Randi Thomsen Profile
Together with Svein, we travel around the world to explore and enjoy new WHS, countries, culture and great food. In 2010 we become WHS travellers, when we started planning our trips in order to visit WHS.
Hunting for WHS makes us go off the beaten tracks and brings us to new and exciting places, trying to understand the OUV. Travel is more than seeing new places, it’s about learning history, new culture and enjoy excotic food and drinks.
Recent Reviews Randi Thomsen
Melka Kunture and Balchit
Randi Thomsen Norway - 08-Aug-24
It’s likely we are the first visitors from our community to visit this site after inscription at the 2024 session.
On our southern Etiopia tour this was our first stop. The site is anonymous, with no signs leading to it from the main road. At the site itself, there were no indications of its recent status as a World Heritage site.
We visited the Gombore site, which has five excavation sites, with #2 displayed as an open-air museum. From the entrance, it is a few hundred meters walk along an overgrown path.
Read OnAndrefana Dry Forests
Randi Thomsen Norway - 07-Jul-24
Els has covered this site pretty good, but we like to add a few comments.
First of all, what an adventure to get here! We really enjoyed the drive through wonderful lansdscape, small villages and the river crossings. We stayed three nights, two days and did the Grand Tsingy first. For the Grand Tsingy, our guide convinced us to do the Grand tour, combining circuit Ranotsara, Broadway and Andamozavaky. It will take about 6-7 hours and almost no one does it. And he was right, we didn’t meet any other people until at the end. The route adds one more viewpoint and a hanging bridge. And as Els explained, we used harness to clip on to safety ropes, up ladders and stepping stones, climbing our way to the top. I am impressed how they made this marvelous rocky terrain available to «common people»
Read OnSian Ka'an
Randi Thomsen Norway - 05-Feb-24
There are several reviews from this site, but the focus is on daytrips from Tulum. We opted for “the long drive” and an overnight stay at “the end” – at Punta Allen. This turned out to be a great choice. Our plan for the two weeks in Mexico included several dirt roads for instance this one, thus we rented a high clearance car.
The drive from Tulum to Punta Allen turned out to be an interesting one
Read OnNiah Caves
Randi Thomsen Norway - 05-Feb-24
Having visited the Niah Caves complex same year as Els we have almost “the same story” although with a few differences. The similarities were the Borneo Cultures Museum in Kuching, the Mulu site, the short river crossing with the 3 km hike om the slippery walkway before reaching the Traders Cave and the Great cave, but then some differences.
We rented a car at Miri airport round noon and arrive the visitor center at 1:15
Read OnYakushima
Randi Thomsen Norway - 05-Feb-24
Having spent the last three weeks travelling “mainland Japan” we arrived Yakushima mid July 2023. The same means of transport (ferry) as everybody else took us from Kagoshima to Miyanoura Port and we started the visit by renting a small car at the harbour.
We drove immediately towards the Yakasugi Museum close to Anbo harbour. We had already decided that we wanted to do the long hike to Jomon Sugi the next day. At the bus stop close by there was a small kiosk that sold tickets for the hike.
Read OnProfile Data
- Name
- Randi Thomsen
- Country
- Norway
- Most Impressive
- There are so many impressive places in the world. I have a special feeling for Natural WHS like Galapagos, Yellowstone, Grand Canyon and Norwegian Fjords, but places like Machu Picchu, Angkor Wat and Rome is impressive
Recently Visited WHS
- Update 14.10.24
-
57 Countries Complete
Albania . Andorra . Antigua and Barbuda . Austria . Bahrain . Barbados . Belarus . Belgium . Botswana . Bulgaria . Cambodia . Croatia . Cyprus . Czechia . Dominica . Ecuador . Estonia . Finland . Ghana . Holy See . Hungary . Iceland . Ireland . Jordan . Laos . Latvia . Lesotho . Lithuania . Luxembourg . Madagascar . Malawi . Malaysia . Malta . Mauritius . Moldova . Montenegro . Morocco . Namibia . North Macedonia . Norway . Oman . Saint Kitts and Nevis . Saint Lucia . San Marino . Serbia . Singapore . Slovakia . Slovenia . Sri Lanka . Sweden . Switzerland . Tanzania . Tunisia . United Arab Emirates . Viet Nam . Zambia . Zimbabwe .Visited WHS
Rating StatsAngkor 5Petra 5Pompei 5Rome 5Baalbek 4.5Cordoba 4.5Florence 4.5Gunung Mulu 4.5Mana Pools 4.5Namib Sand Sea 4.5Ngorongoro 4.5Nubian Monuments 4.5Palenque 4.5Plitvice Lakes 4.5Redwood 4.5Serengeti 4.5Sigiriya 4.5Taj Mahal 4.5Anjar 4Brugge 4Budapest 4Butrint 4Calakmul 4Carthage 4Elvas 4Ephesus 4Fujisan 4Granada 4Hampi 4Hegra 4Hué 4Istanbul 4Lalibela 4Meteora 4Mystras 4Nikko 4Ping Yao 4Prague 4Ravenna 4Toledo 4Uxmal 4Vienna 4Wadi Rum 4Aachen Cathedral 3.5Altamira Cave 3.5Alto Douro 3.5Ambohimanga 3.5Amiens Cathedral 3.5Aphrodisias 3.5Assisi 3.5Bamberg 3.5Brú na Bóinne 3.5Caral-Supe 3.5Carlsbad Caverns 3.5Cesky Krumlov 3.5Champagne 3.5Chan Chan 3.5Classical Weimar 3.5Cuzco 3.5Edinburgh 3.5El Pinacate 3.5El Tajin 3.5Garajonay 3.5Hoi An 3.5Humayun's Tomb 3.5Khami Ruins 3.5Konso 3.5Kraków 3.5Lake District 3.5Laponian Area 3.5Le Morne 3.5Loire Valley 3.5Luang Prabang 3.5Matera 3.5Medina of Fez 3.5Mount Etna 3.5My Son 3.5Naples 3.5Nasca Lines 3.5Niah Caves 3.5Olympia 3.5Oporto 3.5Paphos 3.5Pattadakal 3.5Pergamon 3.5Plain of Jars 3.5Potsdam 3.5Quito 3.5Quseir Amra 3.5Québec 3.5Rani-ki-Vav 3.5Rhodes 3.5Riga 3.5Salzburg 3.5Segovia 3.5Selimiye Mosque 3.5Shirakami-Sanchi 3.5Shiretoko 3.5Siena 3.5Sighisoara 3.5Sinharaja Forest 3.5Sintra 3.5Stonehenge 3.5Surtsey 3.5Syracuse 3.5Temple of Heaven 3.5The Four Lifts 3.5Tiwanaku 3.5Tsodilo 3.5Tugendhat Villa 3.5Tyre 3.5Vat Phou 3.5Vegaøyan 3.5Villa d'Este 3.5Vizcaya Bridge 3.5Albi 3Arequipa 3Avignon 3Belem 3Belfries 3Burgundy 3Byblos 3Chavin 3Cuenca 3Genoa 3Graz 3Kairouan 3Kandy 3Koh Ker 3Kotor 3Le Havre 3Lima 3Lyon 3Lübeck 3Morelia 3Mostar 3Mérida 3Nessebar 3Orange 3Paquimé 3Pienza 3Puebla 3Rabat 3Reims 3Røros 3Seville 3Split 3Stećci 3Tequila 3Torun 3Trang An 3Trier 3Trogir 3Verona 3Vilnius 3Visby 3Abbey of St Gall 2.5Aquileia 2.5Aranjuez 2.5Arles 2.5As-Salt 2.5Atapuerca 2.5Avila 2.5Ayutthaya 2.5Bahla Fort 2.5Bardejov Town 2.5Bauhaus Sites 2.5Blenheim Palace 2.5Bordeaux 2.5Boyana Church 2.5Bryggen 2.5Caceres 2.5Cahokia Mounds 2.5Canal du Midi 2.5Centennial Hall 2.5Cienfuegos 2.5Corfu 2.5Curonian Spit 2.5Dong Phayayen 2.5Drottningholm 2.5El Escurial 2.5Elephanta Caves 2.5Evora 2.5Ferrara 2.5Gammelstad 2.5Giant's Causeway 2.5Gwynedd Castles 2.5Hollókö 2.5Hospicio Cabañas 2.5Ibiza 2.5Jelling 2.5Kerkuane 2.5Kondoa 2.5Kronborg Castle 2.5Litomysl Castle 2.5Luther Memorials 2.5Mafra 2.5Mammoth Cave 2.5Mazagan 2.5Medina of Sousse 2.5Medina of Tunis 2.5Meknes 2.5Mir Castle 2.5Modena 2.5Modernist Kaunas 2.5Muskauer Park 2.5Nancy 2.5Nesvizh 2.5Nice 2.5Phu Phrabat 2.5Poverty Point 2.5Provins 2.5Qalhat 2.5Querétaro 2.5Red Fort 2.5Regensburg 2.5Reichenau 2.5Saltaire 2.5Sammallahdenmäki 2.5Stari Grad Plain 2.5Tallinn 2.5Tarraco 2.5Telc 2.5Tiya 2.5Trebic 2.5Troy 2.5Urbino 2.5Valletta 2.5Vredefort Dome 2.5Vézelay 2.5Warsaw 2.5Wartburg Castle 2.5Western Ghats 2.5Xanthos-Letoon 2.5Zamość 2.5Al Ain 2Campeche 2Djerba 2Ivrea 2Kuldiga 2Bridgetown 1.5Corvey 1.5Crespi d'Adda 1.5Danube Limes 1.5Grand Pré 1.5Kernavė 1.5New Lanark 1.5Pearling 1.5Reviewed WHS
- Melka Kunture and Balchit
- Andrefana Dry Forests
- Sian Ka'an
- Niah Caves
- Yakushima
- Gusuku of Ryukyu
- Dholavira: A Harappan City
- Chongoni Rock Art
- Lake Malawi
- Talayotic Menorca
- Vat Phou
- Preah Vihear Temple
- Vatnajökull National Park
- Angkor
- Victoria Falls
- Tsodilo
- Paquimé
- Gros Morne National Park
- Red Bay Basque Whaling Station
- Mistaken Point
- Wood Buffalo National Park
Visited TWHS
- Abraj Al-Kuwait (T)
- Aire du Dragonnier Ajgal (T)
- Amalienborg and its district (T)
- Ancient Greek Theatres (T)
- Archaeological Site of Nikopolis (T)
- Art and Architecture in the Prehistory of Sardinia. The domus de janas. (T)
- Asuka-Fujiwara : Archaeological sites of Japan's Ancient Capitals and Related Properties (T)
- Augustow Canal (T)
- Azraq (T)
- Bahá'í House of Worship at New Delhi (T)
- Balaton Uplands Cultural Landscape (T)
- Barbar Temple (T)
- Beng Malea Temple (T)
- Big Bend National Park (T)
- Bioclimatic Refugia of Western Arabia (T)
- Black River Gorges National Park (T)
- Brandberg National Monument Area (T)
- Brooklyn Bridge (T)
- California Current Conservation Complex (T)
- Cascata delle Marmore and Valnerina: Monastic sites and ancient hydrogeological reclamation works (T)
- Cattolica Monastery in Stilo and Basilian-Byzantine complexes (T)
- Central Park (T)
- Centre historique de Saida (T)
- Ceský ráj (Czech Paradise) Rock Cities (T)
- Cetinje Historic Core (T)
- Chirundu Fossil Forest (T)
- Chobe Linyanti System (T)
- Chott El Jerid (T)
- Citadel of Alessandria (T)
- Cité de Carcassonne et ses châteaux sentinelles de montagne (T)
- Cittadella (Victoria - Gozo) (T)
- City of Charlestown (T)
- City of Motovun (T)
- City of York: historic urban core (T)
- Coastal Cliffs (T)
- Cultural Landscape of Innsbruck-Nordkette/Karwendel (T)
- Delhi - A Heritage City (T)
- Diocletian's Palace and the Historical Nucleus of Split (extension) (T)
- Djerdap National Park (T)
- Dreams in Stone - the palaces of King Ludwig II of Bavaria: Neuschwanstein, Linderhof and Herrenchiemsee (T)
- Edifices for Worship of Fortress Type in Belarus, Poland and Lithuania (T)
- Egyptian Hajj Road (T)
- Ellis Island (T)
- Etosha Pan (T)
- Evolution of Temple Architecture - Aihole-Badami- Pattadakal (T)
- Extension of the World Heritage Site "Historic Centre of Prague" with the important Monuments in its Vicinity (T)
- Fishriver Canyon (T)
- Former M-13 prison/ Tuol Sleng Genocide Museum (former S-21)/ Choeung Ek Genocidal Centre (former Execution Site of S-21) (T)
- Fort Shirley (T)
- Francke Foundation Buildings (T)
- Frontiers of the Roman Empire - The Danube Limes (Romania) (T)
- Frontiers of the Roman Empire - The Danube Limes in Bulgaria (T)
- Frontiers of the Roman Empire – The Danube Limes (Serbia) (T)
- Geyser in Herlany (T)
- Grobiņa archaeological ensemble (T)
- Großglockner High Alpine Road / Großglockner Hochalpenstraße (T)
- Group of Mozarabic buildings on the Iberian Peninsula (T)
- Guano Islands, Islets, and Capes National Reserve System (T)
- Habitat troglodytique et le monde des ksour du Sud tunisien (T)
- Heiligenkreuz Abbey (T)
- Hejaz Railway (T)
- Hikone-Jo (castle) (T)
- Hire Benkal, Megalithic Site (T)
- Historic Center of the City of Trujillo (T)
- Historic zone of Basseterre (T)
- Historical city of Izamal (Izamal, Mayan continuity in an Historical City) (T)
- Historical Lisbon, Global City (T)
- Historical-town planning ensemble of Ston (T)
- Jerash Archaeological City (Ancient Meeting Place of East and West) (T)
- Jozani - Chwaka Bay Conservation Area (T)
- Khor Dubai (T)
- Knights Fortifications around the Harbours of Malta (T)
- L'amphitheatre de Durres (T)
- L'oeuvre architecturale d'Henry van de Velde (T)
- La Haute Ville d’Antananarivo (T)
- La Rioja and Rioja Alavesa Vine and Wine Cultural Landscape (T)
- Lake Maggiore and Lake D'Orta lakelands (T)
- Lake Titicaca (T)
- Las Pozas, Xilitla (T)
- Le centre historique de la ville de Batroun (T)
- Le Chateau-fort médieval d'Esztergom (T)
- Le complexe hydraulique romain de Zaghouan-Carthage (T)
- Le noyau historique de la ville d'Alba Julia (T)
- Le Palais de Justice de Bruxelles (T)
- Le site archéologique de Sbeïtla (T)
- Les Alpes de la Méditerranée (France) (T)
- Les Alpes de la Méditerranée (Italy) (T)
- Les Alpes de la Méditerranée (Monaco) (T)
- Les Mausolées Royaux de Numidie, de la Maurétanie et les monuments funéraires pré-islamiques (Tunisia) (T)
- Les passages de Bruxelles / Les Galeries Royales Saint-Hubert (T)
- Les Plages du Débarquement, Normandie, 1944 (T)
- Les témoignages matériels de la construction de l’État des Pyrénées : la Co-principauté d’Andorre (S) (T)
- Leuven/Louvain, batiments universitaires, l'héritage de six siècles au sein du centre historique (T)
- Levadas of Madeira Island (T)
- Makgadikgadi Pans Landscape (T)
- Maltese Catacomb Complexes (T)
- Marianas Trench Marine National Monument (T)
- Massif du Mont Blanc (T)
- Massif du Mont-Blanc (T)
- Mdina (Citta Vecchia) (T)
- Meanders of the Upper Daugava (T)
- Médina de Sfax (T)
- Mediterranean Wind Mills (T)
- Mole National Park (T)
- Monastery of Santa María de La Rábida and the Columbus Memorial Places in Huelva (T)
- Morne Diablotin National Park (T)
- Mosquée de Tinmel (T)
- Mothia and Lilibeo Island: The Phoenician-Punic Civilization in Italy (T)
- Moulay Idriss Zerhoun (T)
- Mount Vernon (T)
- Møns Klint (T)
- Mývatn and Laxá (T)
- Naletale Cluster of Dzimbabwes (T)
- National Park Hohe Tauern (T)
- Natural and Cultural Landscape of Danube Region (T)
- Natural Reserves of Tatras Mountain (T)
- Ngwenya Mines (T)
- NOSYnakà (Sahamalaza, Nosy Hara, Nosy Tanikely, Lokobe, Ambodivahibe, Ankarea, Ankivonjy) (T)
- Noyau historique d'Antwerpen -Anvers- de l'Escaut aux anciens remparts de vers 1250 (T)
- Nuragic monuments of Sardinia (T)
- Nuruosmaniye Complex (T)
- Oasis de Gabes (T)
- Oasis of Fayoum, hydraulic remains and ancient cultural landscapes (T)
- Okavango Delta (T)
- Old Town of Bar (T)
- Orvieto (T)
- Parc National d'El Feija (T)
- Patzcuaro, Site of Humanistic Memory and Cultural Confluence (T)
- Petrified Forest National Park (T)
- Pobiti Kamani Natural Monument (T)
- Prehistoric Stone Structures in Saudi Arabia (T)
- Primošten Vineyards (T)
- Qasr Al-Mushatta (T)
- Rijal Almaa Heritage Village in Assir Region (T)
- Ring of cenotes of Chicxulub Crater, Yucatan (T)
- Rocks of Belogradchik (T)
- Royal Seats in Esztergom, Visegrád (T)
- Sacred Titicaca Lake (T)
- Salento and the Barocco Leccese (T)
- Salt Mines of Maras (T)
- Sarajevo - unique symbol of universal multiculture - continual open city (T)
- Saviour Transfiguration Church and St. Sophia Cathedral in the town of Polatsk (T)
- Seruwila to Sri Pada (Sacred Foot Print Shrine), Ancient pilgrim route along the Mahaweli river in Sri Lanka (T)
- Shaubak Castle (Montreal) (T)
- Sheikh Abdullah Al-Jabir Palace (T)
- Sites along the Uttarapath, Badshahi Sadak, Sadak-e-Azam, Grand Trunk Road (T)
- Sites of Globalization (T)
- Sites of Saytagrah (T)
- SS. Boris and Gleb (Kalozha) Church in the city of Hrodna (T)
- Sun Temple, Modhera and its adjoining monuments (T)
- Sungai Buloh Leprosarium (T)
- Svalbard Archipelago (T)
- Syrian Hajj Road (T)
- System of Fortifications at the Confluence of the Rivers Danube and Váh in Komárno - Komárom (Slova) (T)
- System of Fortifications at the Confluence of the Rivers Danube and Váh in Komárno - Komárom (Slovak) (T)
- Temple d’Echmoun (T)
- The Ancient Plovdiv (T)
- The Ancient Walled Oases of Northern Arabia (T)
- The Architectural Works of Alvar Aalto - a Human Dimension to the Modern Movement (T)
- The broader region of Mount Olympus (T)
- The Central Slave and Ivory Trade Route (T)
- The Core of the Mayan Area (T)
- The Cultural Landscape of Civita di Bagnoregio (T)
- The cultural landscape of the Benedictine settlements in medieval Italy (T)
- The Hadrianic city of Italica (T)
- The Hajj Pilgrimage Routes: The Darb Zubaydah (Saudi)) (T)
- The Historic Centre of Sibiu and its Ensemble of Squares (T)
- The historic town of Korcula (T)
- The Industrial Heritage of Barbados: The Story of Sugar and Rum (T)
- The Karlstejn Castle (T)
- The Laponian Area - Tysfjord, the fjord of Hellemobotn and Rago (T)
- The Lofoten islands (T)
- The Maritime Heritage of Dragør Old Town and Harbour - A ‘skipper-town’ from the era of the great tall ships in the 18th and 19th centuries (T)
- The Murge of Altamura (T)
- The natural and architectural ensemble of Jajce (T)
- The Oil Industrial Heritage in Saudi Arabia (T)
- The Olive Grove Landscapes of Andalusia (T)
- The Rise of Systematic Biology (T)
- The Roussensky Lom National Park (T)
- The Rural Cultural Landscapes of Sarawat Mountains (T)
- The Sanctuary of Agios Lot, At Deir 'Ain 'Abata (T)
- The Scotland District of Barbados (T)
- The Silver Route (T)
- The Tara National Park with the Drina River Canyon (T)
- The town of Melnik and the Rozhen Monastery (T)
- The Transhumance: The Royal Shepherd's Track (T)
- The Turf House Tradition (T)
- Thingvellir National Park (T)
- Tokaj Wine Region (T)
- Torfajökull Volcanic System / Fjallabak Nature Reserve (T)
- Trakai Historical National Park (T)
- Troodos, Mt.Olympus (T)
- Via Francigena in Italy (T)
- Victoria Lines Fortifications (T)
- VIKING MONUMENTS AND SITES / Thingvellir National Park (T)
- VIKING MONUMENTS AND SITES / Vestfold Ship Burials and Hyllestad Quernstone Quarries (T)
- Villas of the Papal Nobility (T)
- Volterra: Historical City and Cultural Landscape (T)
- Water Management in Saudi Arabia: The Ancient Dams (T)
- Welwitschia Plains (T)
- White Sands National Monument (T)
- Worship wooden architecture (17th -18th centuries) in Polesye (T)
- Zee Ain Heritage Village in Al-Baha Region (T)
Reviewed TWHS
Top 50 Missing Sites
- Alexandria, ancient remains and the new library
- Baikonur Cosmodrome / Cape Canaveral
- Cenotes of the Yucatan
- Death Valley National Park
- Golden Gate Bridge
- Guggenheim Museum Bilbao, Frank Gehry
- Mount Rushmore
- Panama Canal
- Petrified Forest National Park
- Rainforests of Polynesia
- Scrovegni's Chapel
- Silk Roads
- Svalbard
- Tempelhof Airport, Berlin