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While I did enjoy more than two hours in Modhera on the way to Rani-Ki-Vav from Amdavad back in 2019, I'm not sure if I am able to grasp what could possibly bring this forward to a successful inscription. The objective to represent Maru Gujarat (Maru-gurjara) style makes one wonder if all styles ought to be represented in the list. This would mean an almost unfathomable well of prospects for India's tentative list, but it does not mean that all of them have to be pursued, let alone all of them deserving. Some architectural movements are more major and central than others. In terms of it being a sun temple, the one in Konark is difficult to beat especially for the relative quality of the extant carvings. To argue that its western counterpart should also get recognized in equal footing is a bit going too far. The route to have a serial Surya temple inscription may even be more feasible by making this site (11th century), and even Martand (8th century) in Kashmir, an extension to the already-listed Konark (13th century). As precedence, India demonstrated this successfully with the Great Living Chola Temples and the Mountain Railways of India.

The nomination talks of the tank being the only one to exist among the three Surya temples mentioned in the comparative analysis. How far, however, does this really take the nomination forward? It is a distinct detail and debatably one of the best in Gujarat, but it cannot be overstated. …

This site is rather hard to grasp: The undoubtedly enormous religious, political and artistic importance of this monastery is comprehensible only in traces by the three churches left on the island of Reichenau. I start in the west (with the least interesting IMHO): St. Peter and Paul is heavily baroquified and only the apsis behind the altar shows interesting frescoes. They are bit far and dark and therefore difficult to see and appreciate. The main church, the Basilica Minor St. Maria und Markus, is an impressive structure but it has little charm: While the quire is heavily baroquified the nave is rather empty (probably since the reformation): But the church has a remarkable treasury with several ancient (pre-baroque!) treasures: a must. The jewel of the island is clearly the church of St. George with is Ottonian frescoes from around 1000AD. They have nothing to be compared with north of the alps and are well worth the trip from anywhere. They can only be visited by tours which are offered quite regularly, at least in summertime. Like many frescoes they are quite well preserved because they were painted over during the reformation. The presentation of the churches has been improved in recent years and now there is a little museum next to each of the churches to give more background. 

Core zone: It contains the complete island what makes in a way sense since, at the time, the whole island was part of the monastery and much of its land …

Possibly because I have never toured a salt flats site before, Maras saltineras impressed me a lot. The deceptive simplicity of the process, coupled with the visuals of hundreds - or is it thousands? - terraced ponds, made the site quite memorable. I also very much like that it is an active production, which further differentiates it in the area that is most famous for its remnants of civilizations long gone.

You really only need 25-30 minutes here, including the time to get from the parking lot to the viewing platform and back. The information boards are all in Spanish, so having an English-speaking guide may make the visit more enjoyable for some. There is on-site free wi-fi if you want to use an online translator and your mobile signal starts acting up in the ravine.

With your entry ticket, you get a complimentary sample pack of the pink salt that is produced at Maras. The cooks in my family later told me that it was superior to any salt they had ever bought in an American supermarket.

I got to Maras by hiring a driver for the afternoon of combined touring of the salt flats and the Moray terraces, at under $80. Neither site was crowded in mid-afternoon in early May, although my driver suggested that they would get busier towards closing times when the bus tours returning from Ollantaytambo to Cusco would make the final stop at one or the other.

These castles are without a doubt some of the most beautiful castles I have ever visited. This summer, I visited Neuschwanstein for the second time, and Linderhof and Herrenchiemsee for the first time. It's important to book tickets in advance (esp. for Neuschwanstein) and to get there in time as the tours all start right on time. The tour guides we had for all three castles were very good.

In Linderhof, I would also recommend walking to the smaller buildings in the garden as they are simply stunning (although some are replicas and many are not located where they were orginally placed due to various reasons). The climb back from the Hunting Lodge to the Castle is quite challenging though, so make sure to wear good shoes and take enough time so that you don't have to hurry back for the guided tour. The Moroccan and Moorish houses are especially stunning, but I was completely taken by surprise by the beauty of the Hunting Lodge.

Herrenchiemsee is beautiful as well. The ferry ride to get to the island is smooth (so no fear for sea sickness) and goes frequently. Alternatively, you can choose for a longer tour that will also bring you to the neighbouring island. After the ferry, you can opt for a carriage ride to take you to the castle or you can walk there. There are a lot of mosquitoes in the forest you need to cross, so bringing bug repellent is a good …

Hatta is an exclave to Dubai and even though you drive for over an hour and almost reach Oman it's still Dubai, with the dam clearly showing the leaders. You could also continue to Oman for another 10 minutes from here.

Most of the time you'll spend in the car to get here and then you should park to get on the free shuttle that takes you to the dam but in the late afternoon one can just drive up to see everything yourself. I saw the shuttle and it allows for better walking at the top so I would definitely recommend it in peak times. Nobody really mind that I was driving up there and stopped the car on a dam.

So while I enjoyed visiting Hatta, the water spots, see green in Dubai that wasn't imported water and feel you aren't in the Emirates anymore, I don't see it is worth a UNESCO status at all just for that. If you make a road trip into the area I would still recommend going. There is enough in the area to make it worth a visit.

I have to be honest, it's not the most interesting or exciting WHS I've visited. I get the importance of the development of Christianity in Europe but there's not a massive amount of things to see. Possibly the best thing for me was 6th Century mosaic floor that partly remains. The basilica itself has undergone rebuilds for a variety of reasons and is not the original 6th Century building. Otherwise, all good.

On March 21, 2024, while visiting Rio de Janeiro, I received an e-mail from the Canadian Abroad Warning System. It warned me that a major storm would hit Rio the next day, that it was best to stay indoors, and that I should follow the advice of the local authorities. However, it didn't teach me anything, since the Cariocas were on the alert and I had already been warned of the impending arrival of this depression. I had even listened to the news with my host, which was broadcasting hurricane-like images and announcing power outages, flooded villages and missing persons in the southern sectors already hit.

When I woke up the next morning, neither the rain nor the strong winds had begun. So I decided to start my day with two indoor activities: the Oswaldo Cruz Foundation museums and the AquaRio. The Oswaldo Cruz Foundation is a medical and public health research institution founded in 1900 with the initial aim of producing serums and vaccines to treat the bubonic plague that had just arrived in Brazil. It later became a complex of medical research and treatment centers, active mainly in the treatment of tropical diseases in rural Brazil (yellow fever, smallpox and bubonic plague). It had a considerable impact on the treatment of diseases in Brazil, and Oswaldo Cruz introduced numerous public health measures (even sparking popular revolts). To get there, it's advisable to take an Uber, as the institute is surrounded not only by underprivileged favelas, but also …

I visited Bijagos Archipelago in 2000 - though I did not put my feet on the ground of any of the islands. What I remember is the pure fear of death. That time a close friend of mine - a Hungarian communication expert - was the aide of Gambian president Jammeh. He invited a group of Central European journalists and businessmen to the Gambia, to write about the country and boost the business between Central Europe and Weast Africa. The highlight of the tour however was the one-day visit to Bissau Guinea financed by a local business tycoon (by the way of Lebanese origin). he chartered an old An 24, with a Russian crew, and we flew to Bissau. As it happened just after one of the coups in the country (there were many), we visited the presidential palace that was burnt out and half-ruined, and met the current interim government in an event hall. After the B2B meetings, we were escorted back to the airport. One of the ministers joined us, and told us, that they take us on a journey to the most beautiful part of the country. That was Bijagos. The plane was flying at an extremely low altitude, with an extremely low speed almost reaching the tip of the trees. The Russians seemingly enjoyed the bravado - they were former military pilots. The minister enthusiastically explained the natural beauty and the business - mainly tourism - opportunities of the islands, he wanted to make this the …

I visited Machu Picchu in May of 2024. I suspect it is one of the most obvious bucket-list destinations for anyone who's ever been bitten by the travel bug, so I will skip touting its qualities. In fact, it seems that most of the visit details that I mention in this review have already been covered in the previous reviews. I will probably offer only the slightest of variations. Although not when it comes to rain in the supposedly dry season...

Since the number of visitors is capped daily, whether you hike Camino Inca or ride the bus from Aguas Calientes to the visitor gates, you should purchase your entry tickets in advance. The hour printed on your ticket is the earliest you can enter - and 59 minutes later will be the latest. Staying more than a few hours at the sanctuary is not physically doable for most people for the two simple reasons that there are no toilets inside and no re-entry with the same ticket.

Two half-day sessions would allow you to cover everything without getting uncomfortable. There are several paths through the site, so you could explore the "upper town" in one session and the "lower town" in another. A couple of key points at the site are open for access only in parts of the day. To my great annoyance, I could not ascend the Sun Temple because it is on the upper circuit and is only accessible in the morning - I …

Visit date(s):April 14 & 15, 2016

Nearby sites on trip: Big Bend National Park (T). It isn’t exactly close at a 7 hour drive, but we stopped in San Antonio on our way back to the Houston area.

Overnight location: There are many choices in the downtown. We stayed at an historic hotel, less than a 10 minute walk from Mission Valero (Alamo).

Location(s): Missions Espada, San Juan (see photo), San José, Concepcion and Valero and Espada aqueduct. We did not visit Rancho de las Cabras, as there was no guided program available.

Travel method(s): Car and foot

Travel duration: Less than half an hour drive to the furthest mission.

Visit duration: Less than 4.5 hours to visit the 4 missions and the Espada aqueduct that belong to the national park and to drive between them. A separate short walking visit to Mission Valero. We returned to Mission San Jose the next morning for a special event.

OUV: The overall structures of the missions has more of a Spanish catholic appearance than indigenous, but there are visible local features as well. The walled compounds offered protection to the Coahuiltecans in return for adopting the Spanish way of life. There are remnants that demonstrate both cultural roots.

Best of: Very pleasant park like settings. Peaceful. Lots of small wildlife to watch, especially near the waterways.

Worst of: Mission Valero (Alamo). There was some interesting information in the courtyard about the mission, but …

With the Beijing Central Axis joining the World Heritage List, I want to focus on what is newly inscribed. Therefore, in this review I will not include any information about the Old Beijing City Section of Tonghui Canal, the Forbidden City, or the Temple of Heaven. Additionally, I will not focus on sites within the boundaries (primarily after 1949) which do not contribute to the OUV. The Imperial Palace boundary is the moat, therefore plenty of buildings associated with or adjacent to the Forbidden City were previously not inscribed.

From North to South

• Bell Tower - 47.9 meters high, includes a 63 metric ton bell called 'King of the Bells' which was cast in the early 1400's
• Drum Tower - 46.7 meters high, originally included 25 drums though all were lost, the building was rebuilt in the year 1800
• Wanning Bridge - oldest bridge of the Beijing Central Axis, 13th Century Yuan Dynasty, a rare Beijing site predating the Ming Dynasty
• Jingshan Hill - tallest point on the axis and a key viewpoint, includes Chinese Garden landscape with 1,000 year old trees
• Altar of Land and Grain - an important part of the 'ideal capital of a Chinese city', the Altar of Land and Grain must be on the LEFT
• Imperial Ancestral Temple - an important part of the 'ideal capital of a Chinese city', the Ancestral Temple Grain must be on the RIGHT
• Upright Gate - part of the entrance …

You'll be heading for the Mleiha Archeology Center for this one which I visited twice in the last few years. First was a bit of a bust. They had lots of activities for Wadi Bashing and no tours ready to take me out so I visited the museum only which is not bad in any way but the main findings are out in the open. So since my visit 3 years ago the bashing got outlawed, new findings made some signs outdated and hardly anyone comes out here anymore. You'll be asking for a tour and they just arrange with available staff.

I left after lunch with the option to view the museum but I had already reglanced that I didn't find it necessary. It's included and the staff is happy you go in, watching the camel/horse burial etc. For the actual tour you nowadays fork out at least 130 DH per person.

The tour is via a car because it's so hot. You first go to the ancient sites in the West and then cross over to the new ones at the East side. Those are so fresh that even a road planned to go through here was remodeled when they discovered artifacts. The East is maybe 10 years old and they still have a lot to find. You also won't see much at the site here but some basic layouts. The floods in April 2024 took their toll and most of the walls are now destroyed. …

Pimachiowin Aki is one of the world's lesser-visited World Heritage Sites. At the time of writing this review, I was only the fourth visitor of this site on this website, despite its inscription about six years ago. I visited Pimachiowin Aki in late July 2024, starting my trip from Toronto. I landed at Winnipeg Airport at 9:15 am, rented an SUV (110 CAD/day incl. insurance), bought a tent and some food from a nearby Walmart, and left the city around 10:30 am. The airport is compact, and everything was super smooth and within easy reach.

To enter anywhere inside the core zone of this WHS in Manitoba, you must fly, except for the most southern part, called Atikaki Provincial Wilderness Park. (I assume most of you are not extreme outdoor enthusiasts who can walk or canoe long distances or have that much time.) There are three options to access this area:

1) Fly into a lodge from Winnipeg, Wallace Lake, or Bissett. You can rent a lodge to experience the wilderness with your family, go for a day trip for fishing, or fly to a point where you can start a multi-day canoe tour.2) Drive to Wallace Lake and start a multi-day canoeing tour through the park from this point. This option includes long-distance portages and wilderness camping, which are not for novice canoers/kayakers or non-outdoor people.3) Drive to Bloodvein from English Brook.

I opted to drive to Wallace Lake by car and kayak there, then continue …

I gave one star, because the artefacts from al-Faw in the National Museum in Riyadh are really impressive, so MAYBE the site also has some value. But as for now -DO NOT GO THERE. Do not even try. My travel mates almost punched me there, but they were gentlemen. So how we did not visit al-Faw? During our Sausi trip, we saw the sculptures in the museum, which really looked interesting, and even some reconstructed parts of a shrine - all from al-Faw. I remembered the name from the tentative list. So I suggested to my friends, to take the longer road from Abha - so that we could stop at al-Faw and Himá. The road was loooooong. I tried to contact the saudi authorities to give some hint how to visit al-Faw, but they did not answer. We were not discouraged, as - just a month after Saudi Arabia opened up for tourism - a lot of sites were formally closed, but absolutely accessible. We crawled into Jubba under the fence, visited Turaif quarter through a back door left unintentionally open, and Dhee Ain without any restrictions. So why not to try al-Faw too? We tried to call the caretaker when we were there, but - surprise, surprise - did not answer the phone. Then we tried to look for holes on or under the fence. One looked good enough to send in our smallest thinest friend. She sneaked in - with the promise, that if she finds anything …

Visit date(s): July 1-3, 2024

Nearby sites on trip: No other UNESCO Heritage sites.

Overnight location: <400 m west of the zone

Location(s): The old streets and buildings inside the perimeter, including the following.Note that the last 3 are operated by Parks Canada and there are fees.

• Entry gates in the walls: St. Louis, Kent and St. Jean
• 47 Rue St. Louis, where Montcalm died (outside only)
• 34 Rue St. Louis, a 1676 home, now a restaurant (where we ate one night)
• Churches, basilica, convents and other buildings (from outside)
• Chateau Frontenac
• Place Royale
• Quartier Petit Champlain (See photo)
• Artillery park buildings including the Dauphine redoubt, $
• Fortifications tour, $
• Saint-Louis Forts et Châteaux archeology, $

Travel method(s): Foot

Travel duration: Minutes to enter the site, but hours wandering about.

Visit duration: Parts of 3 days, 2 days equivalent.

OUV: Excellent example of a fortified colonial town. Somewhat modified over time, but well preserved.

Best of: Walls and remaining fortifications. The walls are undergoing restoration works that are expected to last multiple years beyond 2024.

Worst of: Driving in the old town would not be fun. Walking is the better option.

Originally planned for 2020, you can guess why we had to postpone our road trip through Northern Italy to 2021. But that gave us the opportunity to add the new TWHS Eocene Marine Biodiversity of the Alpone Valley to our itinerary.

I can’t tell you how many of the 39 fossil deposit sites can be visited or are even worth seeing. But it’s certainly true that there is a very lovely, well-preserved fossil fish and plant collection to see and you find this not down in the valley, but all the way up the hill in the small Museo Dei Fossili in the village of Bolca. In Summer, especially in August, you can also visit the nearby Pesciara mine, “the fish bowl”. Getting to the mine does include a hike of little over 1 km. 

Bolca is a bit in the middle of nowhere from the main roads and the big cities, and part of the route is slow mountain roads. Entrance fee is very acceptable though, just a few euros. This appears to be the official website, but only in Italian: https://museodeifossili.it/  There’s another site that has information also in German, and a little bit in English: http://www.museofossilibolca.eu/en/

(Note: In palaeontology circles the area is very famous. Bolca fossils can be found in a variety of natural history museums all over the world.)

I spent three days in Salzburg, I especially loved the museum in the Mozarts Geburtshaus. The information presented there was very clear, interesting and presented very well. I also appreciated Hellbrunn Schloss with its marvellous garden filled with trick fountains. There were a lot of tourists in the city naturally, but that didn't take away from the overall experience.

Havana is a difficult place to categorise. It's a city of contrasts for sure, you can walk down a street that is falling apart and emerge on the wonderful Grand Theatre of Havana, a rich belle epoque building that wouldn't be out of place in Paris. It's a wonderful, beautiful and ultimately frustrating city that tantalises the visitor with scenes of what was or what might have been instead of what we have, a mixture of fine architecture and dilapidation crying out for restoration to it's former glory.Whatever else Havana may be it certainly isn't dull, It's one of the most vibrant cities on earth and the people survive whatever is thrown at them on a daily basis with pride and dignity and we could all learn a lesson from the resilience of the Cuban people and their determination to face the world with a smile on their face and a finger to hardship and repression. I absolutely loved it, possibly more than anywhere else on earth.

When I prepared my trip to Cyprus, I found that the 1980 ICOMOS document report on listing Paphos as World Heritage Site especially the matter of "Petra tou Romiou" was quite interesting and strange. In the old document three sites were proposed, two sites from Kouklia village which were Petra tou Romiou and Palaepaphos, and one site at Paphos, the Kato Paphos, but from official information right now those three sites turn out to be one site from Kouklia, the Palaepaphos, and two sites from Paphos, Kato Paphos with Neo Paphos and the Tombs of the Kings. I do not know why the area was clearly changed, maybe something happened behind the door of World Heritage Committee. Maybe the idea of Petra tou Romiou rock representing legend of Aphrodite’s birth was too intangible at that period before the idea of cultural landscape or mix site existed.

Although Petra tou Romiou is mysteriously omitted by UNESCO, the rock is still the most popular tourist destination of Paphos, and I am not surprised since the area is beautiful, I walked along the beach and hoped to see the wave and bubble in the form of Aphrodite as in the legend. The view around Petra tou Romiou is also great. I skipped the Palaepaphos site in Kouklia village and drove directly to the sites at Paphos. After lunch I leisurely walked to the famous Paphos Archaeological Park. I already noted that the attraction of Paphos is mosaic in the House of Aion …

Since by the year 2024 “everyone has been everywhere” and many have become serious about WH travel planning, it has been hard to find a place and time for a WHS meet-up. The best chances are those special opportunities that unlock places where access isn’t common. This year we have Astraftis a.k.a. Stormur to thank for pointing out the opening up of Hôtel Tassel, one of the Major Town Houses of Victor Horta, on the 3rd of August. It led to a meet-up of 8 WH travellers.

Hôtel Tassel is very little visited - 100 visitors a year were given when the WHS was inscribed in 2000: it is in private ownership and in daily use as an office. They usually open it once or twice a year via a guided tour (keep an eye open for tickets on the website of Explore Brussels). On the morning that we visited, 5 groups, divided into French/Dutch/English language tours, were allowed in (20pax each).

Hôtel Tassel is the work with the most historic value among the 4 Horta Houses. ICOMOS started its review with the sentence “The Hôtel Tassel can be considered the founding work of Art Nouveau”. The tour started in the street in front of it - even when the house is closed to the public, it is worth it to walk by and admire the façade. It stands out among the neighbouring houses with its characteristic steel ornaments, undulating shapes and overall luxurious appearance.

Once …