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I have been to Sheki twice and I'm not really a fan. There is a nearby airport, Ganja, which has international flights so before I figured I'll fly in from there and then take a bus ride to Baku. That does work. This time I had a car and I also wanted to see the rest of eastern Azerbaijan so Sheki is an obvious location because it's a) out of the "danger" zones, b) has maaaaany hotels and c) isn't exactly bad. The bus trip to Baku was a good 6 hours so do plan accordingly.

On my second trip I mainly wanted to see Sheki's Palace again. It's a wonderful place and surely the highlight of the town. However, they sort of rush you through the place. I literally had to queue longer than going through and the price isn't peanuts. While I do recommend going inside I have to recommendations: look at the entire place from the outside. This is where photos are allowed (not inside). Second would be to actually take a guided tour. It will cost you extra but then you aren't on the rushed tour through. I would have been a bit jealous of the couple that did have the private (English) tour but as I already went through this place before and thus I didn't think twice about it.

For the rest of your time I suggest you just explore the eastern part of the old city by whichever way you like. Cars tend …

This site included in the indicative list of Tunisia is a multiple site spread throughout the country and it was necessary to make a choice before visiting its different components, which are as follows: the Numidian necropolis of Chimtou, the Numidian-Punic mausoleum of Dougga, the megalithic complex of Ellès, that of Makthar and the Numidian mausoleum of Henchir Bourgou on the island of Djerba.

Chimtou being located in an area not recommended by the Belgian Ministry of Foreign Affairs along the Algerian border, I did not go there.

And although I passed with Wilson not far from Elles on my way from Dougga to Makthar, I didn't go there either for fear of arriving too late at the next stage, Sbeitla.

While planning my trip virtually on Google Map, the remains of the mausoleum of Henchir Bourgou did not convince me either.

Dougga and Makthar remain.

I describe my visit to Dougga on the page dedicated to him.

So I will talk about Makhtar here, not only to talk about the megalithic tombs but also about the site in general because it seemed to me as interesting as Dougga and Sbeitla. After parking Wilson in the site's tiny parking lot, opposite the Bab El Aïn triumphal arch, I visited the site clockwise (8 dinars entry), passing by the very small amphitheater, the forum and a second triumphal arch, the large southern baths, the Schola des Juvenes and the remains of Byzantine churches. In the baths I disturbed the silence of …

My preliminary research on the site of the indicative list "Rammadiya d'El magtaa (El Mekta), the princeps site of the Capsian culture" on Google Map did not lead to conclusive results: the satellite view of the archaeological excavations does not reveal any traces of habitation, nor of an earth embankment, nor of an access path.

But on the other hand, tourist guides like Les Guides bleus or Le Routard mention a small museum in the town of Gafsa, 10 km away, where artifacts from the excavations of ancient El Magtaa are exhibited.

So I decided to visit this museum on my way from Sbeitla to Kebili.

It wasn't easy to park Wilson, which is 6 m long, in the chaos of the city center, and I must admit that it wasn't easy for me to find the museum either. The place seemed so unsafe that I memorized the city map before leaving Wilson and continued on foot. I made a first attempt without finding it by walking along the medina, but on my way back to the mobile home I told myself that it was too stupid and went looking for it again, small discreet camera in hand, and this time, after several requests for directions from the locals, I found myself in the kasbah where I was taken back to the museum!

My efforts were rewarded. The museum is located directly across from two Roman-era pools that were part of a water temple where the children of the medina …

This Tunisian site on the tentative list is also a multiple site with some accessibility issues. The site's components are: the Bir Oum Ali wall, the Jebel Tebaga wall, the Ksar Ghilane/Tisavar fort, the Ksar Tarcine fort, the Bénia Guedah Esseder fort, and the Bénia bel Recheb fort.

During my preliminary research on Google Map, I had pointed out the wall of Bir Oum Ali, the wall of Jebel Tebaga and the adjoining fort of Bénia Guedah Esseder since Djebel Tebaga is itself part of the site of the indicative list: "The marine Permian of Jebel Tebaga".

Coming from Gafsa to Kebili via the very beautiful P15 and its magnificent oases, we inevitably pass by the remains of the wall of Oum Ali as Zoë has already written, after having passed the deserted checkpoint dozing under the sun that she mentions.

On the other hand, to visit the Jebel Tebaga wall and the fort of Bénia Guedah, which are now nothing more than earthworks, you have to take a track. In Kebili, the owner and manager of the campsite Les Amis du Camping advised me not to go there alone in 42°C heat with a vehicle that is not a 4x4. I followed his good advice and therefore settled for the wall of Oum Ali.

I can't tell you how delighted I was when I stopped on the Jebel Pass at the height of the wall, thinking of the Limes I had visited in Germany, 2,000 km away as the …

Melaka is rewarding the longer you walk around and explore. We spent 2 nights at the Gingerflower Boutique Hotel (Premier Room with balcony), which is located within the inscribed area. So what are the most essential 'Points of Interest' of Melaka? I identified what I consider the 15 key points of interest in Melaka. These sites collectively exemplify a primary justification for inscription. ICOMOS concluded that Melaka is a "reflection of the coming together of cultural elements from the Malay Archipelago, India and China with those of Europe".

Residential and Commercial Points of Interest (4)

• Baba and Nyonya Heritage Museum

The most iconic house museum of an ethnic Chinese-Malay Family in Melaka. The house has beautiful furniture, an open-air courtyard (“air wells"), and interesting details about the family and their descendants. Most of what we see today comes from the time of a particularly notable Melaka citizen, the second generation (Peranakan Chinese) Chan Cheng Siew (1865-1919).

• Malaqa House Museum

One of the best examples of a Melaka-style, elongated townhouse. While not as richly adorned as the Baba Nyonya Heritage Museum, the layout and rooms offer a representative example of the peculiar architecture of the Malay Archipelago, blending Eastern and Western influences.

• Chee Ancestral Mansion

Not open for visitors, but worth a short visit for photographs. The mansion was built by a prominent businessman.

• The Royal Press (Workshop)

A preserved polyglot letterpress that is a clear testament of Melaka's fusion culture. Stepping Inside you will notice the antique printing machinery and …

Visiting your first component of the Struve Geodetic Arc is a rite of passage for a WH Traveller: it marks the moment that you have gone from a tourist enjoying the sights of the world into a nerd obsessed with the quirky details of lists. I have visited components of the Arc in several countries over the years. But I had not yet been to the place where Struve started it all and where some of the more interesting remains lie: Estonia.

Born in Altona (near Hamburg, but at the time under Danish rule) in 1793, Struve emigrated with his parents to the Russian Empire. More specifically, to Livonia, an area that was later divided between Estonia and Latvia. He studied at the University of Dorpat (now Tartu) and became a Professor of Mathematics and Astronomy there. It was during this period that he started his geodetic surveys in a small area around Tartu. Later on, even becoming the director of the Tartu Observatory, he obtained funds to extend his surveys further north and south and to further develop his equipment. The full measurements of ‘his’ Arc were only completed in the 1850s, requiring lots of international scientific cooperation and funding. The Nomination Dossier especially highlights the “considerable amount of international labour under various climatic, topographic and geographic circumstances”.

What Struve and his colleagues tried to do was to determine the size and shape of the earth by way of triangulation. How they did this precisely is explained in Appendix …

Pampulha is an area of Belo Horizonte you want to stay. The rest of Belo Horizonte isn't BAD in any way but staying in Pampulha is great. You'll arrive from the northern airport and not the tiny one in Pamulha so it will take a good 40 minutes to reach the area. I'll tell you now that staying here for a few hours is minumum, a day is probably best. I stayed here for the trips to Ouro Preto/Congonhas as well so it was basically a 2 day stay. My hotel was at the north side of the lake although there are several at the south end. I previously planned to come here and had a hotel at the south end much cheaper but this time I had to filter for "parking" which gave me much less results. The rental agency also said there was no parking and from the steep look you get when arriving you would agree, however, there is free public parking if one wishes to save some money. It might not be the saves option so don't take my word for it.

My main goal was to walk around the entire lake. It is a good 18km and all flat. It's also bikable and obviously also drivable for those looking for an easier time. Almost all highlights have a stop somewhere to park and as you aren't leaving your car overnight it should be fine. I started at the north side and walked east. It was …

Congonhas' roads were under renovation in summer 2025 and getting to the basilica, the only portion inscribed in this site, was a bit difficult. Not impossible but one has to drive through the small roads from the south end. The basilica is at the end of steep, cobbled streets up the hill. You can sort of see it from the main road but it also blends it well with the suroundings, but there are no high buildings nearby. I suppose once you know what you are looking for it is easier and NOT concentrating on small streets and speed bumps helps enormously. If you arrive at the south end you can park your car. Just at the basilica is official off-limits but I saw plenty of people park there too, not that parking 10 meters away bothered me much.

So by "the only portion" I don't mean just the basilica but all the seven side chapels around it are included too - just not the actual village surrounding all this. Unfortunately the side chapels were all closed and as they contain polychrome sculpture made by the artist Aleijadinho I think the major part of this site was missed as these are Baroque art masterpieces.

Seeing the basilica alone is ok but it's nothing special. I did enjoy looking around for the 10 minutes I was there and you can also sit down so perhaps after a steep walk outside you can relax here while enjoying the frescoes (and cool down). …

Arriving from Dougga aboard Wilson, I reached Sbeïtla in the early afternoon, after stopping in Makhtar. As in Dougga, I was greeted by a charming tourist police officer who told me where to buy my ticket for the museum and the ruins and where to sleep safely, in the parking lot of the Sufetula Hotel from where there is a beautiful view of the site. I waited until late afternoon before daring to show my nose under the relentless Tunisian summer sun, starting with the archaeological museum.

The museum is located just across from the entrance. Don't miss it, as it contains some very beautiful antique pieces, including a beautiful round altar table and engraved steles with very expressive funerary effigies.

By its vast extent and the relatively good condition of the buildings, the site would deserve to be listed, but hey, who am I to think that because ultimately it is only a question of personal taste, but still, walking alone in the shadow of the Arch of Diocletian, trampling the tall grass among the ancient houses, the olive oil presses, in the forum and the Capitol, when the sun sets on the horizon, is a pure delight. In summer, the stone acquires at that time an incomparable blond shine. The site is different from Dougga and to a lesser extent from Makhtar because it is completely flat and the wadi that borders it to the east is barely visible. And when you think that two millennia ago, several …

We visited all 4 inscribed sites of the Medieval Monuments in Kosovo in August 2025. An update is provided on each of the sites for any visitors. I won't go into the reasons for the inscribed sites as the information is available already with previous reviews. The Paintings within the Churches in the Monastery are very impressive but if you have visited a number of other painted Monasteries, you may think what is the difference, however these are very significant to the Serbian History. These 4 locations are still listed as endangered given the conflict and dispute with Kosovo (Disputed Country) and Serbia. An hour to 2 hours per site is suitable.

Gracanica Monastery - This site is located on the outskirts suburbs of Pristina and easily visited by public bus from Pristina or a very cost-effective local Taxi. We had a hire car and used this to visit on the commencement of our journey across Kosovo. Free Parking is available out the front and it is free to enter the Monastery with no security requirements to enter. Rolls of barbed wire is still present and evident on top of the outer walls of the Monastery. No Photography is allowed within the Church itself (as was all the sites). The Monastery was advertised to be open at 9.00am and it was open at 9.30 on a Wednesday when we attended. A small gift shop is located within the Monastery and tours can be purchased if you wish to do so …

I reached Dougga from Ichkeul National Park, passing by to see the pottery of Berber women in Sejnane, a skill classified as Intangible Heritage, and arrived beyond Dougga-ville at the second entrance to the archaeological site, the lower one, as Zoé mentions. The guard informed me that since the ticket office was absent, I had to go to the upper entrance, which I did by going through the new town. A tourism police officer was waiting for me and asked me the following questions: where are you from, where are you going, how many are you, and how long do you plan to stay in Tunisia? He formally forbade me to camp in the site's parking lot. I agreed and went to sleep after the visit in the parking lot of the eponymous, secure hotel in town.

Once I had made my promise to the policeman, and with my ticket in hand (8 dinars), I went to the ruins. The tourist guides don't lie: the site is not lacking in majesty and you will be there all alone to fully experience its universal value. I didn't share exactly the same impression as Zoé: every time I am surprised and charmed by the difference, however slight, between two different sites from a similar period. And the setting in which this one nestles is simply magnificent, wherever you are: in the theater, in the forum, the capitol or the thermal baths.

What's also fun to discover is that some ancient sculptures were …

Pantanal is very a very popular tourist destination. There are also lots of suppliers to get around so it should be super easy to arrange a tour whenever you like. It does, however, get a bit pricey if you want to go by yourself. I originally planned this long ago and then it got canceled so I still had credit left over. I would probably not splurge on the high costs again if I had the choice. It does get cheaper when you are a in a bigger group so look out for that!

I actually went to the area twice in succession. I say "area" because 'Pantanal' is the entire wetland region. 'Pantanal' from UNESCO point of view (which is what you probably want seeing that you are reading it on this website) is the territory at Pantanal Matogrossense National Park which is miles away from the two nearby cities. You do technically enter going from the north but it's not really "entering". I once "entered" Los Katíos National Park in Columbia the same way by simply driving through on a boat. This is even less "entering" as you mainly drive on a lake area in the southwest corner of the park and that is after hours and hours of river cruising. But let's get through the two locations first.

The obvious one is in the north. You fly to Cuiabá and get picked up from your guides. It's the obvious way and in a few hours you will …

The Baltic Klint is actually the North Estonian Klint, a site that has been on Estonia’s dormant Tentative List since 2004. Although we have put in a good community effort to pinpoint locations (the official description has none), it still takes a fair bit of study to decide where to go and examine these bits of klint. Philipp already put me on the right track, as in his recent review he stated, “The best way to see the Baltic Klint according to my research would be to follow the Saka-Ontika-Toila road to see the Ontika Landscape Reserve.” The rediscovered official website filled in the rest of the details of my visit.

During my late Summer 2025 explorations of Estonia, I visited 4 spots in this area, of which the first 2 hardly deserve a sentence:

1. Kõrkküla Klint Plateau: “From the side of Tallinn-Narva Highway at Kõrkküla Village opens a beautiful view”. I found the parking lot here along the main highway, but for me, these were just normal, distant sea views.
2. Purtse Klint Bay: “the klint bay narrows from 1.5 km to become an app. 200-m-wide klint valley”. This is mostly a low-lying sandy beach, plus a watchtower that seems to belong to a private villa/hotel. The inlet to the bay can be seen, but again, nothing special to the untrained eye.

I had higher expectations from the third component on my list: Saka. It is advertised as a “Beautiful trail on the beach, approx. 2.5 km”. It is located …

I organized a trip to Tunisia this summer 2025 in a mobile home named Wilson, leaving from Brussels to Palermo where I took the ferry to Tunis. As soon as I disembarked in Tunis, I took the road to Ichkeul National Park, roughly following the same route as Shandos and Stanislaw, via the P8 road and passing through Menzel. Then via the P11 where the road junction leads to the main entrance gate of the park. There is a large porch there that you can't miss.

You can't miss the main entrance to the park along this road either.

It seems that the technique for admission to the park is well-established: I am not the first visitor from the WHS community to have experienced it. It involves politely requesting access to the park, to which the guard asks for official authorization, which you obviously do not have. But with humility and patience, you wait for the guard to stop calling, and some time later, he tells you he can let you in for half an hour, for 40 dinars. You have to negotiate the price: an official entrance to an archaeological site costs +/- 10 dinars, a price that I finally obtained. I was able to enter with Wilson as far as the hammam, which seems abandoned, and I went up the hill to visit the ecomuseum where another guard was waiting for me. I left at my leisure in the other direction from the ecomuseum's observation platform, taking all …

After 24(!) years, I returned to Tallinn. My first visit in 2001 was a day trip by ferry from Helsinki; this time, I stayed for 1.5 days as part of a small “holiday” exploring Estonia. I planned to take it slowly and go home with a few nice Points-of-Interest and Photos for the website. I had not expected to do a review, but despite the many experiences posted already, I think some things are still untold about Tallinn.

First of all: getting those photos proved to be hard! And not because it’s not picturesque, I took some 200 photos overall. But the thing is: all the sightlines are vertical. Tallinn is chock-full of medieval conical towers and Gothic buildings, all neat small spires popping up across the cityscape. Try fitting those into a top banner! I finally settled on this one as the site’s featured image, as it shows the many aspects of Tallinn (including all the spires). It was taken from the Kohtuotsa Viewpoint:

Secondly, the city isn’t self-explanatory. The core zone is fairly large and all main buildings have information panels in Estonian and English, but there are no clear routes so it is easy to miss out on something. For a comprehensive visit, I believe you have to do 3 city walks. They take about 1.5 hours each (in total I walked 14km). The sights in bold I found recommendable and are also added to the maps as Points of Interest:

1. Towers and Walls: probably the …

During our 3-day stay in Singapore, preparations for the 60th year of independence celebrations were happening in earnest. In fact, there were practice parades, military jet flyovers, musical performance rehearsals daily. These preparations were all centered around the Padang Civic Ensemble. The huge celebration has since occurred on August 9th, but year-long festivities are planned.

We visited all buildings and spaces mentioned in the UNESCO description. We even attended a concert at the Old Parliament House (currently the Arts House). Having visited Hong Kong on three separate occasions and recently Kuala Lumpur, Singapore's historic civic ensemble felt more intact and better preserved. Some of the bridges crossing the Singapore River are particularly scenic.

All locations in and around the civic area are accessible by public transportation and pedestrian friendly (underground or above ground).

Flickr Album

A birthday WHS visit is always a pleasure. I simply enjoyed walking the grounds for a few hours. We were interrupted by some periodic heavy rain that often occurs in Singapore during the monsoon. We were prepared with umbrellas (sun or rain), but nevertheless took shelter in one of the scenic pavilions for 45 minutes. Listening to rain, a picnic style snack, and watching birds. After the rain ended, the sun returned and we continued our walk toward brunch at the Bee's Knees at The Garage, which is located at the Northern boundary of the WHS.

I will not don my pretend ICOMOS cap and judge its OUV, but I will say its a pleasant place to visit. Living close to a splendid botanic garden myself, I certainly value public spaces like this. We spent 3 days in Singapore and I appreciated the recreation culture that is really visible in the city.

Our visit occurred on the 10 year anniversary since inscription and the 60th year of Singaporean Independence. The inscription anniversary was highlighted at the botanic garden and the festivities for the 60th were everywhere in the city.

Flickr Album

I drove down the 408 at the coast to see this sight but actually the ONLY thing I really saw was the old town. I tried to stop for others but it was quite crummy, or maybe not obvious enough. I think they are also marked wrong. The island on the lake, Koh Yo(?) is also include I think, but stopping there isn't so easy. You can try to stop on the coast across from Songkhla but again it's not so nice. On the way down from 408 you see LOTS of water basins which is very unusual but as for "water management" I don't quite understand what they are going for.

The MAIN attraction is Songkhla Old Town which can also be reached by plane. It's still open for cars so walking isn't as chilled out as you might expect. You will see a city gate, not as "old" as it should be:

Once past the you can find temples east, docks west, and an old castle wall at the north side.

You can also find many restaurants, some street art a la George Town / Malaka (it's not why this is nominated) and in the evening it gets more relaxed. As mentioned before I didn't see any water management parts here and I think it's not really a reason to nominate. Perhaps there is more in the surrounding areas but hard to find and Songkhla is more of a "center" piece to link these together. It would make …

Wat Phra Mahathat is a huge temple in Thailand south province of Nakhon Si Thammarat. You usually won't set foot into this area unless you are taking the ferry to Koh Samui which also isn't the most obvious way to go (flying is!). I drove from Chumphon airport which is a good 6 hours away and I don't usually recommend this. I added Songkhla to this trip and make it worth a little but again I don't think the journey is worth it. If you travel solo then flying around is probably easier anyway.

Google map led to the west of the temple but there is free parking east (AT the temple) so you don't actually have to duck into a side alley - not that anyone minds. I also had a fast entry to the toilet path so it didn't occur me any extra walking. From the toilets it's only 1 minute to the museum which I recommend visiting. It's also free but doesn't allow pictures so the above is technically taboo. You'll spend a good thirty minutes looking at everything, EVEN longer if you want. It's not really all related to the temple and I had seen plenty before but well, it's free, it's cooler than being outside, and you get to see plenty of interesting stuff. The rest of the area doesn't give you any indications why the temple grounds are important so this is the best insight.

Second thing to visit is the "Great Noble Relics …

I visited Cape Town during April of 2025, which is near the summer of the Southern Hemisphere. I created a Youtube video on my channel for a more interactive way of reviewing.https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=a68wGupg0lM&t=9s&ab_channel=MscBonbonFor those that want a quick but fulfiling tour near Cape Town, I recommended visiting Kirstenbosch gardens. Very easy to uber to here from anywhere in Cape Town. I highly recommend joining one of their free guided tours - you just meet them at the start of the entrance, from Mondays to Fridays at 10h00, 11h00 and 14h00.. The guide is very knowledgeable and would introduce you to a variety of flowers and plants. You can also join day tours to visit the Cape Point National Park, which I had to because I did not have the means to rent a car. The day tour takes a full day, but you have the chance to hike around the cape of good hope (which on a good day is very beautiful). The picture you see here there's the Greater Kudu and the ostrich. The day tour also includes seals and penguins seeing which makes the experience even better.