All our reviews

Thingvellir National Park has to be one of the most geologically fascinating sites I have visited, sitting atop the rift between the North American and the Eurasian tectonic plates. It isn't the geology on its own which got this park inscribed as a World Heritage Site, though it provides a stunning backdrop, particularly in winter as the black basalt cliffs stand in stark contrast to the snowy plains. But the geology is what made this an ideal site for the founding of the Althing, the oldest parliament in the world, which met at Thingvellir annually. At the base of the cliff formed by the edge of the North American plate is a rock outcropping the Icelandic people call the Lögberg, or Law Rock, which is now marked by an Icelandic flag. Here, the legislature would meet, and the law would be read to the people gathered on the plains below. The assembly was open to all free men, who would bring their families and camp on the fields of the rift valley in what must have been an incredible social gathering. The Althing no longer meets at Thingvellir, having moved to the Icelandic capital of Reykjavik almost 175 years ago. Still, Thingvellir National Park is a stunning site to see, and, after having visited the site this past January, I would love to return to see it in summer.

Logistics: Thingvellir National Park can be reached by numerous tours operating out of Reykjavik or by private transporation; there are …

With the restoration works finally complete after a long six years, the Margravial Opera House again shines in all its glory, and it is really a fascinating site to visit. Granted, from the outside, it looks rather inconspicuous - I actually walked right past it the first time. Inside, however, it is exceptionally beautiful, and you can really imagine what it must have been like to watch a performance in the 18th century. As stated below, you buy your ticket and wait for a time slot (I visited in November first thing in the morning and there were only a few people there, but when I left, it was completely crowded), then you can walk around freely. There is a short film, and a lady also went to the stage to give a little talk about the history and renovation. The interior is rather small, so you really have enough time to admire everything. Unfortunately, the stairs are closed, so the boxes are off-limits- but still nicely visible from below. Bayreuth is a pretty town just about an hour from Nuremberg and has many other interesting sights, many of them related to Richard Wagner, who was responsible for Bayreuth's second golden age over a century after Margravine Wilhelmine.

Most people coming here to exactly this tour starting from Badami, the only real overnight lodging. After a long ride from Hubli one of the guests asks the reception what time the cave temples open. 6am!? You can get this journey started before breakfast! I didn't visit all caves, I wasn't sure if I had to pay entrance for each one honestly but having seen many cave temples in my trip this didn't seem necessary. I know that they are different but I have to say walking around the area is not a delight, where everyone washes clothes and pigs run into you, so after Cave 1 I felt accomplished already.

After breakfast I checked out and took an auto (tuktuk) ride to Pattadakal. It was full of school kids and a few foreign tourists who actually all stayed at my hotel... incidentally they also took autos because I guess the hotel's high quote for a car ride put them off as well (it was 4,000+) and the distances are really not far to manage. The road, as pointed out already, is in excellent condition with only a few speed bumps. Pattadakal doesn't take too long either unless you have a guide babble on forever which is why I never hire them. Buy a cheap guide book off the touts if you don't have access to online info explaining it better alright. Pattadakal is already a WHS. If not I would recommend inscription immediately but seeing that this is …

Visited 3-times:

-as regular tourist spending few hours in Assisi only: it means running from parking lot close to S. Chiara towards the basilica S Francesco, being half an hour inside the basilica, having the rest for an hour to enjoy apperol spritz at Piazza del Comune Assisi, etc...

-as independent traveller accommodated close to Santa Maria degli Angeli for 3 days. It was sufficient to visit (almost) all important franciscan sites in/around Assisi: (1) Basilica di S Maria degli Angeli (huge 16th-century basilica with original church of Porziuncola inside - an important place in life and death of S Francesco), (2) City of Assisi with the Basilica of S Francesco (amazing church with three parts - described in detail by others), There are many important historical monuments within the city walls as described by others, I would emhasize the facade of cathedral S Rufino (important masterpiece of Umbrian romanesque style, interesting to compare with facade of Duomo in Spoleto), (3) S Damiano outside city walls (very quiet place, also important in life of S Francesco), (4) Eremo di Carceri (located in the area of Mt Subasio, it takes some effort to climb the mountain but one can feel Franciscan spirituality there), (5) Santuario di Rivotorto - I have not visited it, but it is not far from Santa Maria degli Angeli by public transport. It is another place where early franciscan comunity lived for certain time, before moving to Porziuncola.

Photo: upper parts of Monte Subasio …

'The Complex of Yen Tu Monuments and Landscape' is a mixed site that comprises a huge area, spread out over 3 separate regions. It is the heartland of Truc Lam Zen Buddhism. Skimming the long description of this TWHS, the Vinh Nghiem pagoda stood out to me as probably the most worthwhile individual component.

The Vinh Nghiem pagoda dates back to the beginning of the 11th century and was enlarged during the Tran dynasty (from the 12th century on), when it became the center of Truc Lam Zen Buddhism. Truc Lam ("bamboo forest") is the only indigenous form of Buddhism in Vietnam. The Vinh Nghiem pagoda was also the first training institute in Vietnam to teach Buddhist monks and nuns.

This pagoda lies near the provincial capital of Bac Giang and within a reasonable bus distance from Hanoi. So on a gloomy New Year's Day I first went with city bus 34 to Hanoi’s long distance bus station My Dinh and there caught one of the half-hourly buses to Bac Giang. The Vinh Nghiem pagoda lies in the village of Tri Yen, some 18km outside of Bac Giang. I had an idea how to get there (take a taxi), but not what to expect of it. Would it be big or small? Would it be open to tourists at all? And an important lesson from previous visits to remote (future) WHS: would I be able to find transport back?

The pagoda turned out to be on the …

I visited Tenerife in January 2011. I have great memmories on it, because it was a special trip when me and my friend crossed a half of the island by walk overnighting in the wild nature. I am pretty sure that it was not completely legal in National Park. I am also sure that it will never happen to me again, because I am getting older prefering hotels and not prefering heavy backpacks anymore... So, it was a unique experience in all aspects.

We walked from Vilaflor located near the southern edge of Teide caldera. It was for the first time I was in the vulcanic landscape, and I cannot describe properly how I felt when have been climbing Guajara mountain, seeing Teide mountain and the entire caldera for the first time. We refused using "teleferico" to reach the summit of Teide and walked towards Refugio de Altavista, where we have pre-booked an accommodation by phone. We could not climbed the peak because of ice plates that might be dangerous. Then, we walked to the east to Cumbre Dorsal mountain range.

What I loved was all the contrasts: blue sky vs. black basalt rocks such as Huevos del Teide vs. ochre or red soil; sunny days vs. freeze of night; Moon-like landscape vs. green pine forests outside the caldera vs. blue ocean. Furthermore, the color shades of rocks within the caldera changed during the day.

To conclude: Teide National Park embodies one of the most beautiful landscape …

Visited December 2018. This church probably will never find its place on WH list; it is beautiful, unique, has its values, but it is enough? The church was built in the first half of the 17th century and is dedicated to three saints: Basil of Caesarea, Gregory Nazianzus and John Chrysostom. It was built in post-byzantine style and features a very rich exterior relief decoration in which you can find influences from all around the world that was known at that time: Turkish, Arab, Persian, Armenian, Georgian, Mauritanian symbols and signs incorporated in the typical Romanian church building. There are in total 30 stripes going horizontally around the whole building.

The walls of the church are tick (around 1 m). The interior is pretty dark, full of paintings, but they are not original. Inside you can also see the tombs of A. Cuza and D. Kantemir, two men very important for the Romanian fight from Turks.

The biggest problem with this church is that it was devastated many times in its history and was reconstructed/rebuilt in the second half of 19th century by Andre Lecomte de Nouy and his team, not according to its original design. Especially its interior lacks authenticity.

The church is located in the centre of Iasy, open every day, and the entrance is free.

Zuojiang Huashan Rock Art is a rather difficult WHS to fit into a China travel itinerary as it lies in the far south, in the Guangxi Zhuang Autonomous Region. But it works well coming from Vietnam: the daily night train from Hanoi to Nanning stops every morning at 7.10 in Ningming. From that station, you are only a few kilometers away from the ‘entrance’ to the rock art landscape. I’ve written some more logistical details in a separate Forum post for those who consider taking the same approach.

Having read the earlier reports by Zos and Zoë beforehand, I hoped to just find a taxi driver to take me to one of the viewing platforms instead of having to join one of the boat tours. But when I arrived it was raining and still dark. After some wanderings, I found a tricycle driver, who dropped me off ca. 8km away at Zhoulian dock. I saw people doing construction work there, but not much else was going on. With the help of a translation app on her phone, one of the girls at the reception informed me that the first boat would leave at 11.30. That meant another 2.5-hour wait for me. But what else could I do – I was stuck.

Around 11 o’clock more (Chinese) tourists started showing up, some 20 in total. It was still raining but fortunately, the boat that is used for the tours is fairly large and covered, like a small cruise ship. …

Greece’s apparent intention to nominate the “Fortress/Leper Hospital Island of Spinalonga” on Crete for 2020 continues its policy since 1999 of not putting forward any of its numerous uninscribed ancient sites. In Dec 2018, we made a somewhat unsatisfactory visit to it in the form of a boat trip round the, otherwise “closed for the season”, island (photo)! Nevertheless we felt that this limited visit plus subsequent investigation has enabled us to extract most of the “value” offered by the site. This first review of it should at least help WHS travellers when tracking its progress through to the WHC as well as deciding whether and how best to visit it.

The small “islet” (a walk round it is c 1.5 km) is nicely situated at the entrance of the Gulf of Elounda towards the Eastern end of Crete - a 1.5hrs drive from Heraklion. It effectively “blocks” the seaway and was an obvious site for a “Fort”. The one “on show” is largely Venetian - built and occupied by them from 1578 - 1715. The T List description on the UNESCO Web site “bigs up” the “unique” design aspects (“Compared to other fortified islets around the world......the islet of Spinalonga stands out as the only example of an advanced asymmetric layout of the main fortification element, the seaward Michiel demilune”). But, to the non-specialist, it looks like just another fort - albeit in a picturesque island location. We saw a number of others on Crete, and …

I have visited only two components of the series: Palazzo Farnese in Caprarola and Villa Lante in Bagnaia (PHOTO), both in Viterbo municipality, and my impression was very positive. Thus, I am planning to visit other Villas of the series in the future, especially the nearby Grove of Monsters in Bomarzo, and another cluster of Ville Pontificie in the Castelli Romani region (Frascati and Lago di Albano). 

However, I have not yet visited other (already WHS) ensambles of renaissance and baroque villas in Italy around Florence and Vicenza. Therefore, to get the complex opinion if it deserves the WHS status or not, I should fill this gap and travel a bit more in Veneto, Tuscany and Lazio countryside...

I like the Lazio region in general and Viterbo in particular, because it is full of exceptional historical monuments but it is not so touristy as its northern neighbours (Tuscany&Umbria). Both Villas that I visited are located in hilly lanscape of Viterbo region in Cimino Mountains (WHC beech forests!). I admired not only the lanscape, and architecture of the Villas, but especially the gardens around them, the garden of Villa Lante is just amazing. What is also very interesting and typical for Viterbo region is the water management with a lot of fountains and basins (though not even TWHS, the Fontana Grande in Viterbo is just wonderful!).

Palazzo Farnese: there is a contrast between small chaotic village of Caprarola and huge pentagon of the Palazzo, which was started as …

I agree with Nan that Lecce with its Barocco is unique and the entire town with maybe 30 or 40 churches, baroque palaces and gates deserves to be included to the WHS list. In the proposal, there are only 5 churches/buildings included: basilica di Santa Croce (main facade under scafoldings now, but it is really a gem of Meditteraen Barocco), S Giovanni Battista (the main facade under scafoldings now), Santa Chiara, Piazza del Duomo (the ensamble is so delicate!), and SS Nicolo e Cataldo (I spent 3 days in Lecce but could not see this becase it is outside the town walls and I have not noticed that this complex is also listed in TWHS nomination...). I do not understand why only these churches were selected in Lecce, because I could read the studies that positions of main facades, shape of piazzas, direction of main streets, and possition of main monuments such as Campanile del Duomo or Colonna S Oronzo or Porta Rudiae have been carefully planned by baroque masters. It is also strange to me why the Title of the nomination is "Salento and the "Barocco Leccese"" even if the site is mostly about Barocco and not about Salento region.

I also visited Gallipoli with its cathedral, which is fully comparable to churches in Lecce but it has huge oil paintings covering the walls instead of usual frescoes.

I have no time to visit other sites, because I travelled by train and it has its own specifics …

Site visited in May 2008, a pretty long time ago, so probably many things have changed and the access to the park could be easier than it was before. I was only in the eastern part of the park. At that time a special permission was needed to enter Gorno-Badakhshan Autonomous Region; this was issued together with the Tajik visa at the embassy in Brussels for an extra fee.

After spending few days in Khorog and around, we continued to Alichur where the road to the southern lakes (Yashikul) starts. We have not planned anything before and arranged the transportation in a homestay in the village. It took one long day to go to the lakes and back – of course there are only rough roads there but the pickup we rented with the driver was very brave! It was pretty cold and still some snow around.

After that we went on to Murgab – there are many interesting places about this provincial capital but it is located outside the park itself. We’ve chosen two day trip towards Sarez but after few hours of driving the car broke up and we had to walk to the nomad camp for 5 hours. It was a pretty nice and exhausting experience – to be lost somewhere in the middle of nowhere. We stayed there 2 nights ‘cos our driver and guide (one person) took a horse from the camp to get back to Murgab for a new car. We have …

Site visited in December 2018. The temple is not isolated as it seems. It can be reached by taxi (not too expensive) from Andritsaina or Figaleia, both connected by buses from Pirgos (Andritsaina also from Tripolis), only during the week days, no weekends. I’ve chosen Andritsaina, taking a bus at 6:15 from Pirgos – it takes 1 hour and 45 minutes to get there; after arriving in the village, I had a coffee in a small restaurant where I left my backpack and the owner arrange a taxi for the temple – only one way, cos I decided to walk down the 14 km road from the temple just to catch a returning bus to Pirgos at 2pm.

The temple is still covered with a bit worn-out and dirty tent, but even so, it makes a very good impression. Being one of the best preserved from antiquity, it still needs some (huge!) repair and reconstruction works before the tent can be taken off. Inside the tent you can watch an informative movie about the reconstructions.

The remaining columns and walls make you feel so small when you’re so closed to them; there are still lots of scaffoldings and other hardware upholding the structure. Lots of numbered pieces of the temple roof around. And lots of cats too.

I was the only person visiting that morning so the lady selling tickets walked with me around and pointed elements that shouldn’t be missed, like the old temple west of …

The setting of Orvieto on the tuffa plateau is impresive. The cathedral with its simple interior and opulent facade is really masterpiece. Another pleasent place of Orvieto is Piazza dell Popolo (Palazzo del Popolo - PHOTO). My personal highlight is the Chapel of the Corporal with the stained corporal of the miracle of Bolsena - in fact it was the reason for the errection of the Cathedral.  

I think that one can spend wonderfull time enjoying the histrorical monuments, picturesque streets, excellent white wine and naturally excelent Italian food in Orvieto even without the WHS status.

The Citadel of the Ho Dynasty comprises the remains of a late 14th-century capital of Vietnam, built in full harmony with its surroundings following the neo-Confucian tradition. Most information that you will find about the site will be accompanied by a picture of that one iconic stone gate: the South Gate of the Citadel. But there is more to this than just “walls and gates”.

The WHS consists of 3 locations around the small city of Vinh Loc: the Citadel, the Nam Giao Altar and a part of the Outer Wall. At least 6 of the 7 reviewers before me seem to only have visited the Citadel and then often even just its South Gate. I knew I had to put more effort into it to prevent a short and unsatisfying visit.

From Tam Coc where I was staying overnight, I hired a car + driver to take me to Vinh Loc. It’s only a 58km drive but it took us 1.5 hours because of the heavy traffic and the slow passages through towns of all sizes. Already some 18km before Vinh Loc the WHS is advertised on road signs. In the town itself, there are no obvious signs anymore pointing to the citadel, but fortunately, my driver had been there before and drove straight to it. There’s an entrance fee of 40,000 dong (ca. 1.5 EUR) and there were some 20-30 other visitors, mostly locals with children.

I started my tour at the visitor center, which …

The Trang An Landscape in Northern Vietnam essentially is a scenic karst area with some prehistoric cave shelters thrown in. I stayed for 3 nights in the town of Tam Coc, at a homestay in the core zone next to the rice paddies and with views of the karst hills. It was pouring rain on the day that I arrived and on the third day I had planned to see another nearby WHS (the Ho Citadel), so I only had one full day in the Trang An area. In hindsight, I felt that was enough, although maybe in better weather one might add more activities.

I started my day of exploration on a rented bike. I rode it for about half an hour to the docking area of the Trang An boat trips. Both Tam Coc and Trang An do have regulated boat rides which are very popular and possibly the best way of getting to know this area. At Trang An, you can choose between 3 routes. They all cost 200,000 dong (ca. 7.5 EUR) and take 2.5-3 hours. Two of them pass along the popular Kong: Skull Island film set, but I went for the other one – Tour #1 with 3 temples and 9 caves. You pay at a central ticket office (which also has some exhibits, a video and even an ATM for the frequently needed replenishment of Vietnamese dong!).

I was put in a boat with a German couple and a male rower. …

Government Shutdown: Review

After the uproar of the 2013 government shutdown which laster 16 days, the National Park Service developed a contingency plan that allowed many national park service sites to remain partially open, but without any form of visitor services (concessions, tours, visitor center, restrooms, etc). However, NPS sites with vulnerable or fragile resources such as Native American ruins, historic buildings, and caverns were locked and closed. In addition, no fees were collected.

This is the situation we found ourselves in as we entered Carlsbad Caverns National Park. Yes, we could explore the park, access all road and trails unimpeded, but the famous caverns which make this site exceptional were shuttered and not accessible to the public. Considering, we had already drove the 14 hours from Los Angeles, there was no turning back at this point, and we were determined to make the best of the situation.

Carlsbad Caverns like its southern counterpart Guadalupe Mountains National Park are located in the Chihuahuan Desert. From the National Park website it states, "High ancient sea ledges, deep rocky canyons, flowering cactus, and desert wildlife—treasures above the ground in the Chihuahuan Desert." Previous visitors (rightfully) occupied with the wonders below-ground might be unaware that there is a 9-mile dirt road called Walnut Canyon Desert Drive, which introduces you to the parks wilderness. Rattlesnake Canyon Trail offers some excellent views and an opportunity to see limestone ledges that harken back to the parks past as an inland sea. Furthermore, there …

I visited 4 cathedrals from 6 in total: (1) S Nicola di Bari (extremely impresive exterior&interior with the tomb of St. Nicholas), (2) Cattedrale di Bari (massive buildings with large number of fine romanesque details), (3) Cattedrale di Bitonto (I would say the typical example of romanesque Apulian Church, though the refined version of S Nicholas, with rich decoration and excavated fine floor of its predecessor with famous mosaic of Bitonto Grifone), (4) San Corrado in Molfetta (old cathedral - there is alse a new one in the town; it is quite small, maybe not such impresive but it has byzantine structure with three domes in the main nave). What I know from the literature the quality of Catttedrale di Ottranto can be found in the unique mosaic floor, and Cattedrale di Troia has decoration inspired by Tuscany style such as Pisa and it is famous for the rosetta window in the west facade.

IMHO I would include also Cattedrale di Trani to the list - I strongly recommend to visit Trani and spend there a couple of days if you are in the area, it is really amazing place. In this case, the cathedral has been altered in gothic period so it is not pure Romanesque. However, most of the proposed churches such as Bitonto (and even S Nicola) is the result of extensive restoration to mediaval appearance...

In conclusion, I think that this ensamble deserves to be included to the list, because of its quality and …

The Tomioka Silk Mill was built during the Meiji Restoration. As you may know the Meiji Restoration refers to Japan in the 2nd half of the 19th century. Japan had been living in isolation for centuries. Due to military incursions by the Americans Japan came to realize that they needed to catch up fast with the rest of the world. While the general industrial advances are covered by the Sites of the Meiji Industrial Revolution Tomioka is focused on one specific factory for silk production.

The factory itself was built with support from French engineers. Walking around it does have a colonial feel to it, especially with regards to the living quarters. The site also encompasses three other locations related to silk production and tries to provide a full picture. As these are further off, I did not manage to visit, though.

Operations at the site ceased rather recently (1989) and most of the original equipment was preserved. So the site feels authentic and complete. With the very unique focus on industrial silk production I think this is a valuable addition to the list, although a niche one. 

Getting There

I visited Tomioka as a stop over on my way from Tokyo to Kanazawa. I had to change in Takasaki where I deposited my luggage at the station. Be aware that the railways from Takasaki to Tomioka is not included in the Japan Rail Pass so you will have to get a separate ticket. From Tomioka …

So there I was, updating my T List count on this Web site and, at the end, just above the “Send” button, were 2 T List sites under Z for “Zimbabwe” – including “Naletale Cluster of Dzimbabwes”. But I never knew that it was on Zimbabwe’s T List? Indeed - it was added less than a month ago on 27 Nov 2018 …….. AND we had visited way back in 1997. So impressed were we with the site, that we have since then, if discussing aspects of travelling in Zimbabwe with someone, always recommended taking it in (as well, of course, as Gt Zimbabwe itself)!

And I do so again – The T List entry states “one of the most beautiful and well decorated drystone walled sites in southern Africa. There are six decorations that have been recorded on the walls of Naletale……. Some of the decorations on this wall include chevron, herringbone, cord, checkers and the use of alternating coloured stone inserts. Naletale architecture displays high levels of craftsmanship, creativity and imagination in the drystone walling of southern Africa.”

Across 21 years I still remember them – and have managed to ferret out a digital copy of an old diapositive photo as demonstration. Note the different styles of decoration as per the above para. At the time I considered it a more impressive site than inscribed Khami. I remember too a site empty of people with no entry fees/fences etc – though, no doubt the …