sure to check the return schedule as they don't run frequently in the evening.