Kyle Magnuson

United States of America \ Member since March 2010

#501 104 37 3


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

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

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

My Flickr

Complete California

World Heritage Planning 2025-2030

Argentina/Uruguay/Brazil (9 WHS)

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

Australia (7 WHS)

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

Azores - Bermuda (2 WHS)

  • Central Zone of the Town of Angra do Heroismo in the Azores
  • The Historic Town of St George and Related Fortifications, Bermuda

Baja California Mexico (1 WHS)

  • Whale Sanctuary of El Vizcaino

Botswana/Namibia (3 WHS)

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

Canada - East (9 WHS)

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

Canadian Prairie Provinces (4 WHS)

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

Caribbean (4 WHS)

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

China via Shanghai (3 WHS)

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

China via Shenyang (1 WHS)

  • Capital Cities and Tombs of the Ancient Koguryo Kingdom

France (9 WHS)

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

Ghana/South Africa via Cape Town (2 WHS)

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

Gulf States (7 WHS)

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

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

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

Japan (9 WHS)

ICN Flight to Tokyo

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

Busan to Fukuoka Ferry

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

ICN Flight to Hokkaido

  • Shiretoko

Jordan (4 WHS)

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

Mongolia (2 WHS)

  • Deer Stone Monuments
  • Orkhon Valley Cultural Landscape

Nordic/Baltic Nations (8 WHS)

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

Sweden via driving (2 WHS) *Malmö to Oslo

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

Northern Mexico via driving (1 WHS)

  • Nuevo Casas Grandes: Archaeological Zone of Paquimé

Rwanda/Zambia (3 WHS)

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

Sicily - Malta - Tunisia (11 WHS)

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

Slovenia/Italy (3 WHS)

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

Southern Spain (4 WHS)

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

Thailand/Cambodia (5 WHS)

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

United Kingdom (12 WHS)

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

United States/Canada (2 WHS)

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

Yucatán Peninsula Mexico via train (6 WHS)

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

Travel Plans [Country List]

My most impressive site: Yellowstone, Machu Picchu

My proposal for a new site: Native/Indigenous Sites in the United States: (1) Ancestral Lands of the Diné: Canyon de Chelly & Monument Valley (2) Coso Rock Art Historic District (3) Heritage of the Hawaiian Kingdom (4) Rock Art of the Chumash People (5) Sinagua Cultural Landscape 6) Southwestern Utah: Canyonlands and Bears Ears Cultural Landscape 7) Grand Canyon National Park (cultural criteria)

Check out my website: http://completecalifornia.weebly.com/

Recent Visits
  • 0
    1
    July 30, 2025
    Korea Summer 2025: Stone Buddhas and Pagodas at Hwasun Unjusa Temple
  • 1
    0
    July 21, 2025
    Korea Summer 2025: Gyeongju
  • 0
    1
    July 9, 2025
    Korea Summer 2025: Getbol, Korean Tidal Flats (Extension)
Top 10 Missing
  1. Angkor 4.72
  2. Petra 4.61
  3. Galapagos Islands 4.60
  4. Rome 4.58
  5. Venice and its Lagoon 4.52
  6. Ancient Thebes 4.51
  7. Pyramids (Memphis) 4.51
  8. Rapa Nui 4.49
  9. Victoria Falls 4.48
  10. Tikal National Park 4.47
Completed Countries

About Kyle Magnuson

Member since
March 2010
Country of Origin
United States of America
Visits
Rank
#501
WHS
104
Tentative Sites
37
Website Participation
Reviews
156
Ratings

Ratings

World Heritage Sites
Tentative Sites
101 39
Locations
92
Zones
0
Reserved for members.

Reviews by Kyle Magnuson

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Hwasun Dolmen

Gochang, Hwasun, and Ganghwa … (Inscribed)

Korea's Megalithic Culture

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

Keep reading Kyle Magn… 15/04/10
Mammoth Cave

Mammoth Cave (Inscribed)

Worth Exploring Below & Above Ground

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

Keep reading Kyle Magn… 06/04/10
Historic Areas of Istanbul

Istanbul (Inscribed)

Seat of the Byzantines and the Ottomans

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

Keep reading Kyle Magn… 06/04/10
Bulguksa Temple Entrance

Seokguram Grotto and Bulguksa… (Inscribed)

Korea's 1st World Heritage Site

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

Keep reading Kyle Magn… 01/03/10
Lima by Kyle Magnuson

Lima (Inscribed)

Lima

Updated Review: January 2024

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

Keep reading Kyle Magn… 01/03/10
Hwaseong Fortress

Hwaseong Fortress (Inscribed)

King Jeongjo's Dream

Hwaseong is one of the better preserved fortifications in Korea, despite suffering severe damage during the Korean War. There are countless fortresses in Korea, including some that are impressive, but …

Keep reading Kyle Magn… 28/02/10
Mount Taishan by Kyle Magnuson

Mount Taishan (Inscribed)

Mount Taishan

Prepare yourself for a day of excercise and a day you will never forget. Ofcourse you may have your doubts while climbing the stairs for hours on end to reach …

Keep reading Kyle Magn… 28/02/10
Yosemite

Yosemite National Park (Inscribed)

More than Yosemite Valley

Firstly, two days (minimum) in the park is highly recommended. Anyone who complains the park is too full of tourists likely only visited the park for one day (on a …

Keep reading Kyle Magn… 17/02/10
Jeju Island

Jeju (Inscribed)

Jeju's Island Country Vibe

An incredible island with volcanic lava tubes, the beautiful Hallasan National Park, and a distinct culture from that of the mainland. Ilchul-bong is a must see crater located on the …

Keep reading Kyle Magn… 17/02/10
Changdeokgung

Changdeokgung Palace Complex (Inscribed)

Restored Dynastic Complex

Changdeokgung is one historic site that suffers a bit from misinformation or at least quick judgement. One being too much restoration or lack of authenticity. Second, the garden is dismissed …

Keep reading Kyle Magn… 17/02/10
Heolleung (Seoul)

Royal Joseon Tombs (Inscribed)

Enigmatic Tomb Guardians

I have visited nearly all clusters of this serial world heritage site. Additionally, my first visit was in 2008 (before inscription) and I've visited many additional tomb clusters since. Pre-inscription …

Keep reading Kyle Magn… 17/02/10
Seoraksan

Mt. Soraksan Nature Reserve (On tentative list)

Seoraksan National Park

Being practical, there are important options to consider for any traveler to this national park. You could spend 1-2 hrs, take a cable car to a splendid view, check out …

Keep reading Kyle Magn… 17/02/10
Cuzco by Kyle Magnuson

Cuzco (Inscribed)

Cuzco

The high-elevation of Cuzco will become apparent as soon as you walk up some stars. The city is beautiful, impressive Inca ruins dot the landscape in and around Cuzco. The …

Keep reading Kyle Magn… 17/02/10
New Lanark

New Lanark (Inscribed)

Concept of an 'Ideal Community'

Somewhat of a mystery for me when I visited in 2007, New Lanark's OUV only revealed itself years later. Clearly important in relation to Owens Socialist ideas and philosophy concerning …

Keep reading Kyle Magn… 17/02/10
City Walls of the Ming and Qing Dynasties by Kyle Magnuson

City Walls of the Ming and Qi… (On tentative list)

City Walls of the Ming and Qing Dynasties

Relatively few intact city walls are left in China, particularly when put in contrast to how many walled cities existed previously during China's dynastic periods. The Xi'an City Wall is …

Keep reading Kyle Magn… 22/01/10
Rade de Marseille by Kyle Magnuson

Rade de Marseille (On tentative list)

Rade de Marseille

What a beautiful port, the fortifications, the chapel, basilica, and the promenade. This is most definitely a scenic site on the Mediterranean worth preserving. World heritage status for another historic …

Keep reading Kyle Magn… 20/10/09
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