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The property centers around the Chinchorro people who lived in the arid coastal area of the Atacama Desert (in northern Chile and southern Peru), from around 5000 BC to 1000 BC. They were marine hunters-gatherers and are known for having left behind the oldest know artificial mummification of bodies (predating the Egyptian mummies). The Chinchoro mummified all the dead, including children and even miscarried fetuses.Over the centuries, the mummification process complexified with dismembering and reassembling the bodies and the use of artificial clay face masks. The mummies have become a landmarks in the area around Arica, with monumental statues figuring the mummies in many places, among them along the Highway 10, and many urban street art depicting them (statue in Desemboca top picture; street art on Morro de Arica bootm right picture)

I visited the three components of this property in June 2022. The two first are within Arica city limit, so are easy to visit. The third more of less necessitates a car to be reached.- The northern face of the Morro de Arica: located on the slope of a hill above the city of Arica. Cemeteries where found and excavated. Nowadays, not much remains, except a look at the arid desert soil and an exceptional view over the city of Arica and the plains beyond. - Colón 10: a small museum, next to the Morro de Arica, preserving in situ an old cemetery. It was discovered in 2004 while reconstructing a house on the …

When my Art History friends decided to have our annual get-together in Rome, I immediately extended the trip with a day to include Civita di Bagnoregio. This was supposed to be Italy’s nomination candidate for 2022 (now postponed to 2023). I stayed overnight in the core zone, a spooky experience as the place gets deserted at night. I arrived at the footbridge only at 7.30 pm; most of the approach was barely lit and neither was the village as only 16 people permanently live there. No restaurants are open in the evenings (at least not in October) and the owners of my B&B had left me the key at a hiding place.

Still, the people at the ticketing kiosk collecting the 5 EUR entrance fee to the village were at their post in the evening. The introduction of this fee for the 1 million yearly tourists has been a blessing for both Civita’s and Bagnoregio’s inhabitants, as communal taxes have been abolished for them since.

I explored Civita the next morning - it takes half an hour at most. There is one main street, which you can follow further down a bit towards a cave. The cave was used for burials by the Etruscans, but after the large earthquake of 1695, it was turned into a Roman Catholic chapel. The views from the village towards the surrounding landscape are quite picturesque, but overall I found the town more suitable for a ‘’Most Beautiful villages” award than WH status. …

I had already visited this WHS several times before its inscription but my main focus of my visits was the city itself and its main monuments and attractions. I had used most of the central porticoes to get around especially when it's rainy weather and while shopping. The only ones that stood out and that I had a crappy photo of were those at Via Farini. This time round in 2022, my main focus were the 12 locations of these porticoes, even though if I were to pick just one for a quick combined visit with the city I'd still choose the ones at Via Farini.

That said, the extra effort involved to get to the Bologna FC 1909 stadium and the hike uphill along the Portico of San Luca are well worth it. This is believed to be the longest portico in the world: 3.8 km long, with 666 arches, 15 chapels and 489 stairs. This portico actually starts at Arco Bonaccorsi and at Via Saragozza turns into an uphill climb to Colle della Guardia where there is the Santuario della Madonna di San Luca (free entrance), which happens to be also the departure point of the Via degli Dei trail to Firenze (I met a number of hikers gathering there quite early in the morning). Although it's tempting to remain within the porticoes in the shade, especially in summer, when you get close to the sanctuary it's a good idea to walk a bit outside of the …

I am giving Bet Guvrin the same rating as the community average, but I probably would have rated it higher if not for the abbreviated nature of my visit. A large part of that was my own faulty planning, but the park closure practices contributed to that significantly. 

In August of 2022, I was in Israel with the family on a Bat Mitzvah trip. Having seen every single other WH site in the country in the past, I could not put Bet Guvrin at the forefront of this particular trip's itinerary. I knew that the park likely required no less than 3 hours to see properly, but paring it down to just the main highlights looked like a reasonable bid to stay within the space of an hour and a half on one afternoon. In my experience, 90 minutes is a threshold that should not be exceeded when visiting as a group a place for which not everyone has the same degree of enthusiasm. What I failed to consider is that it could not be an hour and a half right before the closure.

The main sightseeing clusters at Bet Guvrin-Maresha National Park - marked as areas A, B, C, D - are connected by a circuit road that happens to run one way for a significant part (there are actual spikes across the road between lots B and C to ensure that no one drives against the directed flow). A full hour before the park closes, the …

Zee Ain (Thee Ain) is a stone village built in the fashion of traditional villages from the region. Zee Ain is a model example of Saudi Arabia's approach to tourist attractions. It looks beautiful from a distance and should be one of the top attractions of the country - all stone, very photogenic on the slope of the mountain. I drove up to the village itself, left the car in a large parking lot and headed up the hill. There was a couple of tourists on the spot, and otherwise a complete void. No ranger, no souvenir seller, no signs of life at all! I walked freely between the buildings, but apart from stones and wood, there was absolutely nothing there - no written information. Maybe as part of the Vision 2030 something will change here, for now it looks a bit strange.Zee Ain is located on the main road, so getting there is not difficult. From Zee Ain close to Jabal Shada, a wonderful nature reserve, one of Saudi Arabia's greatest attractions.

I visited Delos right from the overnight ferry between Samos and Mykonos. The ferry was supposed to arrive at 7.35, got an hour’s delay, and with the necessary hop on the SeaBus from Mykonos cruise/ferry port to the Old Port I arrived just in time to pick up my pre-booked tickets for the 10 a.m. departure. The Delos Tours boat was fully packed, I think there were at least 200 people on board for the half-hour crossing to the island of Delos. Once at Delos, you still have to buy an 8 EUR entrance ticket at the ticket office (which also holds the UNESCO plaque). I knew this was coming, so made sure I was one of the first off the boat.

There’s some restoration going on at the moment at Delos: the on-site museum is closed and the South Stoa is covered by a huge iron construction. There is still more than enough to see though: I spent 2.5 hours there, combining the blue and green itineraries that are scarcely signposted at the site itself and much easier followed from the useful map they give you at the entrance. I started from the end, as to further avoid the crowds. To give an idea of how large the site is: the map has 100 numbered entries!

From the north of the settlement (with the famous Lions Terrace) I walked 'upwards' towards the eastern part. I found that area, covered by the green route, the most interesting. As …

As far as US national parks goes, Big Bend is in our top third favorites. It’s big and has a lot of different things. Tall peaks, water activities, dinosaur fossils and hot springs. 

Unfortunately the border into was closed was closed but the crossing and ability to explore another country would be a very cool thing. 

Having a 4x4 would really open up this place. 

Farasan Islands is the largest archipelago of Saudi Arabia. It can be reached by ferry from Jizan, and the ferries depart twice a day - around 9 a.m. and 1:30 p.m. I knew the ferry was free but had no idea if that included the car as well. It turned out so! This is probably the only place in the world where the two-hour ferry takes tourists with cars free of charge.

Tickets are booked at the headquarters of MACNA (The Maritime Company for Navigation), right by the port of Jizan and it is better to do it at least one day in advance, rather than two hours in advance, as I did with my friend. We had only guaranteed seats for passengers and for the car we were on the waiting list. When asked to the lady selling the tickets whether we had a chance to take the car, we received a sacramental answer - inshallah. Eventually we caught on, but it was close to defeat - only three other cars drove behind us. We had to separate for security checks - the driver and the passengers separately. Each car was x-rayed and the drivers waited in full sun during this operation.

The main island of the archipelago stretches for more than 50 kilometers and its two extreme points are separated by a convenient and wide road. In addition, by car, you can get to the second, slightly smaller island. Both are completely uninteresting - flat as …

This WHS on the island of Samos is not visited much by our community: it stands at #834 out of 1154, so it’s in the lower 30%. It also has by far the lowest rating of the Greek WHS. Still, Samos sees more than enough tourists as it is a charter flight destination, and it is even easily accessible from the Turkish coast (Kusadasi) on a day trip by boat.

The site has 2 locations, of which the Heraion (the Hera temple just beyond the airport) is the easiest one to distinguish, even from the air when flying in. Pythagoreion is a whole different story. I studied the map hard for what the core zone entails, and I think it is what is covered by a pinkish blob. That would leave out the harbour of Pythagorio and the excavated part of town next to the archaeological museum, and focus on the remains at Kastro hill such as the Tunnel of Eupalinos. Its location indicated on the UNESCO website, smack in the middle of the modern town, must be wrong.

My first day on Samos was a Tuesday when all its archaeological sites and museums are closed. I, therefore, did a pleasant 6km circular walk in the Pythagorio area that I found on the AllTrails app. Along the way I came across many remains of the ancient city, one even more dilapidated and overgrown than the other. I saw the theatre, an old villa, the market, the sports field, …

Afamia was much affected by the civil unrest in Syria and basically closed to visitors until summer 2022. We had the place for ourselves. It is not on the program yet of tour operators. The modern town of Afamia is badly damaged and very few people have returned. You need a private car and guide to reach the place and pass the security checks. But the huge Colonnade of almost 2 kilometers is an impressive sight, and one of the longest in the Roman world. Not much destruction, a great relief. Best to walk the whole length. No entrance fee. 

July is a very good time of the year to visit this site. The temperature is simply perfect! Two nights on Mumbo Island, which is in the south end of the lake about one hour from Cape MacClear, is just an adventure. The Island has never been populated and is still in its natural state with a thick covering of miombo woodland and ancient fig and baobab trees. The island gives you a Robinson Crusoe feeling, unspoiled in the middle of “an ocean”. 

The lodge is run by Kayak Africa, which have a lodge in Cape MacClear as well. The camp has 6-7 cabins which is down to earth, with simple cabins build of reeds, timber, thatch and canvas, bucket showers and eco-loos. The place has neither electricity, wifi or telephone service, but the personal service is impeccable!

What to do in such a remote place? There are activities like snorkelling, kayaking, hiking or just relaxing. But first, a dive into the water it’s a must. Lake Malawi is famous for its endemic cichlids. The small beach is iconic, and perfect for snorkelling. There are more than 500 different species of cichlids, and the bay is at great place to enjoy them.

There is a network of hiking trails perfect for exploring the island. The trails runs around the island and are perfect to enjoy the vegetation an the great views of Lake Malawi. There are lots of different birds, for instance we spotted several Fish Eagles …

The Medieval Town of Rhodes has been much visited and highly ranked, but not reviewed very often so far. I’ll give you a low down on the monuments, as I experienced them on my visit in early September 2022. Certainly, if you have just come from the quiet north of Greece as I did, you first have to get over the mass tourism of Rhodes. But I was out early on a Sunday so that I could explore the old town at my leisure. There is a lot to see, in a mishmash of different eras. For 10 EUR you can purchase a ‘special ticket’ that gives you entrance to the Archaeological Museum, the Grand Master's Palace and the church Panagia tou Kastrou.

City Walls To enter the old city of Rhodes, you have to defy the city walls that the Crusaders put up here. They took it seriously – I came through the Amboise gate and had to go through several layers of defense. Through a wooden gate, you eventually arrive at the Grand Master's Palace. In the early evening, I visited again, walking all the way around the city walls along the harbour, through the Bastion of St. Paul, to the Sea Gate.

Street of the Knights. Here the different countries represented under the Knights of Saint John had their seat. It is a 600 meter long dead straight street, overly restored. The coats of arms of the respective countries can still be seen on …

Our visit to the Cerrado Protected Areas was nearly a near miss for us. Arriving at the Movida rental car counter at Brasilia Airport at lunchtime, it ended up taking over 3 hours to pick up our car, mainly because their system didn't like our credit card so couldn't take a deposit (although expect pick-up to be slow regardless). Finally, after trying every alternative and calling our bank, they accepted our debit card instead. (Make sure you have a second credit card if hiring a car in Brazil, just in case!) So, it was a rather late arrival at our pousada in Alto Paraiso de Goias, not helped by a truck crash on the outskirts of Brasilia and endless speed bumps on the rural highway. Next morning we head to Chapada dos Veadeiros National Park, hiking the Canyon Trail. The Canyon and the nearby waterfall also visited by the trail are both beautiful, plus great swimming spots - what all the domestic tourists are here for! The trails aren't that demanding but the relentless sun (with only thin tree cover) was draining. We started our hike just before 10am and returned about 3:30pm, enjoying the icy cold filtered water dispenser at the visitors centre. Afterwards, it was too late to visit Vale da Lua, but instead that meant I was taking in the scenery on our return drive to Alto Paraiso, and spotted the sign for the Jardim de Maytrea (also pinned on Google Maps). This lookout spot with room …

A close second with Masada as the top non-Jerusalem site in Israel, and that's because while Masada looks epic it doesn't have much else going but at the caves here you can explore so much, get a good idea how they used this place with limited availability and it can take a long time to hike everything.

The second art cave in the "back" is currently collapsed but the nearby shop gave me a nice picture to understand what I'm missing. It's probably possible to descend and look around but it's not a wise idea. The one next to it is already pretty great. I also really enjoyed getting led through a cave with odd markers that I never thought would bring me back out but it really did and on the way you get to see the presses, some kind of flooded area and entryways that seem unnatural.

Definitely not something to miss on the trip.

Originally when visiting Argentina, we planned to hire a car to visit the Quebrada de Humahuaca. However, a quick search online showed that there were multiple reasonably priced day trips leaving Salta visiting the valley, so we skipped sourcing a rental car and booked two tickets on a day trip.

We booked our day trip with Nordic Travel through Viator, for about $50 USD per person. Our bus seated about 25 passengers and we had a bilingual guide (although only four of us didn't speak Spanish) plus lunch was included.

The downside of doing an organised tour is that the stops are up to the tour company - for instance, our first proper stop was at a roadside cafe/shop with the longest toilet queues I've seen outside a festival. I enjoyed our first proper stop at Purmamarca, with just enough time to visit the church and a viewpoint for the Hills of Seven Colours, plus eat a local tortillas rellena. However, we only found out on the bus that as it was a Monday, the Pucara de Tilcara was closed, so we only stopped in town, which wasn't that interesting. We also ran out of things to do for our longish stop in Humahuaca - I most enjoyed the colourful street art. We also weren't expecting that with a 6:30am start time (well at least for pick-ups) and a 12 hour duration, that the tour wouldn't get back to Salta until 8:15pm, a narrow call for our overnight …

After visiting the wonderful WHS Rock Art of Hail, instead of going straight to Al-Ula, I headed north to the town of Dumat Al-Jandal. Dumat Al-Jandal is only 260 kilometers from Jubbah of desert and, as I can say, there was probably not a single gas station between these cities. There were spectacular dunes and a road as straight as a table.

Dumat Al-Jandal is a place with an extremely rich history. It has been inhabited since at least the 8th century B.C.E. and is mentioned in the Assyrian chronicles and (possibly) the Bible. In Roman times, the town was a border post of Arab Limes, and then an important city of pre-Islamic and Islamic empires. Muhammad obtained it as early as 626 AD, that is 4 years after the famous victorious escape to Medina.

Today Dumat Al-Jandal is a small town, completely overshadowed by the much larger Sakakah. The city's splendor is reminiscent of the old quarter, perhaps the most atmospheric place in all of Saudi Arabia. It consists of three important points - the Marid castle, the Umar mosque and the old city of Al Dari. Intensive reconstruction work is being carried out on site with the participation of Italian archaeologists - I tried to start conversation, but they turned out to be not willing to talk. Most of the work has already been done and it looks great - while walking around the castle or the streets of Al Dari (as usual in …

The poles are still standing. It has been over fifteen years since the last review of SG̱ang Gwaay, but the remarkably carved memorial and mortuary poles that led to this site being inscribed on the World Heritage Site are still in place. Weathering and decay are taking their natural toll on the village, as the fine details on the poles continue to fade. As far as the Haida people who populate the islands of Haida Gwaii are concerned, however, this is an expected part of life and should not be prevented.

Haida art became particularly well known worldwide through the craftsmanship of Haida artist and conservationist Bill Reid, whose lineage traces to the village of T'aanuu in Haida Gwaii. Bill salvaged many poles from villages throughout the islands and introduced Haida art to a global audience. His work has been featured on the Canadian 20 dollar bill, and one of his most famous sculptures, The Spirit of Haida Gwaii, sits in front of the Canadian Embassy in Washington, DC. When the World Heritage Site committee inscribed SG̱ang Gwaay on the World Heritage Site list in 1981, the choice of this village to represent Haida culture was in no small part due to the intricate carvings on the poles that so well represented Haida heritage and craftsmanship.

So what can be seen at SG̱ang Gwaay as of late summer 2022? Several mortuary and memorial poles still line the beach in front of the village. Mortuary poles were sets of …

Marcahuamachuco is a ruin of a pre-Inca city, founded around 400 AD. and inhabited for about 1,000 years thereafter, until the Inca conquest. The complex was one of the most important centers of power in northern Peru.The place is located on the top of a mountain, well over 3000 meters above sea level, so climbing the ruins requires a lot of effort. Quite a lot has been preserved from the ruins, although it cannot be compared to the wonderful Peruvian monuments from the area of ​​Cusco. Admission is free, but the entrance is guarded by a security guard who registers tourists.Marcahuamachuco is definitely off the beaten track in Peru, although it is on the way from Trujillo to Pataz - the gateway to Rio Abiseo National Park. It is located right next to Huamachuco - a large city with a decent hotel base. There is a nice asphalt road from Trujillo to Huamachuco, there are only dirt roads further east. The road from the city to the ruins takes about 30 minutes and you can enjoy a nice panorama of Huamachuco at the top.The site appears to be significant in Peruvian history, but will he manage to get the inscription? There seem to be many other places in Peru that are more deserving the WHS status than Marcahuamachuco. In any case, the place was fun to explore and worth the two hours of detour.

There's a lot of options for how to visit the Paraty WHS, which is not surprising considering it is a Mixed site and consists of a number of different locations, including the offshore island of Ilha Grande.

Like previous visitors, our main base for our visit was the town of Paraty. We stayed for three nights just outside the historic centre in one of the many guesthouses. The town is a popular getaway spot for the nearby cities of Rio and Sao Paulo. The weekend after we visited, despite being late winter, nearly everything was booked out for a cachaca festival.

We found the historic centre charming, although there's not that much to see other than cafes and souvenir shops (although some had great local handmade handicrafts). Two of the most interesting spots were the Casa da Cultura (with a variety of exhibits, and a few details of the WHS listing) and the Church of Sacred Art at Igreja de Santa Rita, both with free entry. It's easy to cover this part of the site in a couple of hours.

The next location in the listing is the Morro da Vila Velha, on the northern side of the town, containing the Forte Defensor Perpetuo. It's a short stroll along a path from near the end of Alameda Princessa Isabel, although the fort and its museum was closing for siesta just as we arrived, so I'm not sure how interesting it is. There's not much to see outside. …

Dodoni (or Dodona, the Greek η does not translate well) is one of the 15 theaters included in the Ancient Greek Theatres TWHS. It even held a spot on its own on the Greek Tentative List between 1985 and 1996. I hadn’t singled it out as a destination on my Northern Greece itinerary, but when I had to return my rental car to Ioannina Airport anyway (only 30km away) I decided to have a look.

The site lies in a rural location, just off the main highway between Ioannina and Athens. There is ample free parking and the opening hours are 8-20. A ticket costs 8 EUR, and there are toilets and a little museum shop at the entrance. It is known as the ‘Dodoni Archaeological Site’, as its main historic relevance is that it was a sanctuary to Zeus. Within a walled enclosure lie the temples and a bouleuterion. Until the 5th century B.C., the cult rituals were executed by priestesses and priests under a sacred oak tree, where they “interpreted the rustling of the oak leaves to determine the correct actions to be taken”. Thousands of oracle tablets were found on its grounds with questions for the Oracle. Even Odysseus went there, as described by Homerus in Odyssey XIV!

The theatre dates from around 290 B.C. when King Pyrrhus (Ioannina’s airport is named after him, as well as the term Pyrrhic victory) started an ambitious building program to upgrade the sanctuary. It had a …