There is a local legend saying that the cypress in Abarkooh was planted by Zoroaster himself. Cypresses, in general, are considered sacred trees by Iranians. Coming from Yazd, the site …
Bernard Joseph Esposo Guerrero
Philippines \ Member since May 2012
#249 216 87 9
Works at the intersection of culture and tourism, with 15 years experience in the field. A member of the International Council on Monuments and Sites (ICOMOS) and the Philippine National Commission for Culture and the Arts - National Committee on Monuments and Sites (NCMS).
Largely based in Paoay in northern Philippines, which has its own UNESCO World Heritage Site (Paoay church - Baroque Churches of the Philippines) and is not far away from the Historic City of Vigan. Writes for BusinessMirror & Asia Times (travel and culture), and teaches university courses on global tourism and world cultures.
Interests: Cultural Tourism, Cultural Thematic Studies, Heritage Site Management, Southeast Asian Textile Collection & Curation, Philippine Gastronomy.
Email: bjeg2000@gmail.com | Instagram: theberntraveler
Recent Visits
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00Oct. 26, 2025Beijing Ancient Observatory
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10Oct. 25, 2025Imperial Palaces of the Ming and Qing
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10Oct. 24, 2025Mountain Resort, Chengde
Top 10 Missing
About Bernard Joseph Esposo Guerrero
- Member since
- May 2012
- Country of Origin
- Philippines
Visits
- Rank
- #249
- WHS
- 216
- Tentative Sites
- 87
Website Participation
- Reviews
- 63
-
Ratings
Ratings
World Heritage Sites
- Bagan 5.0
- Aachen Cathedral 5.0
- Rangiri Dambulla Cave Temple 5.0
- Polonnaruva 5.0
- Sigiriya 5.0
- Sanchi 5.0
- Yungang Grottoes 5.0
- Rani-ki-Vav 5.0
- Hampi 5.0
- Gunung Mulu 5.0
- Taj Mahal 5.0
- Angkor 5.0
- Ujung Kulon National Park 5.0
- Plain of Jars 5.0
- Twyfelfontein 5.0
- Persepolis 5.0
- Eisinga Planetarium 5.0
- Bauhaus Sites 5.0
- Quanzhou 5.0
- Namib Sand Sea 5.0
- Temple of Heaven 5.0
- Rice Terraces of the Philippine Cordilleras 5.0
- Anuradhapura 5.0
- Classical Gardens of Suzhou 4.5
- Sambor Prei Kuk 4.5
- Su Nuraxi di Barumini 4.5
- Fujian Tulou 4.5
- Padua’s fourteenth-century fresco cycles 4.5
- Verona 4.5
- Gyeongju 4.5
- Mount Wutai 4.5
- Pattadakal 4.5
- Mahabalipuram 4.5
- Preah Vihear Temple 4.5
- Venice and its Lagoon 4.5
- Old City of Jerusalem 4.5
- Mountain Resort, Chengde 4.5
- Borobudur 4.5
- Ellora Caves 4.5
- Great Wall 4.5
- West Lake 4.5
- Chola Temples 4.5
- Ha Long Bay – Cat Ba Archipelago 4.5
- Yazd 4.5
- Hwaseong Fortress 4.5
- Shushtar 4.0
- Dolomites 4.0
- Tabriz Bazaar 4.0
- Speyer Cathedral 4.0
- Citadel of the Ho Dynasty 4.0
- Sansa, Buddhist Mountain Monasteries 4.0
- Masada 4.0
- Tropical Rainforest Sumatra 4.0
- Maloti-Drakensberg Park 4.0
- Okavango Delta 4.0
- Via Appia 4.0
- Prambanan 4.0
- Sukhothai 4.0
- Armenian Monastic Ensembles 4.0
- Ayutthaya 4.0
- Phu Phrabat 4.0
- Hué 4.0
- Mapungubwe 4.0
- Medina of Tétouan 4.0
- Naumburg Cathedral 4.0
- Wartburg Castle 4.0
- Mount Taishan 4.0
- Villa d'Este 4.0
- Jantar Mantar 4.0
- Qutb Minar 4.0
- Pilgrimage Church of Wies 4.0
- Bamberg 4.0
- Rock Shelters of Bhimbetka 4.0
- Classical Weimar 4.0
- Great Himalayan National Park 4.0
- Mazagan 4.0
- Maulbronn Monastery 4.0
- Richtersveld 4.0
- Würzburg Residence 4.0
- Regensburg 4.0
- Trang An 4.0
- Berlin Modernism Housing Estates 4.0
- Castles of Augustusburg and Falkenlust 4.0
- Mountain Railways of India 4.0
- Vat Phou 4.0
- Holasovice 4.0
- The Architectural Work of Le Corbusier 4.0
- Ksar of Aït Ben Haddou 4.0
- Medina of Fez 4.0
- Meknes 4.0
- Vatican City 4.0
- Central Highlands 4.0
- Tchogha Zanbil 4.0
- Baroque Churches 4.0
- Safi al-Din Ensemble in Ardabil 4.0
- Cape Floral Region 4.0
- Medina of Essaouira 3.5
- Puerto-Princesa Subterranean River 3.5
- Prague 3.5
- Luang Prabang 3.5
- Hoi An 3.5
- Seokguram Grotto and Bulguksa Temple 3.5
- The Palaces of King Ludwig II of Bavaria 3.5
- Vicenza and the Palladian Villas 3.5
- Chhatrapati Shivaji Terminus 3.5
- Cambodian Memorial Sites 3.5
- Royal Joseon Tombs 3.5
- Meidan Emam, Esfahan 3.5
- Mining Cultural Landscape Erzgebirge 3.5
- Summer Palace 3.5
- Medina of Marrakesh 3.5
- Golestan Palace 3.5
- Keoladeo National Park 3.5
- My Son 3.5
- Haeinsa Temple 3.5
- Temple, Mansion and Cemetery of Confucius 3.5
- Messel Pit 3.5
- Masjed-e Jâme' 3.5
- Champaner-Pavagadh 3.5
- Rome 3.5
- Hahoe and Yangdong 3.5
- Old Town of Galle 3.5
- Kinderdijk 3.5
- Nelson Mandela Legacy Sites 3.5
- Kutna Hora 3.5
- Ombilin Coal Mining Heritage of Sawahlunto 3.5
- Peking Man Site 3.5
- Rabat 3.5
- Bali Subak system 3.5
- Elephanta Caves 3.5
- Amsterdam Canal Ring 3.5
- Mahabodhi Temple Complex 3.5
- Vigan 3.5
- Kandy 3.5
- Potsdam 3.5
- Macao 3.5
- Fatehpur Sikri 3.5
- Volubilis 3.5
- Ahmadabad 3.5
- Museumsinsel (Museum Island) 3.5
- Pyu Ancient Cities 3.5
- Agra Fort 3.5
- Hill Forts of Rajasthan 3.5
- Imperial Tombs 3.5
- Melaka and George Town 3.0
- Victorian Gothic and Art Deco Ensembles of Mumbai 3.0
- iSimangaliso Wetland Park – Maputo NP 3.0
- Susa 3.0
- Gochang, Hwasun, and Ganghwa Dolmen 3.0
- Baekje Historic Areas 3.0
- The Persian Qanat 3.0
- Pasargadae 3.0
- Phong Nha - Ke Bang 3.0
- Robben Island 3.0
- Churches and Convents of Goa 3.0
- Kinabalu Park 3.0
- Old City of Acre 3.0
- Luther Memorials 3.0
- Red Fort 3.0
- Humayun's Tomb 3.0
- Changdeokgung Palace Complex 3.0
- Jongmyo Shrine 3.0
- Persian Garden 3.0
- Singapore Botanic Gardens 3.0
- Frontiers of the Roman Empire 3.0
- Salzburg 3.0
- Danube Limes 3.0
- Barberton Makhonjwa Mountains 3.0
- ǂKhomani Cultural Landscape 3.0
- Si Thep 3.0
- Koh Ker 3.0
- Van Nellefabriek 3.0
- Al Ain 3.0
- Mantua and Sabbioneta 3.0
- Venetian Works of Defence 3.0
- Mathildenhöhe Darmstadt 3.0
- Kulangsu 3.0
- Cologne Cathedral 3.0
- Ban Chiang 3.0
- Abbey and Altenmünster of Lorsch 3.0
- White City of Tel-Aviv 3.0
- Fossil Hominid Sites 3.0
- Imperial Palaces of the Ming and Qing 3.0
- Yogyakarta 3.0
- Domus de janas Sardinia 3.0
- FRIM Selangor 2.5
- Bahá’i Holy Places 2.5
- Lower German Limes 2.5
- Botanical Garden, Padua 2.5
- Persian Caravanserai 2.5
- Jaipur City, Rajasthan 2.5
- Sinharaja Forest 2.5
- Western Ghats 2.5
- Dong Phayayen - Khao Yai 2.5
- Grand Canal 2.5
- Prehistoric Pile Dwellings 2.5
- Thang Long 2.5
- Namhansanseong 2.5
- Garden Kingdom of Dessau-Wörlitz 2.5
- Gaya Tumuli 2.0
- Kaeng Krachan Forest 2.0
- Trans-Iranian Railway 2.0
- The Prehistoric Sites of the Khorramabad Valley 2.0
- Lenggong Valley 2.0
- Beijing Central Axis 2.0
- Hyrcanian Forests 2.0
- Vredefort Dome 2.0
- Bisotun 2.0
- Dutch Water Defence Lines 2.0
- Jewish-Medieval heritage of Erfurt 2.0
- Maratha Military Landscapes 2.0
- ShUM Sites 2.0
- Wadden Sea 1.5
- Water Management System of Augsburg 1.5
- Mount Carmel Caves 1.5
- Sangiran Early Man Site 1.5
Tentative Sites
- The Historical Village of Abyaneh
- Nasqsh-e Rostam and Naqsh-e Rajab
- Silk Road Sites in India
- The Persian House in Central plateau of Iran
- Long-lived trees of Iran
- Etosha Pan
- Welwitschia Plains
- Caesarea
- Iconic Saree Weaving Clusters of India
- Industrial Heritage of textile
- Andaman Sea Nature Reserves of Thailand
- Aire du Dragonnier Ajgal
- Casablanca
- Capital Fortifications of Hanyang
- The Archeological complex of Banteay Chhmar
- Olympic Park Munich
- Nuragic monuments of Sardinia
- Sulcis Iglesiente
- Shwedagon Pagoda
- Sites of Saytagrah, India's non-violent freedom mo
- Aihole-Badami- Pattadakal
- Mayon Volcano Cultural Landscape
- Fishriver Canyon
- Mountain Railways of India (Extension)
- The Historical-Cultural Axis of Fin, Sialk, Kashan
- Tape Sialk
- Baroque Churches of the Philippines (Extension)
- Persepolis and other relevant buildings
- Apo Reef Natural Park
- Brandberg National Monument
- Old Town of Jakarta
- Mt. Iglit-Baco National Park
- Benguela Current
- Monastery of St. Amenaprkich
- Chocolate Hills Natural Monument
- Coron Island Natural Biotic Area
- Succulent Karoo (Namibia)
- Delhi - A Heritage City
- Shush
- Arasbaran
- The Historical City of Maybod
- El Nido-Taytay Protected Area
- The Zandiyeh Ensemble
- University of Tehran
- Kerman
- Tehrans Modern Architectural Heritage
- Mattanchery Palace
- Walled City of Manila
- The Collection of Historical Bridges
- Alpine and pre-alpine meadows
- Kaboud Mosque
- Gombak Selangor Quartz Ridge
- Semarang Old Town
- Les Alpes de la Méditerranée (Italy)
- Corregidor Island and Fortifications of Manila Bay
- Taq-e Bostan
- 216 56
- Locations
- 0
- Zones
- 0
Reviews by Bernard Joseph Esposo Guerrero
Long-lived trees of Iran (On tentative list)
Long-lived trees of Iran
Si Thep (Inscribed)
Si Thep
I visited Si Thep 2 weeks after its inscription, and it is a telling illustration of the power of the World Heritage tag. Prior to being inscribed, the management shared …
Ombilin Coal Mining Heritage … (Inscribed)
Ombilin Coal Mining Heritage of Sawahlunto
Tucked deep within the Bukit Barisan mountains, Sawahlunto may not ring a bell to many, but it is a city that is well worth a visit. The two-hour drive from …
Nelson Mandela Legacy Sites (Inscribed)
Nelson Mandela Legacy Sites
From what is written on what is available online regarding its nomination, South Africa did a good job with site selection and which crucial stages in the history of the …
Plain of Jars (Inscribed)
Plain of Jars
- I first read about the Plain of Jars when I was 15 years old and its mystery and allure have never left me since. It then took me 20 …
Phu Phrabat (Inscribed)
Phu Phrabat
Phu Phra Bat (PPB) is an exemplary multi-layered cultural landscape set on a plateau rising up to 150 meters above the floor plain, and would make a great addition to …
Kaeng Krachan Forest (Inscribed)
Kaeng Krachan Forest
As the previous two reviews focused on Kaeng Krachan NP, I'm sharing here my experience in visiting Kui Buri NP last March 10, 2022.
My friend and I stayed …
Shushtar (Inscribed)
Shushtar
After the rather lifeless sites of Susa and Tchogah Zanbil which we explored under the scorching summer heat of 2017, Shushtar's watermills and waterfalls delivered a most refreshing sight. No …
Old Town of Jakarta (On tentative list)
Old Town of Jakarta
For the simple reason that Macao and Melaka were able to get into the list seemingly smoothly (and it's really a mystery how they got in, especially if we apply …
Prehistoric Pile Dwellings (Inscribed)
Prehistoric Pile Dwellings
The day we visited Augsburg and Roseninsel might be the least impressive leg of my World Heritage Site hunting in Europe in 2019. Augsburg kept me wondering how the monuments …
Fatehpur Sikri (Inscribed)
Fatehpur Sikri
I arrived at Fetehpur Sikri at 7am, way too early that I had to wait for the ticket seller to come before I could go in. I rode on a …
Sites of Saytagrah, India's n… (On tentative list)
Sites of Saytagrah, India's non-violent freedom mo
I visited two sites included in this serial nomination back in 2019, the Sabarmati ashram (Gujarat) and the Asiatic Society of Mumbai Town Hall (Maharashtra). The sites are interesting, …
Bauhaus Sites (Inscribed)
Bauhaus Sites
If I were to pick the most special WHS I've seen this year, it would have to be the Bauhaus sites. It is not because they are beautiful and grand, …
Gochang, Hwasun, and Ganghwa … (Inscribed)
Gochang, Hwasun, and Ganghwa Dolmen
Bugeun-ri, Ganghwa: The tourist park is now being expanded at the back to include four more extant dolmens within the vicinity --- one, which is half buried, seems to be …
Victorian Gothic and Art Deco… (Inscribed)
Victorian Gothic and Art Deco Ensembles of Mumbai
Reaching Mumbai via the Chhatrapati Shivaji Terminus (CST) was indeed special, and I waited for 3 years before I could apty claim to have ticked off a rare feat: that …
Anuradhapura (Inscribed)
Anuradhapura
As a cultural worker, hunting for World Heritage Sites has gone beyond just seeing sites. Rather, it has become more of experiencing them. Hence, in the Anuradhapura vs Polonnaruwa debate …
Sanchi (Inscribed)
Sanchi
Sanchi is a pleasant site to visit and going there is convenient too from Bhopal. I went to this WHS via train, and came back on a bus, both took …
The Historical City of Maybod (On tentative list)
The Historical City of Maybod
With the recent inscription of Yazd, I am not quite sure how Maybod, another silk road desert city in the same region, would be able to position itself differently and …
Persian Garden (Inscribed)
Persian Garden
During our Iran visit in May 2017, we ticked off three: Fin garden in Kashan, the ancient garden in Pasargadae, and Eram garden in Shiraz. We also had a fair …
The Persian Qanat (Inscribed)
The Persian Qanat
This is probably the UNESCO World Heritage Site I spent the most time in trying to understand how to “properly” visit it during my recent trip in Iran. When I …