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WHS#24

Iguacu is just a special place for me. I visited in April 2016, and I was lucky enough to experience the falls from land, water, and air. Early in the morning, I got on a helicopter for the first (and as of now, only) time in my life for a special view of the falls. From above, you can really appreciate the unique form of the falls. The falls start in the center of the river, where the famous Garganta del Diablo drops the waters of the mighty Iguacu River around 80 meters down with a thundering roar and spray of mist that can be seen kilometers away, eventually forming a jagged J-shape, littered with what seemed like a few hundred little islands. Probably my favorite part of the experience, however, was the Macaco Safari boat ride, which takes you up the river and into the falls. Prepare to get wet! This was really when I experienced the power of the falls first-hand, having it crashing into my face. No time to dry up, though, because it was time to go to the viewing decks, boardwalks on the waterfall itself! On the way, you pass viewpoints of the falls on the side of the gorge. It's a short walk in the jungle, made more interesting by the native wildlife, especially the coati, which I've never seen anywhere else. As you walk on, the roar of the falls gets louder until the mist starts blowing into you. I finally …

April 2019 was an exciting moment for Philippine archaeology - the classification of Callao Man as a separate and therefore new species of human called Homo luzonensis, whose first remains were discovered in 2007. 

Before its discovery, most (if not all) focus were on Tabon Man (discovered in 1962) and the Lipuun Cave complex in Palawan, as far as early Philippine human remains are concerned. The Callao Man's third metatarsal bone was said to be 67,000 years old, and much older than the Tabon Man; thus likewise the possibility of the north-to-south movement of ancient humans across the archipelago, instead of the opposite.

The elevated entrance of the Callao Cave provides a glimpse of the Cagayan Valley (see photo) - the home of the Luzon's prehistoric humans.

Lomas are fog-watered desert ecosystems from the coast of Peru and northern Chile. They are characterized by seasonally important fog catchment that waters a dense vegetation in an otherwise arid desert landscape. Lomas has been described "an island of vegetation in a virtual ocean of desert". The Pacific fog and mist that water these ecosystems and favor the lush green vegetation is present from May to November. December to April are much rainless months during which the landscape turns brown and dry. This serial nomination comprises three protected areas of coastal Peru, including the largest and best preserved lomas (Atiquipa).

I visited la Reserva Nacional de Lachay in March 2020. Lachay is the most accessible of the reserved located near Lima. I hired a driver in Barranca (Caral) through my hotel. He drove us to Lachay and then dropped me in Chancay to take the bus to Lima (there's a bus there every 15 minutes). It could be possible to reach the park with public transports by asking the bus driver to drop you on the Panamericana at the entrance of the reserve. Note however that you would need to walk 6,5 km in the shadeless desert to reach the hiking trails. And this part of the reserve is moreover rather flat and uninteresting.

Three trails are proposed in the park (del Zorro, de la Tara and de la Perdiz) and they are estimated respectively at 20 min., 1 h and 2 hours. The trail of the Fox (Zorro) is …

I was fortunate to finish my business trip in Taiwan few days before the pandemic reached this nation and the rest of Asia. During my time in Taiwan, I decided to use this opportunity to visit Palau to see its beautiful World Heritage Site, the Rock Islands. Since I only have 3 days in Palau, my schedule was packed with all the package activities. My experience in this tropical paradise was similar to other reviewers. The stunning milky way and jelly fish lake were truly unique and two of the best highlights of Palau. Compared with Vietnam’s Ha Long Bay, the Rock Islands, in my opinion, was far better for its nicer tropical climate, stunning clean sea, and better management. I felt safer to swim here than the polluted Vietnamese one. I also ranked the Rock Islands to be better than Thailand’s Phang-Nga Bay, while the islands were less dramatic, it was not overcrowded like in Thailand.

Another interesting thing of Palau was its food, I was surprised that its local delicacy was bat soup, which was quite popular among Chinese and Taiwanese tourists, nothing related to those COVID-19 eating bat rumor. With many Japanese influence and cultural link with other pacific islands, I found the local Japanese-Okinawan-Micronesian American mix food was really unique similar or maybe more complex than Hawaiian food I experienced a month ago before this trip. I ended my Palau trip with air flight to see the famous Rock Islands from the sky. It was …

WHS#43

Together, according the the UNESCO Website, "the Cathedral, Alcázar and Archivo de Indias as a series, form a remarkable monumental complex in the heart of Seville. They perfectly epitomize the Spanish "Golden Age", incorporating vestiges of Islamic culture, centuries of ecclesiastical power, royal sovereignty and the trading power that Spain acquired through its colonies in the New World." "Epitomize" is truly the perfect word to use here. The 3 monuments as a single ensemble are the best and most complete representation of the world power of Spain and how it came to be. It definitely helps that all 3 are right beside each other too. I visited Seville back in May 2017, arriving from Cordoba in the early afternoon in time to visit the Alcazar and the famous, though non-WHS related, Plaza de España. The next day I got to visit the El Salvador Church and of course, the Seville Cathedral before taking the bus to Tarifa. Actually, I only visited El Salvador Church to get a shared ticket for the cathedral without having to queue up with the crowds, but I highly recommend a full visit to that church as well, as it's got some very rich Baroque architecture that the cathedral doesn't have. Seville as a whole is a wonderful city with so much more to see than what I was able to in the little time I had, but without a doubt, the Cathedral and the Alcazar are its world-class monuments that every visitor lucky …

Site visited in March 2020. As Walter described all the aspects of the site I would focus more on practical issues.

It is a nice place, fully deserved to be on the list. Currently working hours of the place are quite difficult for visitors. It is not open on holidays nor on Sundays (Mondays either but that is more understandable). All individual visits have to be arranged in advance and there is only one English-speaking guide on the place. You can arrange the visit through their website:

Site: http://portal.iphan.gov.br/srbm

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/SitioBurleMarx.Iphan/

e-mail: visitas.srbm@iphan.gov.br

Official leaflet says that the visits can take place only twice a day - at 9.30 and at 13.30 - tours up to 35 people but during my visit there were other groups that started a bit later than 9.30. Visit costs 10 R$, paid by cash only. Have in mind that Sitio is similar to any other botanical garden with its ponds and water so there are plenty of mosqitos (and other flying and biting creatures) there - be prepared with appropriate repelent.

It is possible to reach the place by public transport. The best way to get to the Sítio from central Riois to take the subway line until "Jardim Oceanico" station, and them take the "Rapid Transit Bus" (BRT in portuguese) until "Ilha de Guaratiba" station. After that, in Ilha de Guaratiba Station you can take another bus that leave you at the gates of the Sítio.

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Let's make a couple of things clear first. I don't really like wine and never tried pisco before this visit. I considered pisco being of national importance without OUV. It was my first visit in a WH or TWH vineyard. Considering this lack of interest and the fact many community members often complain about "yet another vineyard", my expectations for this site were low. I thus decide to visit mainly to tick it off if it ever gets inscribed.

The nomination file lists 14 vineyards and pisco production sites located in all 5 departments where pisco can be produced. Ica Department contains the most sites and seemed to be an easy place for a visit. Vista Alegre, one of the main commercial caves, is the closest to the town of Ica and probably the easiest to visit. However, with the advices of our hostel, we chose Tacama. This is the oldest winery in all South America and appeared more authentic and interesting to me. 

We reached to the winery with a taxi. It lays about 10 km north of town. Even though Lonely Planet told me the visit was free, it's not the case. Upon arrival, you need to choose between three options. They offer an historical tour as well as a more wine production oriented tour, both of them offering tasting. We chose the third option, that is a mix of both. The tasting in this option can be upgraded to a workshop with a wine steward, but we …

In these days of social distancing and stay-at-home orders, what better World Heritage Site could there be to review than one whose Outstanding Universal Value is best appreciated from the inside: the Würzburg Residence (with the Court Gardens and Residence Square). So why do I attach a picture of the outside of the residence if the interior is superior to the exterior? Unfortunately, the Würzburg Residence is one of the World Heritage Sites that does not allow for interior photography, ostensibly because it hinders group tours.

Nevertheless, I do recommend a visit to the palace to see the interior, for the architecture and frescoes are marvelous. The Würzburg Residence was designed by German architect Balthasar Neumann and constructed in Baroque style during the 18th century. I appreciated my first glimpse of the house during my wait for the tour to begin in Neumann's fantastic Garden Hall on the ground floor when I visited in March of 2019. The tour continued to the grand staircase, meant to impress all visitors to the residence and topped with master artist Giovanni Tiepolo's magnificent Apollo and the Four Continents on the ceiling, apparently the largest fresco in the world. I really liked this work, and was amused at Tiepolo's interpretation of America, which remained largely unknown to him.

I would gladly have spent more time studying the fresco, but the tour continued through the first floor to the other two main highlights of the house: the Imperial Hall (or Kaisersaal) and the …

"White Heron Castle" is the poetic name of Himeji-jo. Its white walls and roofs are said to be reminiscent of a bird starting to fly. Well, I couldn't really spot that, either from the map of the castle at the entrance gate or from the top floor of the donjon. But that it is a white beauty cannot be denied, at least since 2015, when the most recent restoration was completed and the dark patina was removed.

I visited Himeji-jo in September 2019 on a half-day trip from Kyoto. It takes less than an hour by train (Hikari Shinkasen, included in JR Rail Pass). The route is signposted from Himeji station: just take the north exit, go straight ahead and 15 minutes later you are in front of the outer castle gate. And a little further, then you arrive at the Hishi-no-mon gate, the entrance to the paid area.From there you can reach the main keep through several gates. At the beginning the path is straight, but then more and more turns and twists - a labyrinth of alley, gates, ramps and towers. Perfect designed to make a conquest difficult.The magnificent main keep is certainly the highlight. You have to take off your shoes before you can climb the six floors to the top. The interior is quite empty, there is not much to see apart from the small shrine on the top floor. But there are multilingual information boards on each floor and the staff was happy to …

The Kornati archipelago lies off the coast of Croatia. I visited it on a full-day boat tour from Zadar (I actually believe that visiting the archipelago is the only reason for staying overnight in Zadar. This city is not worth more than a short stop to tick the Venetian work of defense and listen to the very cool maritime organ.).

In the nomination file, Croatia put emphasis on the unique geology and high biodiversity of the archipelago to justify inscription. It contains many impressive karst features such as caves and cliffs. These result from the high tectonic activity of the area. The highest and most impressive cliffs are located in the Telašćica Nature Park. Most of the Kornati islands are small round and bare islands. According to the nomination file, the parks contain high numbers of floral and marine species. Dolphins, birds and bats are also mentioned. One of the most interesting features is the Mir Lake, a salted lake (saltier than the sea!) located atop of Telašćica's cliffs, resulting from a sunken karst depression. The sea bottom landscape is also emphasized as being unique in the nomination.

It's easy to book tours in the islands on the docks of Zadar. Everyone seem to offer slightly the same thing. I think it's also possible to visit from Šibenik, but I don't think Telašćica is included in these as it is much farther away. I booked a full-day tour for 350 Kunas. My tour started by a shot of grappa and …

Site visited December 2015. Although this first capital of Achaemenid Empire may feel dull and empty compared to Persepolis, it is still an interesting place to visit.

Getting to Pasargadae by public transport may be tricky. I guess the only way is to take a bus (probably with a bus change in Marvdasht) from Shiraz to Saadat Shahr and try to get a taxi from there. The easiest way is to hire a taxi all the way from Shiraz. It should also be reasonably priced. Fortunately I had arranged a relative of my colleague to be my chauffeur on my day trip to Persepolis and Pasargadae from Shiraz. After visiting Persepolis we stopped by Naqsh-e Rostam and Naqsh-e Rajab TWHS. By the way, I found this site quite impressive and maybe worth of inscription. After that we headed towards Pasargadae which is an hour’s drive from Persepolis. It was already late afternoon when we arrived to the gates of Pasargadae. I spent about an hour and a half at the site and we left at the time of sunset.

Generally speaking there are not that much to see in Pasargadae and the site looks empty. Basically the site consists of seven structures that are scattered around the area of 1,6 hectares. The structures are both modest and low-key, not very well preserved. The distances inside the core zone are so big that it would require a lot of walking if you don't have a car. For that reason …

Hōryū-ji is considered the cradle of Japanese Buddhism, the temple is closely linked to the introduction of Buddhism in Japan. Along with the new belief also a different architectural style was introduced. Buddhist temples usually have a strictly symmetrical layout with a gate and the main hall in the central axis, surrounded by a wall. Shinto Architecture, on the other hand, aims to blend in perfectly with nature. And Hōryū-ji is home of the oldest wooden structures in the world. No doubt about its historical significance and reasons enough to inscribe Hōryū-ji as one of the first Japanese world heritage sites in 1993. However, Hōryū-ji receives far less attention from visitors than its famous neighbours Kyoto and Nara.

I visited Hōryū-ji as a half-day trip from Nara. The JR train only takes eleven minutes to Hōryū-ji station, and after a 20-minute walk I arrived at the entrance to the Western Precinct, where the main buildings are located. I was the first visitor at 8.15 am and only had to share the inner temple with the staff who swept the pavements (photo). The most important and most impressive buildings are the main hall or Kondō and the five-story pagoda. The sources are contradictory as to which of the two is older. A Japanese cypress supplied the wood for the central pillar of the pagoda. It has been determined by dendrology that this cypress was felled in 594. Thus, the pagoda seems to be the winner of the title "oldest among …

We felt lucky to have been able to get in to see this site in Feb 2020. It has been officially closed for quite a while and will continue to remain closed but during the Winter in Tantora festival in Al Ula the site was partially opened for tour visits. This involved registering and paying for a visit either online or in Al Ula where overpriced festival buses would transport you to the main north entrance. The old Al-Hijr railway station (part of its own Hejaz railway TWHS) is restored and being converted into a visitors centre and after a welcome tea and dates, we found ourselves funneled onto a different guided tour bus for a partial trip around the site.

On maps there is a road that makes a full loop of the site. We made 4 stops along the eastern semi-circle ending at the most famous Qasr Al-Farad tomb before returning the way we came. Seeing as how large an area this all is and the need for a vehicle to get around, I wouldn't be surprised if they maintained this type of tour bus set up as the mandatory way to visit in the future to both increase revenue and keep an eye on everyone. It has been many years since my visit to Petra but if memory serves me right, these tombs felt more numerous and spread out but generally smaller. We were told that archaeologists have recently discovered the residential portion of the city …

At the beginning of the 15th century, Serbian king Stefan Lazarevic builds the proud work in the Despotovac area.Outside is a fortress; inside a monastery. It was called Resava, from the neighbour-river, but now we find on the maps with name Manasija, dedication of the Holy Trinity.Perhaps the inclination towards the world of weapons convinced the despot (nobility title received from Byzantium) to raise walls to the sky, with square towers, many of them lose their numbers, and before they ditch as a double defensive measure. But surely his care for the country made him leave in the interior of the church the wonderful frescoes in his own style (the Morava school): biblical scenes, but also holy warriors, of which the first despot even has honor. The church becomes its grave, and more recently it is passed into the holy line, because it preserves faith and defense the borders under the Order of the Dragon.Six centuries ago, the school where the translation and writing was established, being in time and library, becoming then not only an important Orthodox center of faith and spirituality, but also of culture and art, and even of architecture. It is precisely the importance that one obtains that does not give him rest: it is burned and plundered by the Ottomans, and even by the Serbian peasants during the uprisings.The appearance is difficult to understand, it was a true bastion, with thick walls that kept on the ramparts designed for shooting, bouldering areas or hot liquids.The …

Since I had read „At home“ by Bill Bryson with its great chapter on Skara Brae I had dreamed to visit the Orkneys. And when I planned my trip to Scotland for summer 2019 it was my top priority to see these islands. We travelled around the whole northern coast of the country including the most important Islands and I found the landscape absolutely stunning: The lushness of the vegetation and the shades of green in the wonderful Glencoe valley asked for a longer exploration then we had time for. Five days on the Isle of Skye were hardly enough, even more so since it included a day trip to the Outer Hebrides and a great, long, rough and very expensive day trip to St. Kilda. More about that in another post. When we continued north towards the Cape of Wrath and the Orkneys the vegetation changed a lot but the landscape remained fascinating: Trees disappeared almost completely, there were only bushes, meadows and mainly moss. This increased until we arrived on the Orkneys with their scraggy vegetation. It seems that the Orkneys have been lacking trees for thousands of years and even its neolithic population - and everybody after them - had to look for other material. Fortunately there is the typical tabular Orkney flagstone that can be found almost anywhere and that seems very easy to work with. This combination makes the Orkneys the most fascinating neolithic sites of northern Europe. The Heart of Neolithic Orkney The title …

We also visited the Jubbah section of the rock art in early Feb 2020. It is an easy day trip from Hail and we went on a friday afternoon. Note that the site is only open after ~3pm on fridays but can be visited in the morning also during the rest of the week. Having found the place more easily than we thought, we arrived a little after 2pm and sat in the deserted parking lot unsure if it would really open for only a couple hours. Sure enough it did but in the worst case scenario it is possible to see a few of the petroglyphs through the fence in all else fails.

There were maybe a dozen visitors in total including one small tour group. A surly guard opened the gate and waved us through without any offer of guides or anything. This was the biggest mistake on our part. Inside there is a path that circles rock formations covered with petroglyphs but no information explaining what we were seeing. There was much more rock art than I'd been expecting but which ones were 10000, 5000 or 2000 years old? I can see and intuitively understand animals and early writing but I'd probably be more inclined to give the site more stars if I'd had more explanation. No doubt further development of the site is planned and if their Vision 2030 comes to fruition, more restrictions will be necessary as well. It made me cringe to see …

I must admit that I didn't go all the way to Eritrea in Feb 2020 to specifically visit this WHS though it would be impossible to miss once you are there since it encompasses pretty much the whole capital. It was my third trip to the region but first successful attempt at getting into the country so it had been a bit of a nagging personal goal for a while. I'm not familiar with the other major Art Deco hot spots so wasn't sure how appealing it would be to me personally but I quickly came to love the overall atmosphere of Asmara and very much enjoyed my time there. I'm not sure if it says more about me or the country but it is easily my favourite African capital.

The good news is the Eritrean system seems to have lost the harshest edge of its paranoia and my experience was overwhelmingly hassle free. The bad news is the number of dilapidated buildings has only continued to increase over the years. I used a guide book that was 12+ years old and found that while the buildings hadn't moved, several that were listed as visitable or in use had been shuttered completely and left to decay. The Fiat building is fenced off and empty now for example. I found this added to the trapped in time character of a country that has been isolated and undeveloped for so long. It was more like walking around a huge antique shop, …

In several ways Ancient Nara is the opposite of the Kyoto WHS. While in Kyoto the temples and shrines are spread all over the entire city area and beyond, the most significant sites in much smaller Nara are located in a park on the edge of the modern city. Nara was the residence of the Japanese Emperor prior to Kyoto, and only for a relatively short time. This may be the reason why the diversity of sites and styles is smaller compared to Kyoto, but that doesn't mean that Nara is also less impressive. Most travelers visit Nara on a day trip from Kyoto. However, I scheduled two full days for Nara and Hōryū-ji, which enabled me to visit all locations of these two WHS.

If you enter the core zone at Sarusawa pond, you first reach Konfuku-ji. In the 8th century, the temple consisted of more than 150 buildings, of which only a few have survived. Most striking is the five-story pagoda. It was completely destroyed several times in civil wars, the current building dates from the 15th century - reconstructions can also be historical, especially in Japan.The must-see in Nara is Todai-ji and its large Buddha statue. Todai-ji is always described in superlatives: largest bronze Buddha statue, largest wooden building in the world. And indeed, everything seems to be at least one size larger than at other temples, not only the Buddha, but also the gates, the guardian statues etc. Over the centuries, Todai-ji (like many …

Uzbekistan is an unmissable destination for any serious traveller, mainly for its monumental and well-preserved architectural heritage. Next to the famous higlights such as Samarkand and Bukhara, there are a number of lesser known sights that I would not hesitate to propose to for example a “Missing Top 50 Asia” list. One of those is the Bahoutdin Complex, a group of Sufi funeral and religious monuments some 10 km outside of the city of Bukhara.

Bahoutdin Naqshaband was a 14th century Sufi saint. He was the founder of the Naqshbandi order, and was considered the spiritual patron of Bukhara governors. His order became influential as far as India, Dagestan (Russia), Syria, Egypt and China. Therefore, his tomb remains the most esteemed in Uzbekistan and attracts visitors from other Islamic countries as well. It apparently is nicknamed "Mecca of Central Asia".

The tomb is part of a large memorial and religious complex, with constructions from different periods in time starting from 1544. The complex has been renovated in 1993 with Turkish and Pakistani funding, after it had been abandoned during Soviet times. When I visited (in May 2010) it was busy with Uzbek pilgrims. I was prepared to cover my arms, legs and head here due to the site’s religious nature - but many of the Uzbek women also walked around with short sleeves and without a headscarf.

The complex surrounding Bahoutdin’s mausoleum is large. After entering through the monumental gate, one first passes the rows and rows …

Argentina, like some other American countries, in late XIX century attracted a lot of immigrants, mainly from Central and Eastern Europe. Since the interior of the country was almost empty, they had plenty of land to settle and build their towns from scratch. The immigrants usually kept together, so they constructed towns similar to those in their homelands. After more than a century they are all assimilated and their towns look very Argentinian. Only some of the oldest buildings survived to tell the story about the origin of their founders.

One of such towns is Moises Ville, founded by Eastern European Jews, seeking better conditions and escaping pogroms in the Russian Empire. Three synagogues were built there, as well as the Hebrew School, library etc. The town was main center of Jewish culture in Argentina for the first half of XX centrury, but I guess being so remote it could not maintain its statut for too long – more ambitious units escaped for better education, jobs and culture.

This site is awfully located for a WHS fan. Nearest inscribed place is Cordoba, around 4h by car, but if you go from Cordoba to Buenos Aires, or vice versa, going there basically requires full extra day and there is little to see on the way. I was not sure if we should go but since we economized some extra time before, I gave it a try. Little did I know that we chose the worst time to do so …