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Most "cities" in India don't really have historic structures or buildings but are a sprawl of concrete buildings. And dirt and trash for that matter. Trust me: If you haven't been, you cannot imagine.

Jaipur is different in the sense that it really has a consistent historic core. You can take a walk through the town center and do site seeing. The city center is called Pink City due to the color of the houses. Pink is the color of hospitality in Jaipur and the city was painted in it in preparation for a visit by the Prince of Wales in 1876.

Jaipur itself is not that old. It was founded the 18th century when the Maharadscha moved his capital there. This explains a bit the consistency of the city center which was developed by an Indian architect, Vidyadhar Bhattacharya.

Apart from the Jantar Mantar, the Palace of the Wind (Hawa Mahal) is probably the most known building of Jaipur. While it does look pretty on photos it did not impress me much on entry. The state of preservation wasn't good. As was the case for most of the old town.

[Update July 2019] Looking at Jaipur as a consistent example of 18th-century Indian town planning and architecture, that is still fairly consistent, there is little doubt in my mind, that this deserved to be inscribed. With the Jantar Mantar already on the list, however, it begs to question why not go for a …

There are three most sacred places for Russian/Eastern European Orthodox Christians to visit: Sergiev-Possad Lavra, Mt. Athos an Kyiv-Pechersk Lavra, lavra being the highest in the hierarchy of the Orthodox monasteries. We visited this one on our road trip from Slovakia through Hungary and Romania to Ukraine, to see Chernobyl and some other sites in 2012 - the early stages of our WHS travels where we basically looked at what was around and visited that. We saw the lavra with my classmate from Oxford, Kirill, very religious person, so that added another layer to the whole experience. 

From architectural side of things, it's like any other Orthodox chuches if you've already seen some. The thing that differentiates it is the complex of undergound caves dug by the monks which is now a final resting place for many of them. We had a Russian-language tour with local devout people. Women, wear a long skirt as per other Orthodox monasteries, but they provide wrap skirts if you don't have one. Then you receive a wax candle that will be your only source of light as for some religious reasons, the artificial light is not allowed inside. Warning, don't go if you're claustrofobic, because you're in for a ride. So we entered, a group of about thirty people and we were walking along these small corridors, candles in our hands. There was so much candle waving I was afraid my headscarf would catch on fire. The atmosphere is spooky, aided by the …

While the sites are nowhere as impressive as their counterparts in Peru and Bolivia, I did want to give a quick review to some of the Chilean elements to this complicated site.

To revisit the question at the core of Nan’s review (Is it the roads the Incas built to connect all parts of their empire? Or does it refer to the sites the roads connect?), I feel like within Chile at least, the answer is very much the latter. Chile has inscribed long portions of the road, but very almost no Incan associated sites. The roads themselves are often barely little more smudged trails through the desert, but it's still impressive how much has survived. In some places, local indigenous communities maintain the trail in a good condition.

During our Dec 2018 trip, we visited three components - a long stretch that runs for about 25km to the south of San Pedro de Atacama, a small component just north of San Pedro, and another longer stretch running north from the village of Lasana. Of the three, the most ‘impressive’ was the first, with the trail clearly visible through the desert. The setting, with the Andes to one side and Salar de Atacama to the other makes for a quite an experience. It also has the added bonus of being the point where the trail crosses the Tropic of Capricorn.

The other sites offered little in and of themselves, though Lasana is home to a rather impressive …

As a tourist travelling Ireland you will see plenty of monasteries across the Ireland. Most are worn down and in ruins nowadays. And while it is easy to blame the constant rain as culprit, the ruins are a testament to the long history of Christianity in Ireland. Never part of the Roman empire, Christianity spread there already in the 5th century.

Of the proposed sites I have visited quite a few along a road trip in Ireland:

Kells: The Kells High Crosses are probably one of the most iconic images of Ireland. Combined with the Book of Kells, on display at Trinity College, they are a key part of Irish cultural identity. There is also an original nunnery remaining near the church. The keys are with a neighbor, but I couldn't find the right door bell and it was raining cats and dogs, so I rather quickly gave up.

Glendalough: Located in a beautiful valley on a lake, this site has a different feeling due its church tower still rising high. Very pretty. And very popular with day tourists from Dublin.

Clonmacnoise: The best. See my review as the site is also listed as a separate tentative site.

OUV

As pointed out in my Clonmacnoise review I have little doubt that Irish monasteries belong on the list. To me the question is just between inscribing the best (from what I have seen Clonmacnoise) or a serial nomination of several monasteries (Early …

I should have done my research before heading all the way north to find it closed as mentioned previously, and only the outside of the mosque was available for a photo (don't find it special and is it even part of the nomination?). I approached the barriers and the police told me it is closed for renovations. Then I figured I can take a photo from the outside but no… Not allowed.

So just to pad the review with info for the future, take the T1 tram to the end and then switch to one of the many buses stopping right in front of it (Google map is your friend there but apparently doesn't know the palace is closed!) Not much walking up the hill is required. There is a playground nearby if you want to ditch the kids for a bit ;)

Will surely return to Istanbul one day to see.

In December 2018, we took a small break from visiting the in-laws in Santiago to spend a few days travelling around San Pedro and the Atacama desert. Flying to Calama or Antofagasta are by far the cheapest options for people visiting from the capital - direct flights to San Pedro are available but seasonal and pricey. I also would recommend renting a good 4x4, as while the tours a plentiful, many are of dubious quality and value. Having the freedom to do things at your own pace was much appreciated, especially in unrelenting midday temperatures.

Part of the frustration with San Pedro is how poorly the TWHS write-up on the UNESCO site is. It makes it unclear what the main focus of the sight would be, ranging from bronze age Atacaman herdsmen through pre-Incan forts through the colonial churches in the centre of the town. I’m not sure how kindly ICOMOS would look at such a cover-all approach.

The town itself is pretty enough, a single central main street lined with neat little adobe buildings. The main attraction within the town is Igelsia San Pedro, a rather plain white-washed church of the local style. Even in the context of our limited travel within the area, we saw better examples of this style.

However, of much more interest was the pre-colonial sites outside of town. One particular highlight was the ‘Aldea de Tulor’, a 2,000 year old village. When we visited, we were the only people there, suggesting …

The seven WHS objectives lie within a 10-15min walking distance circle; however a more convenient and "local" way to explore them is by rented scooters. We started in early afternoon from Calangute and after a 50min trip we reached Old Goa quarters. The road was pretty tough with alternating clogged village and faster expressway segments, but in the end manageable even for beginners like us. We didnt spot any western-style cafes or restos around, so consider bringing some F&B along. 

1. Basilica de Bom Jesus, Se Cathedral, Church of St Francis de Assisi, The Chapel of St Catherine

Park your bikes in front of the shops by the entrance of Basilica de Bom Jesus, then after visiting it cross the main road to Se Cathedral and Church of St Francis de Assisi. These three churches make out the main touristic core of the site, so be prepared for the usual dose of noisy tourists, loud guides, and colonial opulence. Head towards The Chapel of St Catherine for a more tuned-down feeling, an ochre-colored small jewel nestled in its own small garden where tourist flows recede and the magic of olden days starts to work its way through. Enjoy a well-deserved hydration break with coconuts and plenty of water at the small shop just in front of the exit.

2. Church of St Cajetan

A short few minutes ride through the forest will lead straight to the Church of St Cajetan. Despite its being modeled after Vatican's …

The complex, as mentioned already previously, should probably be an extension to the Istanbul WHS. It isn't even far from the main area of sites with a little touristy road full of shops leading you directly to the entrance. On first sight there is nothing special here. It is a relatively new mosque, 1755, built by the Osman family (thus NuruOSMANiye) with the typical minarets, signatures, ceiling prayers, mihrab, minbar and washing area outside. Whereas the mosque itself isn't special and you will feel that the Blue Mosque was ultimately better, there is more here although not all is accessible or still used for the same purpose. The sultan's pavilion can be seen from the outside, previously used to give the royalty a safe entrance to prayer in the sultan lodge. There are tombs outside of the mosque, a fancy fountain, and some other buildings (school, library) which are now closed or used otherwise. All of this is encircled in a large wall most people just use to cut through to get across. I cannot recommend seeking this out over all the other attractions Istanbul has to offer but if you attach it to your itinerary it should not take long to cover on your way. The metro and tram stations make it so easy to get around this lovely city.

The Museo de Colonia de San Francisco is an externally unassuming building right in the heart of downtown Santiago. Its significance lies not in its design (there are no shortage of colonial buildings of its type throughout Latin America) but that it survived at all. It is the oldest building in Santiago, and one of only a handful from the 16th century in Chile to survive several hundred years of earthquakes and social conflict.

The building is the standard Spanish Colonial style, with a central courtyard filled with trees surrounded by white plastered arches supporting a wooden upper deck and terracotta tiles. Despite being in the heart of the city, its surprisingly peaceful. There's almost no traffic noise from the busy Av. Liberador Bernardo O’Higgins outside. If not for the occasional tower block poking out from above the roof, it is sufficiently quiet to forget you were in a city at all.

I arrived early in the day, and for a long time, I was the only person here, strolling peacefully in and out of the gallery rooms. The paintings, like the building, are in desperate need of restoration, stained and faded from decades of pollution. The paintings are striking, but much of it lacks context, and there's nothing to help a visitor gain a further understanding of the significance of the works. The building suffers as well. Peeling plasterwork, cracks in the walls, and decaying woodwork give the impression of a fading oasis, an unloved work of …

Going to Iran in winter has obvious risks of snow ruining your plans. Taking the smaller eastern road into Soleyman, it was cleared but still a few ice patches, the road leading out West was much better. However, the actual site was covered by half a meter of beautiful white snow. Missing the plowed parking spaces at the bottom I drove right up through the gate and parked next to the staff. When they pointed it out I apologized but pointed at my watch for it was getting late and they let me stay there. I will thus start a new connection of “Zoë parked here illegally” (kidding but I also have Sharjah Airport Museum, Alisadr Cave and errr Rome [/w Parking Ticket I never got to pay, long story]). The staff mainly wanted to ensure I bought a ticket so I waded over to the booth yet he didn't have change for a 500k note. In typical fashion I got waved through (I later returned to see if he has change but he waved me away again so this now on my “Zoë has free entry” connection).

As for the site itself it was unfortunately hard to even read the snowed in panels and make out what some of the buildings were supposed to be, but I reckon it is just my misfortune with the weather. The lake was still beautiful and the surrounding scenery made it clear why the fortification was up here. Some of the men …

I have visited all sites in Weimar and Dessau. Two University buildings in Geschwister-Scholl-Strasse in Weimar are not spectacular but very pleasant sites with relaxed cafe - worth-visiting and -inscription anyway. The Haus am Horn (seen from outside) is also not spectacular but I can understand at least its importance. However, I would prefer living in nearby Goethe house...

The main BAUHAUS building and Masters` hauses in Dessau are superb, and they belong to my top-sites I have ever visited (everything described by other reviewers).

However, the extensions in 2017 are a bit problematic from my point of view. I could see the Hauses with balcony access (photo) during my trip to Dessau. Though they are important examples of application of bauhaus ideas in everyday life, I am not sure if they deserve to be inscribed as WHS. My opinion is that this is a typical example of approach that the iconic site is degraded by adding of more and more components. I am able to understand reasons and that Germany did painstaking work to cover all aspects of Bauhaus, but... it should have certain limits. The hauses are located in southern suburb of Dessau accessible by tram from the city center. This part of Dessau is worth-visiting for modern architecture enthusiast, because there is fine ensamble of buildings from first half of 20th century. Another interesting and nice building is the Employment Office designed by Walter Gropius (August-Bebel-Platz 16) with unique disposition. Despite of historical, architectonic and …

Updated 14 July 2025.

Panamá went for something creative. They delisted Panamá and replaced it with the route. Of which Panamá became a member. So my original complaint re redundant WHS is not applicable. Still, Panamá was a perfectly fine WHS by its own merits. I would really need to see evidence that the route makes this a richer experience than the prior configuration. Looking forward to reviews. As an aside, replacing WHS was quite a hassle on the IT side of things.

Original.

Panama has managed the rather remarkable feat to show how weak their nomination is in the very first sentence of their nomination:

"It is a serial property which comprises 5 component parts, several of which already have been inscribed on the World Heritage list[.]"

Executive summary: Of the 5 proposed components 3 are already inscribed as Panama and Portobelo and San+Lorenzo. This leaves the two roads connecting the Caribbean and Pacific coast as sole new addition.

I effectively ticked this off on my short visit to Panama by visiting Panama and Portobelo. I even made an effort in Panama to follow the road a little bit in downtown.

OUV

I really don't think serial combinations consisting primarily of already inscribed sites should be given any consideration. This does not belong on the list and is well covered by the already inscribed sites.

Getting There

Visiting Panama already gets you there, so there is little to add here.

We visited Port Royal as long ago as 2004 and I review it now simply because it is nominated for 2019 and no one else has! I fear that the result will provide WHS travellers more with an indication of what the normal visitor will NOT see rather than describing a great visiting experience!!

We should first come clean that neither of us is into diving/snorkelling – which was always likely to prove a hindrance to viewing what is clearly badged as an “Underwater city”!! However it turns out that anyone wanting to dive the archaeological remains of Port Royal needs “special permission” from the authorities - and I have no indication from any Web site that this is readily given, though it may be of course that surreptitious trips are available. I wouldn’t have expected that gaining permission or making unauthorised dives will have become any easier since it was decided to nominate the site for WH status. ICOMOS will have wanted good evidence that the remains were properly protected. A web search will show that there are many dive companies offering diving in the “Port Royal Cays” but closer reading indicates that these are to reefs and wrecks well away from the excavations and the likely nominated marine area.

All is not lost however for those wanting a “visited tick”, since part of the site lies above the water and has presumably been included within the nominated area. The 1692 earthquake which destroyed the thriving town …

I think I had my first real encounter with Russia in Rostov. I was walking from the train station to the city along the principal road and was fighting hard to pull my luggage: The main road to the town center was a dirt road. Frankly, I am only used to see those for agricultural purposes or for pedestrians. Not as principal roads of a city.

Rostov itself is pretty sleepy: little tourists, little traffic, little entertainment options. But it has a great Kreml in the middle of the city outshining in white and blue all other buildings of the town.

OUV

Not sure if the list needs yet another Kreml with plenty of them inscribed already. But: Rostov felt distinct from all other sites I saw on my brief foray into Russia. It really felt like a fairy tale castle.

To me it would make for a nice addition. Be advised though that I tend to be more lenient with sites I visit at the beginning of my trip. Rostov was my 2nd visit on my Russia trip ...

Getting There

Rostov is close to Yaroslawl and can be combined as a visit from Moscow. The connections being as they are I think you will not manage to do that as a day trip. The trains don't run all that often. Also, be aware that getting a train ticket in Russia is quite an ordeal, so have some buffer time wise. I …

It's not every day that you meet the real Indiana Jones, and I'm talking about one of the heads of the archeological team inside King Tut's tomb right when I was visiting the Valley of the Kings. With an extra ticket required and the checker not buying I am VIP Tara Emad I produced mine and descended into one of the quieter tombs. (Seti I currently costs a whopping 1,000 pounds but a Finish lady told me they are closed anyway plus a guide told me it is mainly interesting for hieroglyphics). I was the only one that isn't part of a crew preparing to be filmed inside the tombs, I forgot to ask what for. With hat and no whip but a pouch that should be leather and not say “xxx archaeological team” he was still as close as Harrison Ford portrayed one in Raiders as you can imagine. He was clearly bored waiting and told me about the tomb and Tut more than any guide could ever do (they tend to follow their scripts and don't seem at all excited about doing it over and over again). What was even more striking is that he has been at Dunhuang for 30 years doing research. Actually my story has little to do with Luxor overall so I shall stop with the personal stuff here.

The massive site would take 2 days to fully see everything. One needs to think what they really want to see if they only …

Several state parties maintain misleading and duplicate entries to existing sites on their tentative list. The Roussensky Lom National Park is one of them.

When planning our 2018 meetup we were studying all the WHS and TWHS along the way and couldn't quite place this one. So a WHS vanguard consisting of Ian, Philipp, Thomas and myself got up early to check this out before meeting up with the rest and visiting the Rock Hewn Churches of Ivanovo.

On our maps it seems that this is a distinct site from the Rock Hewn Churches of Ivanovo. Actually it isn't. The churches are inside of the National Park. The parking area for Ivanovo was already in the boundaries of park.

OUV

To me only conceivable as an extension to Ivanovo. This is the same thing. But I am hard pressed to see much OUV here. But the same applies to the rock hewn churches.

Getting There

If you made it to Ivanova, you are in the National Park.

One would think the WHS status hurts the islands more than the current status. It already national protection and the boat captains follow strict guidelines to what they say helps them protect “their” islands. With the world heritage status the tourism could be more limited and reduce the income for the local community.

Arriving early morning at the docks with a warm sun for winter, many people were waiting for the tour to start. Each boat was limited to around 14 people. I was on a boat going scuba diving that only had 6 guests in total but had slots for a couple more. The trip from Muscat is around 45min. Once at the dive site I saw nice corals and turtles, nothing special but very healthy for having a busy port nearby. Usually I would say 1 dive is enough but after relaxing at the beach on another island which is nice but nothing to rave about we dipped into the same area again to just browse around in shallow waters which felt almost like snorkelling. Overall I think this is one of the nicer places in Oman but not in the world and can't justify it's OUV. The marine life surely isn't, and whereas the osprey nests were nice that bird species isn't rare. Perhaps some of the other birds that come in other months are.

Protection needed: yes, has; WH criteria: nah; worth the trip? Definitely!

We visited Serengeti National Park for three days at the end of September and it did not disappoint.

Since we were based in Moshi after our Kilimanjaro climb, we first had to make a long drive to the park passing Lake Manyara and the Ngorongoro crater (which we visted afterwards). 

Once in Serengeti, you will encounter countless animals (giraffes, zebras, gazelles, monkeys, elephants, the bizarre hyrax, ...). Over three days, we also spotted a dozen of lions – most of them resting under a tree in small groups but also one hunting a gazelle. Little anecdote in this respect: three meters away from a couple of resting lions, our jeep found it a good idea to stop working but another nearby jeep was radioed and was able to give us a push which helped us start again.

We were also lucky to see a number of cheetahs (be it from a distance), a lazy leopard in a ‘sausage tree’ and what looked like a miniature version of the wildebeest migration (an endless stream of wildebeests and zebras crossing the road but only in a single line). Another – be it smelly – highlight is the hippo pool.

Although most people visit Serengeti for the wildlife, the surroundings are also beautiful and worthwile to spend a couple of days, so in our opinion Serengeti is one of the top WHS!

In terms of accomodation, there are various options: lodges, moving camps (to follow the wildebeest migration), …

There is very little that I can add to what the other reviewers said before me about this underwhelming site. The optics of bestowing a World Heritage designation on something that you can only view from a distance through the fence definitely feel wrong. It is clearly an unusual building - and all available descriptions of the interior suggest that it would be marvelous to explore - but until such time that it becomes possible, any visit would be unsatisfactory.

That being said, checking this site off your list is pretty easy if you are already in Brussels. Stoclet House is located some distance from the city center, but a taxi ride there and back will not burn a hole in you wallet. The ride did not take 15 minutes one way. I got the driver to park and wait for me while I gazed at and took a few pictures of the building through the aforementioned fence for about another 10 minutes. At the current limits of accessibility, I have no problem counting the site as visited on the strength of making an effort.

Have you ever done one of those lovely swan boat rides and think it's so awesome that you want to do it in a cave? Welcome to Alisadr Cave.

The entrance cost for what is Iran's most popular tourist destination (I am making this up but more about that in a second) is a whopping 700,000 and I had to embarrassingly return to the card for more cash. Without it I would probably be the only guest in the cave because winter doesn't attract many tourists. However, as I was now a few minutes later a small group of 4 Iranians had also arrived. Once you pay you get a VIP ticket as foreign guest which just means you paid more but no special treatment in any way. Enter the main hall which looks like a massive waiting room in a ferry port. Collect your swim vest and enter the warm cave - finally. Well, before that you have to walk past rows and rows of MORE waiting room seats. This is why I think it may be the most popular site to visit. Can you imagine waiting in the hall, then again inside and then you can finally go on the li'l boat.

Because I was the first guest in line the guide pointed me into the front of the pedal boat so I would have to do some workout in the cave. Actually at first I didn't think gym was for today but when I rested …