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I visited this tentative WHS in July 2020. First of all, due to the amount of historic points of interest and limited opening hours (as well as the different lighting for photography), I'd definitely suggest staying over at least for 1 night.

Mertola is located on a hill over the Guadiana River, which is a very important life source for many birds (I unexpectedly managed to spot a pair of Golden Orioles near the river banks), fish (with as much as 6 endemic species of river fish) and fauna. Although Mertola is known as the national hunting capital of Portugal, there are a number of nature and biodiversity conservation programmes and initiatives going on such as the reintroduction of the Iberian lynx, even though its habitat clashes with locals' driving/speeding habits. The town owes much of its historical importance to the Guadiana River. Its strategic location made it an important fluvial commercial port between Alentejo and other parts of Al-Andalus (Arab Hispania) and Northern Africa, from the Roman times (the GR15 Great Guadiana Hiking Route passes through the Via Romana) up until the Umayyad conquest of Hispania. In the early Middle Ages, the Guadiana River lost most of its importance which led to the decline of the port of Mertola. However, the discovery and modern exploration of lode mining (the process by which gold is extracted directly from underground ores) in the Serra de Sancto Domingos, gave new importance to the river and town.

Mertola's main church, the …

Referring to the site as Vega Island is misleading. The site is called Vega Archipelago and the greatest part of the inscribed area is not on Vega Island but on other islands and the sea in between. Be sure to check the map.

Vega Island is the easiest to reach, though, and it will both provide great views of the inscribed area as well as access to the core zone:

• The mountain on the southwestern side of island is inscribed and there are two climbing trails. There are also the Vegatrappa, stairs leading you up. I rode with my bike to Sundsvollstranda and hiked along the coast. Unfortunately, I missed the stairs; signposting for trails is not really popular in Norway. From the west coast you also have great views of the neighboring islands. Other starting points for the mountains are in Eidem and in the center of the island.
• Holandsosen is a protected area and there is a small trail running through it. I found it less impressive than the west coast.
• In the North East corner is another protected area.

The visitor center itself, as far as I can tell, is not in the core zone, but you get a great view of the archipelago. Best option would be to rent a kayak to navigate between all the small islands. Side note: The visitor center does not sell proper tickets, so I skipped it.

Generally, I don't quite follow …

Over my two visits of mainland Portugal in August 2014 and July 2020, I visited some of the major monuments/villages along each of the 6 Routes of Santiago de Compostela in Portugal.

The highlight of my visit of the 5 Routes in Northern Portugal (apart from the already inscribed Coimbra) was undoubtedly Viana do Castelo at the mouth of the Lima river (excellent for birdwatching too!). Its port gained great importance as one of the entry points for Portuguese explorers and traders involved in the Portuguese discoveries. Many of the historical buildings originated during this period. You certainly shouldn't miss the Cathedral of Viana do Castelo as well as the Sanctuary of Santa Luzia (bottom photos).

This time round I gladly allowed time for a stopover in Tavira and (Luz de Tavira) along the Eastern Route (top photos) which was definitely worthwhile. Tavira is located on the eastern side of the Algarve, approximately 30 km east of Faro and 25 km west of the Spanish border. This region attracts fewer tourists than the central or western Algarve. The historic centre of Tavira with its Moorish/Almoad elements, bridge, cobbled streets and delightful tiled houses is worth visiting. Apart from a few yellow arrows on a few pavements, the Church of Santiago and the Santiago Bridge, I was surprised to find little information on the Way and on the other hand quite a lot of information of the Islamic/Moorish Route.

Ideally, the Routes in Portugal, in France and in …

For some surprising reason, the sleepy former mining town of Røros gets 1 Mio visitors each year. When I came, the main road was busy and the parking lot full with caravans and cars. The main street is lined with cafes and shops, as in every other tourist town.

The obvious comparison is with Falun, another mining town in Scandinavia. Falun features a big hole and that is the striking feature of the mine. Røros, meanwhile, is more about the town around the mine, so I think these two sites are distinct. All the colorful wooden houses reminded me more of Rauma than Falun. And I enjoyed my visit significantly more than visiting yet another central European mining town.

The dominating features of the town are the church, the smelting house, the poor worker cottages and the slag heap. The smelting house now houses the Roros museum and is the starting point of guided tours. I would discourage visiting the museum, though, as only one room has been kept in an original state. All other rooms have been repurposed for the exhibition.

Best part to me was just wandering the small streets.

Getting There

As pointed out by Els, the easiest option is to do a day trip from Trondheim. Train leaves Trondheim main station around 9:30 and arrives in Røros at 12:15h. Return trip is at 15:30 or 16:30 depending on the weekday. Be sure to check the schedule for the precise day you …

After four days of great joy in southwestern South Korea seeing many interesting sites, my friends and I drove back from Jeonju to Seoul in early morning with a plan to have a brief stop in Nonsan to see UNESCO listed Seowon and Gongju for Baekje sites. With some problem with GPS that took us to the only prepaid card highway exit which we did not have, with help from locals, we finally got back to the highway but decided to go to Gongju directly after noted from GPS that 1-hour detour to other exit if we still want to visit Nonsan, a terrible situation for WHS enthusiast.

When we reached Gongju, the traffic was really bad, since there was a festival in the city center next to the Gongsanseong Fortress, we struck in the traffic in front of the fortress for almost one hour, a really boring way to admire World Heritage Site! Since there was no hope to find available parking slot and we really wanted to go away from city center, so we decided to pass Gongsanseong Fortress and went to the famous King Muryeong Tomb instead. With a great surprised there were only few tourists here. We walked to the tomb to happily discovered that the entrance fee was waived due to the festival. At first we went to see the original tombs and other lesser tombs nearby, the tombs were a bit similar to the Silla in Gyeongju, but since the tombs were …

After having visited (unknowingly) 2 locations of this tentative WHS in Madeira (Funchal) and the Azores (Angra do Heroismo being already inscribed) in 2015, this time round in July 2020 I made an effort to visit the 3 locations in mainland Portugal, namely Sagres, Lagos and Silves.

While beach hopping in the Algarve, we made an extra effort to explore Sagres and Lagos. In the towns proper, very little traces of history remain, but if you head towards the “Land of the Prince”, several promontories such as Ponta da Piedade, Cape St. Vincent and Sagres Point offer not only pleasant viewpoints and geological formations but also fortifications such as Fortaleza de Sagres (and Fortaleza do Beliche). In ancient times this was viewed as finis terrae, the end of the known world.

The Sites of Globalisation are portrayed on the UNESCO website as “places of enormous cultural value, both tangible and symbolic, that bear witness of the genesis of ocean expansion and the Discoveries and of new interactions among worlds and civilisations. This network of places established a new maritime route that brought together landscapes, cultures and symbols, but also scientific, technological, economic and social progress. In this space in time and place, a series of technological, geo-strategic and artistic innovations were established, which left their mark on humanity, thereby making the discovery of the “New World” possible”. Already in this superlative description, one can easily notice that most of the OUV these sites might have is mostly …

The delta is one of the most incredible natural wonders I've ever seen. The annual flooding of the Kalahari by the Okavango river is one of the Earth's greatest events, and the diversity of animals and plants is just awesome.

I visited this tentative WHS in July 2020 focusing on the Stronghold of Almeida which is possibly the best bulwarked fortification out of the 4 locations in Portugal. I had already visited and reviewed the Garrison Border Town of Elvas in 2014. Spain also has a separate bulwarked fortification tentative WHS made up of 8 locations, of which I visited Aldea del Obispo and Ciudad Rodrigo (already reviewed in Spain's Romanesque Cultural Enclave tentative WHS) in July 2020 and Pamplona along the Camino Frances in April 2016. I think that with some more trimming from both parties of already inscribed WHS and the weaker locations, this tentative WHS could secure inscription on the WH list if sought as a transnational WHS, following Italy/Kotor/Croatia's footsteps with the Venetian Works of Defence.

Almeida lies only a few kilometres away from the border with Spain, just opposite the fortifications of Ciudad Rodrigo. While the latter fortifications across the border in Spain only protect the highest hill side of Ciudad Rodrigo, the ones in Almeida surround it in a star-like shape and practically are one with the town they protect. I was really positively surprised by the fact that all the narrow gates and streets of Almeida are still accessible by car (although I'd suggest parking for free outside and walking) and fully inhabited by locals not a mere touristic museum town. There are signposted hiking trails around and beneath the fortifications, as well as above them and an interesting small museum next …

The Garden Kingdom of Dessau-Wörlitz covers a large area of 142 km².

According to park administration, seven palaces and parks are part of the Garden Kingdom:

• Schloss Wörlitz (my rating 5*)
• Schloss Luisium (my rating 4*)
• Schloss Oranienbaum (my rating 3*)
• Schloss Mosigkau (my rating 3*)
• Schloss Georgium (my rating 3*)
• Schloss Großkühnau (my rating 2*)
• Park am Sieglitzer Berg (not visited)

During my summer trip to Sachsen-Anhalt, I have visited six of them. Thanks to warm sunny weather, my first impression was quite positive.

Wörlitz is by far the most impressive park of the whole Garden Kingdom and the major reason to come here. Visiting the park is free, but the parking lot charges a fee. Two hours are minimum to walk once through the park, five hours are recommended to visit all buildings inside and to eat a local lunch in nearby Wörlitz. Staying overnight in Wörlitz is also possible. The little town of Wörlitz with some hotels and restaurants, considered as part of World heritage, is located next to the palace. Most paths in the park are covered by gravel, so good sneakers are recommended, but some visitors were wearing flip-flops. Well-educated dogs on a leash are allowed. This park is a popular destination for families. The park consists of artificial lakes, fields, meadows, forests and some small buildings. Ferries are crossing the lakes, you have to pay one Euro per ride. Roseninsel is accessible …

I visited this tentative WHS in July 2020. The Montado Cultural Landscape is all about cork and is a unique agro-forestry ecosystem found only in the Mediterranean region. It is a savannah-like woodland of cork oak and holm oak trees (Quercus suber and Quercus rotundifolia) and it is also a cultural landscape requiring active management to ensure its continued existence. Cork/holm oaks are only found in South Western Europe and North Western Africa, with Portugal alone holding one third of the world species distribution. Moreover, Portugal is the world's leading cork producer, accounting for over 60% of the volume of world exports.

With variations in the territory, the Montado landscape is suitable for several uses, depending on the density of trees that seek to adapt to the harsh conditions unlike no other tree (except the recently introduced Stone Pine tree), frequently dominated by skeletal soils with sparse organic matter and the Mediterranean, Continental or Atlantic climate influences. By definition the Montado is a constructed landscape, shaped over time exclusively by human activity, that mankind has generated and manages in a unique manner, in order to guarantee its sustainability. However, this system is under numerous pressures: rural abandonment, tree mortality, depreciation of cork market value, overgrazing as well as climate change.

According to the information on the UNESCO website, the Montado system occupies “a significant part of the Alentejo region, large areas of the Tagus Valley and of Beira Baixa interior, as well as and the mountain …

The Mývatn-Laxá Nature Conservation Area in northern Iceland consists of Lake Mývatn - a shallow lake - and its outflowing river Laxá. Together they are important for bird conservation, especially of ducks. Of course (this is Iceland after all) they are located in an active volcanic area as well, which has shaped the landscape. There are several short walks that you can do from the road around the lake, which combined make for a fun, active day. Fortunately the weather was dry and sunny when I visited; in the rain the charm of this area will soon elude you.

I started at Höfdi, a small peninsula / rocky promontory which reaches into Lake Mývatn. I had arrived early, but the trail turned out to be closed between 10 p.m. and 10 a.m. to give the birds a rest. So I stopped by again later in the morning. The 1 hour-hiking trail here leads through a forest, which is a rarity in Iceland. It provides access to several excellent viewpoints over the lake and its rocks and islets created by lava.

I continued my loop around the lake by visiting Skutustadir. This is where the pseudo craters can be seen, the other potential OUV of this site next to the duck life. Pseudo craters are small hills that look like extinct volcanoes, but were actually formed when hot lava reached the lake. Water that came under it eventually pushed itself out of the “crater” like steam. This rare feature …

I visited this tentative WHS in July 2020. Actually, most probably I had already visited Sarlat-la-Canéda in March 2014 when I visited the Vezere Valley but I didn't know it was a tentative WHS back then so I had no recollection or any photos.

Sarlat is a VERY popular tourist spot in Summer - French and international tourists flock here non-stop, even during the COVID-19 pandemic! There are several free parking lots but if you want to avoid waiting for your turn and don't mind paying a few euros, you're likely to find a shaded parking space just in the middle of town at the outdoor Parking Rigaudie. As an aside, in response to Els' review, we witnessed first-hand quite a lot of "civil disobedience and nonviolent resistance" probably originating from La Boétie's "ideals" - almost nobody respected and COVID-19 restrictions here: no social distancing, no face masks or visors, not even sanitising gel in some of the open shops, restaurants and churches.

The Lantern of the Dead (photo) is an odd stone tower to look out for but it isn't unique not even in France. A light was exhibited at night at such stone towers pierced with small openings at the top to indicate the position of a cemetery. Other apparently better examples in France can be seen at Cellefrouin (Charente), Ciron (Indre) and Antigny (Vienne), while in England, in a churchyard at Bisley, Gloucestershire, there's another one referred to as the Poor Souls' Light. The controversy …

When you look at my ‘Missing’ map, you can see that I have visited nearly all European WHS except for those tiny islands scattered here and there at the fringes. Last year was a true debacle in that regard, missing out on both St. Kilda and Skellig Michael in the same summer due to unfavourable weather conditions. The same risk applies to Surtsey, though it lies not so far out as St. Kilda. Also, unlike the other two, Surtsey is not served by scheduled boat tours and the once-available flightseeing tours have been discontinued. So I did not dare to hope to reach it during my trip around Iceland.

Fortunately, those intrepid Norwegians Randi and Svein visited 2 weeks before me and proved that it would be possible. Just cross your fingers for calm weather and bring a stash of money (in Iceland this means: having a credit card with a high enough limit). The go-to guys for a private charter are SACA. When I saw that the weather forecast for the weekend was sunny and calm, I contacted them by email on Wednesday. On Friday evening, when the detailed weather maps for the next day were available, the final decision was made to leave the next morning at 9 a.m.

So we went, captain Simmi, his adult son and myself on a so-called RIB, something that looks like an inflatable dinghy - but with a sturdy hull and the qualification "unsinkable". It is completely uncovered and has …

I live in the Tunisian capital Tunis but my parents are originally from Sfax (economical capital).

The Medina there is unique It's different from tunisian medinas (like Tunis and Sousse).

It's still have the same lifestyle since centuries and architecturally speaking It's still intact :

- Its great beautiful wall which makes it the only islamic Medina that have a wall that's still complete and surrounds the whole ancient city or Medina

- Its great Mosque is still there in the center of the Medina

- the Activities there still authentic and not only touristic which makes this Medina unique comparing it to Tunis and Sousse

For example : forgers in fonduk Haddadin and the leather workers in souk rabaa etc

- the tight roads inside the Medina are all perpendicular

The city still have the authenticity from centuries ago (it was founded since 1200 years in 849) and the wall is like a fortress that kept it unique

I think it should be a world heritage site due to its authenticity and the great state of its walls which makes the city look like a fortress from the outside

Thingvellir is probably Iceland’s most popular tourist attraction (well, the geysers may just beat it), but surely the core of the country’s national identity. Its meaning has already been well explained by previous reviewers: it comprises the remains of the place where the Althing, the Icelandic ‘parliament’, met yearly to make judicial and administrative decisions. I’ll focus a bit more on the practical details of visiting as I was surprised by some.

I arrived by car from the north (road 36) and was immediately confused about where to park. There are signs, and there are numbered parking lots, but the pros and cons of those were unclear. I ended up in parking lot P2 which is at the northern end of the park. It is paid parking, it costs 750 ISK per full day (4,60 EUR). You pay with a credit card at a machine after typing in your car registration plate number. P1 and P5 are also paid, but lot P3 is free however located a few hundred meters further away. P4 is for the handicapped only. 

A pole with signs in Icelandic awaited me at the start of the trail, signs to… yes to what actually? There were things on it like “Lögberg 350m” and “Hakid 300m”. I decided to just follow the main path along the ridge, where I encountered the following (fortunately with information panels in English too):

• The intriguing “Drekkingarhylur”, which turned out to be a place where women were drowned …

I visited this tentative WHS in July 2020 as a short detour from Miranda de Ebro in the Basque country. Even though salt production is already covered on the WH list by sites such as the ones in Salins-les-Bains and Arc-et-Senans in France, or Wieliczka and Bochnia Royal Salt Mines in Poland, the Valle Salado de Anana is still a very worthwhile stopover if you're in the area, even if it never makes it on the WH list. It also reminded me of a recent visit to Maras, in the Sacred Valley of the Incas, in Peru.

It is one of the oldest salt production facilities in the world and the 'white gold' is believed to have been uninterruptedly produced here for around 7,000 years. It consists of hundreds if not thousands of salt pans, wooden platforms, springs, channels, wells and storage facilities. The Salt Valley of Salinas de Añana stands in what were once waters of a vast sea 200 million years ago. The old brine wells are inhabited by a unique crustacean named Artemia Parthenogenetica. The brine flows through the wooden channels and platforms and salt is obtained through solar evaporation. The salt is believed to be of supreme quality and is particularly praised by Michelin star chefs worldwide as having an intensity that lasts much more in the mouth. The saltwater springs contain 210 grams of salt per litre, seven times more than seawater! Moreover, there are three types of salt obtained here: mineral salt, flor …

I visited this WHS in July 2020. Due to the COVID-19 pandemic I had to cancel my trip initially planned for May and although I had already paid in full for a morning tour with Doñana Reservas, they duly refunded me the full amount within days. So this time round, I was glad to book a 4 hour morning tour inside the fenced off core area close to El Rocio.

Solivagant did an excellent job in his review to meticulously describe the subtle yet very confusing difference of the inscribed or non-inscribed areas as well as the discrepancies between the Spanish maps and the UNESCO maps. So when preparing for my trip, I made sure to print the UNESCO map and keep a digital copy of it on my mobile phone for reference, just in case.

I immediately noticed that the inhabited sandy beach town of Matalascañas was obviously not part of the inscribed area, but there was a freely accessible trail starting from the sand dunes area. These trails are readily accessible from the Playa del Coto beach right at the edge of Matalascañas and are fenced off. So after parking my car in the shade at the nearby Gran Hotel del Coto, my better half went for a swim while I registered my name with the national park ranger on duty and braved the scorching heat of the afternoon sun, glad I was back inside the inscribed area. Even though the early afternoon is not the …

This is a marvelous park! The national park is the largest in Europe and it’s mostly covered by the second largest glacier in Europe. What is the best way to visit such a huge park, with such a harsh nature of fire and ice? As a normal visitor its only possible to scratch at the edges.

The best way to visit is with your own car along the ring road nr 1 as we did. The plan was to first visit Skaftafell area which is supposed to be the best place to go hiking and it is easy accessible. Then on an impulse, after a morning visit to the canyon Fjadrarglufjur, we decided to drive to the Laki area. Laki is a volcanic fissure in the western part of the national park not covered with ice. The drive was an adventure itself. You will need a 4x4 vehicle. The road is a rough one, 45 km and includes several river crossings. Our rental was a Nissan Qashqai and it (barely) did the job. We stopped to see Fagrifoss, a beautiful waterfall. The scenery and nature along the route is really different from what we are familiar with. It’s a variation of lava and rocks, but still colorful. At the parking lot next to the mountain Laki a park ranger met us, a nice surprise. He gave us information about the national park, Laki area and “rules” for driving on islandic gravel roads. Inside the national park there is circle …

In July 2020 I visited 2 locations of this tentative WHS, namely the Mozarabic Church of San Cipriano in Cebrian de Mazote (top photos) and the Mozarabic Church/Ossuary of Santa Maria in Wamba (bottom photos), both close to Valladolid. Something worth keeping in mind when visiting is that both are closed on Mondays.

The Mozarabs were the Iberian Christians who lived under Moorish rule in Al-Andalus. Although their descendants remained unconverted to Islam, they were mostly fluent in Arabic and adopted elements of Arabic culture. The local Romance vernaculars, heavily permeated by Arabic and spoken by Christians and Muslims alike, have also come to be known as the Mozarabic language. Most of the Mozarabs were descendants of Hispanic Christians and were primarily speakers of Mozarabic (late Latin of Iberia) under Islamic rule. They also included those members of the former Visigothic ruling elite who did not convert to Islam or emigrate northwards after the Muslim conquest. Spanish Christians initially portrayed Muslims primarily as military or political enemies, but with time, Islam came to be seen as a religion and not merely a threat.

The Mozarabs of Muslim origin were descendants of those Muslims who converted to Christianity following the conquest of Toledo, and perhaps also following the expeditions of King Alfonso I of Aragon. When comparing this tWHS to the already inscribed Mudejar architecture it is worth mentioning that the Mozarabs of Muslim origin who converted en masse at the end of the 11th century are totally distinct …

Visited this remote site in August 2020. Yakutsk (population over 300 thousand) is one of the largest cities not accessible by road full year. It seems that Lena Bridge would finally be constructed by 2025, meaning that the city will be connected with federal roads. Current ferry system can only operate during summer time, requires up to 4-5 hours waiting during peak time, then it takes 1.5 hours for ferry transfer itself via 16-km fairway. During winter, the road goes on ice and becomes dangerous at border temperatures. Yakutsk is the mammoth and diamond capital of Russia with some dedicated museums and exhibitions. I also booked a small group full-day tour to Lena Pillars through Bolot (Visit Yakutia), the same provider as was used by Martina Ruckova You first drive 100km via deteriorating road to Bulgunnyakhtyakh, where you transfer into a speedboat and travel remaining 100km by boat along Lena. En route the captain shows petroglyphs of two big mooses at the cliffs near Elanka village and stops at huge 200-meter sand dunes of Tukulany. Lena Pillars represent a 35-40 km stretch of beautiful cliffs of 200-300 meters high along Lena River. The pillars are exposures of the Cambrian period (570 million years ago), when this region was the bottom of the sea. Many trilobite fossils were found here. There is a visitor center with entry price of 300 Roubles to the National Park. The wooden staircase (1.6 km long) leads to the top of the pillars, where it is …