All our reviews

We visited the Anak Krakatau area in July 2018, and it seems much has changed since Clyde's review below. We accessed the site via the same method: a private 3 hour drive from Jakarta starting at 5am, followed by a bouncing 1.5 hour speedboat ride from Carita Beach. In December 2018, not long after Clyde's visit, the main cone of Anak Krakatau collapsed. A tsunami thundered into the mainland of Java, killing over 400 people and injuring thousands more.

The volcano itself lost about 250m of height, along with all of its trees. The island is now just a barren wasteland of hard-packed ash with canyons riven by rainwater. There's a small beach of ash, but Alert Level 2 means you're not allowed to approach within two kilometres. Around the far side of the island, we could see a large cauldron of steaming sulphur but little other activity, and aside from the waves the whole area was completely silent. Our guide said there are small eruptions once or twice a week, punctuated by the occasional large eruption. After the December tsunami, these have grown less frequent.

The nearby island of Rakata suffered a landslide after the tsunami hit, but was otherwise unaffected. It was still quite green, and we spotted lots of fish while snorkelling and later some large monitor lizards monitored us eating lunch. The other islands that were once Krakatoa had their trees blackened or killed, but are otherwise in the same shapes as earlier.

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So with this one I had finally "ticked off" all sites in NF but each one was great. I specifically say NF because the site in Labrador sucks. Mistaken Point, named after the many ships that turned too early and wrecked here, is a fossil site. Unlike many fossil sites there is more to see than fossils. The nature at the tip of the Irish route is beautiful, you see many flora, in summer there were thousands of whales at the shore that come right into the bay, there is a seal that comes to visit tourists at the fossil area (I forget its name, Barry?), and this is overall a wonderful day out. It will take an entire day and you must prebook although an Indian fellow had only inquired a night before to join us, there were only two groups of ~12 in total. You also need to check in with them at noon before leaving an hour later, then you return at 4pm. So you cannot really add any special sightseeing to this day's itinerary (but they have whales!). Furthermore, you must have your own car, really, I mean you could theoretically take whatever transportation to get to their office and then get a ride to the parking lot inside the reserve but it just doesn't make sense.

Unlike all other sites (in NFL or even in all of Canada) this is not run by Parks Canada. Their office still has a nice introduction to the …

When I planned to visit Malta, Hypogeum was the most interesting site I really wanted to see. I did a reservation online even though the meaning of Hypogeum for me was still unclear at that time. I took a bus from Valletta to see the Hypogeum, the traffic was quite bad, and I arrived only 10 minutes before my scheduled tour started. After registered my arrival with receptionists and waited with other 9 people, most were English retirees! The guide hassled us to the exhibition room with modern video presentation, I felt it was a bit too similar with a show in planetarium with pretty bad sound effect and too sci-fi and mysterious themes, moreover it did not give much explanation of Hypogeum which I believed should be a main point what the exhibition should present.

After disappointed with the show, the guide leaded us to see the Hypogeum. The lightning display was top notch, however each personal audio guide did it best to provide worse and unnecessary sound effect of stone chiseling along the way. While the underground temple was really interesting and impressive, the experience to see it with other 9 people was quite not enjoyable. Even with such small group I would still consider it was too pack to accommodate. Many times, I had no chance to see what in the audio guide explained as others blocked my view. I could not blame them since the pathway was small and narrow, it was almost impossible to …

Late afternoon, the first day of Ramadan, and the heat was intense. It was a blessed relief to duck into the shade of the Souq al-Attarine. The brickwork radiated coolness. The stark electric fluorescent lighting of the stalls vanishing off into the distance leant the scene a slightly sci-fi air. Each store front had its own distinct aroma: cumin from a spice stall, laurel Aleppo soap from a soap-seller, honey from where kunafa was being made on huge trays, fat from the fly-blown camel carcass hanging outside a butchers. I cruised back and forth past the souvenir sellers for a while, hoping to get called over and engaged in sales patter (I certainly wasn’t going to make the first move!). No good. It was almost 5pm and the touts and hawkers, the hucksters and salesmen had no energy for haggling. Their eyes were watching the clock, counting down the minutes until they could pull down their roller shutters and head home for their first meal, their first drink and (crucially I think) their first cigarette since sunrise.

Aleppo is – or perhaps was considering that I visited in 2009 prior to the ongoing Battle of Aleppo – an amazing city. It was the souq at the end of the Silk Road, and historically almost anything could be bought there. It also has a rivalry with Damascus about which is actually the oldest continually-inhabited city in the world.

I sat down to write this review thinking that there were …

Damascus is a city of stories and a city of story-tellers. I met the first on the plane, somewhere over Germany. His name, he told me, was Anwar. His little village in Syria was only connected up to the electric grid for the first time on the night of his birth. His father named him Anwar, meaning ‘light’ in celebration. When he found I would be visiting Damascus he insisted I take his phone number. He gave me three recommendations: visit Mirmar Sinan’s Takiyya al-Süleimaniyya near the National Museum, wander around the Jewish Quarter of the Old City, and queue up for ice cream at Bakdash on Souq al-Hamidiyya. The second of note was Maurice, an old chap I met on Sharia Bab Sharqi, the old Biblical ‘Street that is called Straight’. He told me of his life and travels as an agent for KLM and recommended places to feed the body and the soul: “I usually pray in the Ananias Chapel at 7pm. You are welcome to join me.” And the third was Abu Shady, last of the hakawati, the professional story-tellers. Dressed in baggy trousers, waistcoat and tarboush, glasses perched on the end of his nose, he held a crowd of all ages and nationalities at the Al-Nawfara Coffee Shop enthralled with his tales of heroes long gone. In hushed voice he built the suspense and then – SLAM! down came the flat of a sword upon a table. I jumped in shock and a chuckle rattled …

Of the 2 parts of this WHS I enjoyed the ruins of Panama Viejo more than the neighbourhood of Casco Viejo. We easily covered both sites in a day. The ruins are well preserved in a state of (mostly) unrestored rubble but it is not hard to get a feel for the layout of the settlement and there is a very good museum on site to help get the most out of it. As the original settlement of Panama and the first by the Spaniards on the Pacific coast, a visit here was essential to our overall appreciation and understanding of the colonization of the new world, a theme we'd been following quite closely for the last couple years in our travels. 

Casco Viejo is just another small colonial core much like any other in Latin America and unique only in its later French influences. Restoration work is still ongoing but there are still many empty buildings shells between restored sections. This adds a degree of character to the area and I wonder if this is in part by design. I'd like to see the overall plan to see what the final goal for the restoration work is. If they even know! If anything the tourist dollar should keep them motivated to keep working at it. There is still a very visible police presence in the area but all the uber drivers I asked confidently replied that security concerns were a thing of the past, just don't go wandering …

I had a base in Split for nearly a week on a recent trip to Croatia. Only a single day was budgeted for exploring the town, but I also returned to the city core every evening through that stay, so by the end of it I could plausibly claim a pretty intimate familiarity with this great town.

The historic center of Split is anchored by the area known as the Diocletian’s Palace. Built for the Roman emperor of that name in the early 4th century AD, it was even back then more a whole town than just a palace, with the emperor’s quarters taking about half of the vast structure. Nowadays, the walls largely remain, and a number of buildings can trace their ancestry to the original palace grounds. The palace area is somewhat reminiscent of Venice, minus the canals, with a maze of short narrow streets. The overall protected area extends beyond the wall perimeter to the west, including a couple of atmospheric public spaces.

Only one building is explicitly mentioned on the very brief Split WH inscription, the cathedral of St Domnius. As cathedrals go, it is of rather modest dimensions although it was extended a bit in the 17th century. Its interior is actually pretty impressive with the amount of decoration in the limited space. Other points of interest to explore are the bell tower (not very easy to climb – the steps are narrow, high, and slippery for a good part of the way …

We visited Portobelo July 2019 as an easy day trip from Panama City on public transit. There is actually very little to add to the previous reviews as it is the kind of place where nothing changes. If anything it feels even more neglected. Other than a couple of local visitors we were the only ones there, which left us free to sit and imagine days gone by. The natural harbour and its strategic importance is obvious at first glance and at Portobelo there are two little fortifications (Santiago and San Jeronimo) to quickly explore. In a rush it could be seen in 10 minutes but if you are the type that enjoys history unrestored and decaying it is a great place to linger. 

Changing buses in Sabanitas makes the journey quick and easy. We decided to go all the way into Colon on the return trip which was a mistake. Although it wasn't far, it easily doubled the journey time because of frequent stops and Colon itself looked very uninviting. 

The old sunken roadway still held its north-south bearing. The stubby remains of columns lined my way to left and right as I walked, my feet kicking up puffs of sand from the stone flags. I could feel the heat of the morning through the soles of my shoes. Towards me swayed an old woman in a startling midnight blue velvet robe, a black plastic sack balanced on her head. Two schoolboys ran past, late for class. I stopped in disbelief before a pair of skyscraping Roman columns. It was not the columns themselves or the finely decorated architrave that startled me. Instead it was the fact that rough hunks of dark masonry had been used to fill in the lower half of the gap between them. Doors and barred windows glowered at me. These Roman ruins, out on the edge of empire, were still inhabited to this day.

Bosra is a town of black basalt and dust. Even when I visited in 2009, ten years ago, it seemed a little bit forgotten. The tour buses charged straight on from the Jordanian border for the orientalist allure of Damascus. No one turned right to follow the road to Bosra. And that was a shame. The town was definitely of interest. Bosra has a long and storied history, passing from one conquering empire to another like a family heirloom. Nabateans to Romans, Romans to Byzantines, Byzantines to Sassanians and back again before falling to the first caliphate just two years …

Central Park is a massive park. Pick a New York based TV show and they will show an aerial shot for sure and undoubtedly any trip to NYC should include a visit whether it is for a picnic, playing ball, the adjacent Guggenheim (WHS!), jogging in the morning, playgrounds, cycling, the "castles", overpriced corn dogs, take a carriage ride, see mounted police, and according to Law & Order you can find bodies in the bushes *chung-chung*

In short, Central Park is an icon that defines Manhattan as much the Statue of Liberty, the skyscrapers and bridges.

Compared to the few other parks in the world that are considered world heritage, Kew Gardens and the Singapore Botanical Gardens come to mind, I would always prefer Central Park. Whether it is more "unique" it is hard to say. Surely I would agree it is special and nothing is similar enough, but I can't judge it from an objective view *chung-chung*

The sun was already setting. In all likelihood I had arrived too late. But I climbed, regardless. The road wound around the hill and up it I ran. Loose stones skittered beneath my boots. But then, breath catching in my chest, I emerged from the shadows of the peak. From here, the watery blood-orange sun hung just over the horizon. I stepped around the corner of the towering Arab castle and looked down over the oasis. There, far below on the ash grey plain, bracketed by a hinge of palms, millennia old stonework glowed in the fading light. A long colonnaded processional route marched away from my vantage point for over a kilometre towards a squared-off area of temples. Their walls and columns still stood proud of the sands and trees that surrounded them. Behind me the sun sank away and I watched the shadows of night fold down over Palmyra.

Palmyra is a bewitching sight, a lattice of soaring ruins sketched out in the sands of the Syrian Desert. It carries all the exoticism of Egypt. But the history of Palmyra at its 3rd century peak – the Palmyra that I visited – is well-documented. And its story is as interesting as any myth.

Palmyra sat on the fringes of the Roman empire, a wealthy waystation on the trade routes to the east and a bulwark against encroaching threats. The high-water mark of its influence and power occurred during what is known as ‘The Crisis of the …

I visited this WHS in January 2012. It's a great base to visit the Jantar Mantar WHS and the inscribed Amber Fort which is only 11km away from Jaipur. Other nearby forts worth visiting with the one in Amer are the Jaigarh Fort and the Nahargarh Fort. 

The pink city was in dire need of restoration when I visited and pretty much everything except the Palace of the Winds/Hawa Mahal facade (photo) was crumbling although the structures are not that old! Jaipur is one of those places on the WH list which unjustifiably have separate WHS for specific buildings and as a historic centre/city but in my opinion it would make much more sense as 1 worthy WHS rather than having 2 which in such a case seems counterproductive. 

The Jaipur city palace is worth visiting if only for a good view of Diwan-e-Khas, Peacock gate and the entrance gate of Rajendra Pol. If you were to visit only one museum here, make sure to visit the Albert Hall Museum also known as the Government Central Museum, which is Rajasthan's oldest museum and a fine example of Indo-Saracenic architecture. The main highlight inside apart from the architecture, believe it or not, is a far-from-home Egyptian mummy!

Another highlight was the Water Palace or Jal Mahal in the middle of the Man Sagar Lake. The palace and the lake around it were renovated and enlarged in the 18th century by Maharaja Jai Singh II of Amber. When I …

Visit in July 2019

I have only a small amount to add to the two previous reviews. 

If you should happen to have your own bicycle in Kangerlussuaq, it is possible to ride through the core zone of the Aasivissuit-Nipisat WHS along the way to the western edge of the Greenland Ice Sheet. In total, the road runs for 35.5 km from the airport in Kangerlussuaq up to the edge of the ice, rising from sea level to 520 meters a.m.s.l. along the way. It is Greenland’s longest road, and, some may say, Greenland’s only road, which is, more or less, correct. The road is gravel, and at the start is in a reasonably good condition, but, in a typical manner, as you progress towards the east the condition deteriorates more and more, with several short, steep sections having a rather loose surface near the end. At around the 23 km mark, there is a locked gate which you can walk or ride around. The sign there, which is one of the few around that is only in Greenlandic and Danish, mentions something about motorized vehicles, so they are probably prohibited beyond that point. However, I encountered two tour buses, two researcher’s trucks, and two unidentified vans after the gate, so presumably official and tourism vehicles are allowed.

One kilometer beyond that gate, you enter the core zone of the WHS. There is a small information plaque on a stand about 20 meters off the road, which …

After I visited the World Heritage Site of Okinoshima, to be exact I only visited the mainland part of Munakata Grand Shrine, the Hetsumiya, I really confused what should I be focused on this Japanese site. The original ICOMOS’s recommendation only suggested that only Okinoshima Island should be on the UNESCO list for its outstanding value of archaeology, but when the inscription expanded to include two more shrines, one on the mainland and one on Oshima Island, the raison d'etre of this site for me became obscuring.

When I parked my car on the large carpark area next to the grand modern shrine building of Hetsumiya, I saw a Shinto priest together with few shrine maidens walked around the two front rows of the carpark did a blessing ceremony to provide a divine protection on requested modern cars. I was impressed with this belief since the Goddesses of Munakata originally are the protector of sea travel, signify its role of ancient trade route, then developed to be the protector of every means of transportation especially for cars. Then I walked to the grand shrine, again I impressed with its classic early Shinto shrine layout with straight pathway, Torii gates, small creek, a bridge and ponds of front garden, a rectangular wall forming the inner shrine cloister complex, an early type of shrine layout which has many similarities with ancient temples in China and Korea, a result of cultural exchange via maritime trade route. The inner shine of Hetsumiya was …

I visited this WHS in August 2014. The inscribed sanctuary in Tenoes is just a short detour from Braga. It was fun to catch a short funicular uphill ride to the sanctuary from the upper town of Braga, parallel to the Escadaria de Bom Jesus to the highest point of 116 metres at the statue of Saint Longinus.

The architecture of the zigzag baroque staircase is the main highlight of this WHS but it isn't unique in Portugal or on a global scale. Similar examples include the Sanctuary of Our Lady of Remédios in Lamego, the Nossa Senhora da Paz church in Sao Miguel, Azores or the Nossa Senhora dos Remedios Church in Sao Luis, Brazil and the inscribed Sanctuary of Bom Jesus de Matozinhos in Congonhas, Brazil. So its OUV lies in possibly being the first example of such an architecture which influenced the construction of other worldwide.

Being a pilgrimage site, as the pilgrims climbed the stairs, by tradition encouraged to do so on their knees, they encountered a theological programme that contrasted the senses of the material world with the virtues of the spirit, at the same time as they experienced the scenes of the Passion of Christ. The culmination of the effort was the temple of God, the church on the top of the hill. The presence of several fountains along the stairways give the idea of purification of the faithful. The 'new' church on top was one of the first Neoclassic churches of …

There is lots to see in the Dominican Republic aside from Santo Domingo (I loathe the place but if you just want to tick off a site plus country I can see how it is easy), and many of the tentative place are related to Christopher Columbus. On his third voyage he built himself a house at the northern tip that is nowadays La Isabela. The only house in the Americas apparently - and there is the only unique thing for this place.

Let's start with getting there. It's almost 90 minutes from Puerto Plata and thus almost 2h from the towns further east if that's where you are most likely staying. Having no car in the DR isn't usually an issue to get around because buses go from all the main towns along the main roads but talking to a local I gathered that nobody comes out here to La Isabela. A taxi would cost you a bit more for such a long trip but you could first go to Villa Isabela by bus and continue from there.

I will also mention at this point that the site is not really worth all the trouble but as it appears to gear up an inscription attempt (2020 seems a tad optimistic) many of you might be showing interest nonetheless.

The entrance is a measly 100 pesos and you don't need to hire a guide but I took a guy along who spoke some basic English to show …

We visited Phuphrabat on a day trip from Udon Thani using a driver sourced via our hotel. It can comfortably be visited in a single day trip along with nearby Ban Chiang (though they are in opposite directions from UT). 

Frederick Dawson below has given a good description of the site, where you climb slowly through a forest onto a sandstone plateau to find a group of tall rocks balanced in improbable locations. Geologically, they aren't glacial as one might expect - instead sandstone of varying densities that has eroded at varying rates.

The rock overhangs and shelters created were home to various different tribes and groups over the centuries, and there's still traces of ancient occupation including rock art. Although nowhere near as impressive as other rock art we've seen in semi-nearby places like Bhimbetka (India) and Kakadu (Australia), it's still quite well preserved in places and you can see human and animal figures quite clearly.

The Buddha statues are mostly broken, and I think generally date to a later period of occupation so perhaps a little less signficant.

Overall it's not the greatest site we've seen (and not the greatest in Thailand), but I still think it's worth adding as there are precious few sites of this kind in South-East Asia.

As a side-note, the bathrooms here are absolutely outstanding! For whatever reason, this tiny little unvisited spot in the middle of nowhere in Thailand has two freestanding toilet blocks, fitted out on …

Site visited in early 90ties and revisited shortly after inscription (July 2019).

I must say I really like this place. Comparing to Spiennes it is better preserved and much more interesting. It is also well maintained and prepared for mass tourism. All that applies to main component (Krzemionki Opatowskie) - area located between villages Sudół and Magonie (coordinates 50.971817, 21.491227). It is a place where former Krzemionki village was located, now it is only museum and archeological reserve of former flint mining.

At first glance it may not be very spectacular. These only visible remnants of mining activities are just small mounds or holes in the forest. But the real treasure lies under the ground. This is fully preserved flint mine from Neolthic period including corridors cut in the limestone and chambers. As far as I know it is the only one in world (those at Spiennes are just individual shatfs not connected each to another). The main reason for its preservation was lack of human settlement in the area after the place was abandoned in early Bronze Age (around 1600 BC).

Some practicalities as of July, 2019: visit of archeological reserve and museum is possible only with a guide. Fees are not big comparing to other monuments (18 / 12 PLN normal discounted, which is approximately 4,25 / 2,8 EUR), the whole trip takes around one hour and includes 500 m underground walk. Be prepared to take some warm clothes with you as these galleries are …

I visited this WHS in June 2019. It was a last minute addition to my already packed itinerary but I'm glad I sacrificed a night in Lima for a night in Arequipa instead. Instead of using the night bus from Cusco, I opted for a comfortable early morning flight of only 1 hour. The airport is very close to city centre and the first thing you'll see in the desert landscape is the 5825m high active Misti volcano.

The main square Plaza de Armas was a bit disappointing as not much goes on there unlike other main squares in Peru. Perhaps being so big doesn't help in such a hot climate as most people who pass through the square, do so using the shaded arcades (Arequipa's marble UNESCO WHS inscription plaque can be found here). The Cathedral too seems to be too huge and out of proportion, in fact it is considered one of Peru's most unusual colonial cathedrals since the Spanish conquest. The highlight near the square is definitely the ornate facade of La Compania church which like most of the historic centre monuments and buildings is made of ashlar (sillar). This white volcanic stone is exceptionally soft, lightweight, weatherproof and emerged as a seismic structural solution in such an earthquake prone city. Several external buttresses can be seen all over the historic centre to help the structures from collapsing. In the Santa Catalina monastery you can still easily spot the damages caused earthquakes.

The second highlight …

Haven't we got enough sites about colonization, slavery and sugar processing during the 16th to 19th?! Jamaica doesn't have many sites to offer. The mountains are already inscribed so that's basically all of nature, Port Royal will eventually make its way on the list too, and there is Seville, a small historic area in the north. If it weren't next to the touristy Ocho Rios (areas which I tend to avoid but I figured it is safe up there) I wouldn't bother. The visit to the park was brief but hot enough to skip several items. The tour for the house is enough to cover it if you don't like the heat. The site description is actually easier to use as navigation and to know what to look for. The signs post to burial sites and old replica houses but they don't point out the mill etc.

I don't think this is of international value even with the colonial aspect. Jamaican history, yes, world heritage no. I honestly dislike many "colonial" as sites but they tend to always get on the list. There must be something about them that is an easy way to win over the advisory board. Well, not Seville, it got rejected a long time ago and now even still lingering on the list as a revised version (is that even allowed? Any rejected place could simply revise in that case…!)

I had a car so I did bother going but don't waste your money …