Kyle Magnuson

United States of America \ Member since March 2010

#493 104 36 3

View Kyle Magnuson's profile on LinkedIn

I live and work in Los Angeles, California, though I am originally from the Midwest. I graduated with a Bachelor's degree in History at the University of Wisconsin-Superior and a Master's degree in Teaching (Social Studies) from the University of Southern California (USC). As an undergraduate I completed coursework in China, Scotland, and Korea. As a member of AmeriCorps in my 20's, I provided educational services to communities throughout Los Angeles, which led to a career in Education. Today, I am a founding teacher at a middle school, where I teach United States History.

I have contributed an overabundance of information to the country page and forum for South Korea. I consider Korea to be one the great rewards for world heritage travelers. Firstly, a high number of accessible WHS reachable by efficient public transport. Secondly, excellent interpretation and management of each site, including translation. Lastly, the public awareness and domestic interest in world heritage in Korea is exceptional, including world heritage themed festivals and campaigns for aspiring nominations. 

I often travel plan and create lists/goals regarding future trips. While I'm not a completist World Heritage traveller, I certainly focus on World Heritage sites when planning. Listed below are the sites I hope to visit during the next few years.

My Flickr

Complete California

World Heritage Planning 2025-2030

Argentina/Uruguay/Brazil (9 WHS)

  • The Architectural Work of Le Corbusier (Argentina)
  • ESMA Museum and Site of Memory (Argentina)
  • Cordoba (Argentina)
  • Colonia del Sacramento (Uruguay)
  • Iguazu National Park (Argentina) *Top 100
  • Iguacu (Brazil) *Top 100
  • Rio de Janeiro (Brazil)
  • Valongo Wharf (Brazil)
  • Sítio Roberto Burle Marx (Brazil)

Australia (7 WHS)

  • K’gari Fraser Island (Queensland)
  • Gondwana Rainforests of Australia (Queensland)
  • Sydney Opera House (New South Wales)
  • Greater Blue Mountains Area (New South Wales)
  • Australian Convict Sites (New South Wales)
  • Royal Exhibition Building and Carlton Gardens (Victoria)
  • Budj Bim Cultural Landscape (Victoria)

Azores - Bermuda (2 WHS)

  • Central Zone of the Town of Angra do Heroismo in the Azores
  • The Historic Town of St George and Related Fortifications, Bermuda

Baja California Mexico (1 WHS)

  • Whale Sanctuary of El Vizcaino

Botswana/Namibia (3 WHS)

  • Okavango Delta *Top 100
  • Namib Sand Sea *Top 100
  • Twyfelfontein

Canada - East (9 WHS)

  • Grand Pré
  • Gros Morne National Park *Top 100
  • Joggins Fossil Cliffs
  • L'Anse aux Meadows
  • Mistaken Point
  • Old Québec
  • Old Town Lunenburg
  • Red Bay Basque Whaling Station
  • Rideau Canal

Canadian Prairie Provinces (4 WHS)

  • Writing-on-Stone / Áísínai’pi
  • Head-Smashed-In Buffalo Jump
  • Dinosaur Provincial Park
  • The Canadian Rocky Mountain Parks *Top 100

Caribbean (4 WHS)

  • Historic Bridgetown (Barbados)
  • Morne Trois Pitons (Dominica)
  • Volcanoes and Forests of Mount Pelée and the Pitons of Northern Martinique (France)
  • La Fortaleza (Puerto Rico)

China via Shanghai (3 WHS)

  • Classical Gardens of Suzhou
  • The Grand Canal
  • Migratory Bird Sanctuaries

China via Shenyang (1 WHS)

  • Capital Cities and Tombs of the Ancient Koguryo Kingdom

France (9 WHS)

  • The Architectural Work of Le Corbusier
  • Routes of Santiago de Compostela in France
  • Chartres Cathedral
  • The Palace and Park of Fontainebleau
  • Roman Theatre and its Surroundings and the "Triumphal Arch" of Orange
  • Historic Centre of Avignon: Papal Palace, Episcopal Ensemble and Avignon Bridge
  • Pont du Gard (Roman Aqueduct)
  • Maison Carrée de Nîmes
  • Arles, Roman and Romanesque Monuments

Ghana/South Africa via Cape Town (2 WHS)

  • Forts and Castles, Central Region (Ghana) *Cape Coast/Elmina
  • Cape Floral Region
  • Robben Island

Gulf States (7 WHS)

  • Qal'at al-Bahrain (Bahrain)
  • Pearling, Testimony of an Island Economy (Bahrain)
  • Dilmun Burial Mounds (Bahrain)
  • Aflaj Irrigation System (Oman)
  • Bahla Fort (Oman)
  • Bat, Al-Khutm and Al-Ayn (Oman)
  • Al Zubarah Archaeological Site (Qatar)

India - Western Coast, Sri Lanka & Seychelles (12 WHS)

  • Victorian Gothic and Art Deco Ensemble of Mumbai (India)
  • Chhatrapati Shivaji Terminus (India)
  • Elephanta Caves (India)
  • Churches and Convents of Goa (India)
  • Valley de Mai Nature Reserve (Seychelles)
  • Sacred City of Kandy (Sri Lanka)
  • Old Town of Galle and its Fortifications (Sri Lanka)
  • Central Highlands (Sri Lanka)
  • Rangiri Dambulla Cave Temple (Sri Lanka)
  • Ancient City of Sigiriya (Sri Lanka)
  • Ancient City of Polonnaruwa (Sri Lanka)
  • Sacred City of Anuradhapura (Sri Lanka)

Japan (9 WHS)

ICN Flight to Tokyo

  • National Museum of Western Art (Le Corbusier)
  • Shrines and Temples of Nikko
  • Mount Fuji
  • Historic Villages of Shirakawa-go and Gokayama 
  • Hiraizumi Temples and Gardens

Busan to Fukuoka Ferry

  • Hidden Christian Sites in the Nagasaki Region
  • Sites of Japan's Meiji Industrial Revolution
  • Yakushima

ICN Flight to Hokkaido

  • Shiretoko

Jordan (4 WHS)

  • Petra *Top 100
  • Umm al-Jimal
  • Um er-Rasas (Kastron Mefa'a)
  • Wadi Rum Protected Area

Malaysia/Singapore/Indonesia (3 WHS)

  • Singapore Botanic Gardens (Singapore)
  • Melaka and George Town, historic cities of the Straits of Malacca (Malaysia)
  • The Cultural Landscape of Bali Province: the Subak System as a Manifestation of the Tri Hita Karana Philosophy (Indonesia)

Mongolia (2 WHS)

  • Deer Stone Monuments
  • Orkhon Valley Cultural Landscape

Nordic/Baltic Nations (8 WHS)

  • Visby (Sweden)
  • Karlskrona (Sweden)
  • Birka and Hovgarden (Sweden)
  • Fortress of Suomenlinna (Finland)
  • Tallinn (Estonia) *ferry from Helsinki
  • Struve Geodetic Arc - Tartu Observatory (Estonia)

Sweden via driving (2 WHS) *Malmö to Oslo

  • Grimeton Radio Station (Sweden)
  • Rock Carvings in Tanum (Sweden)

Northern Mexico via driving (1 WHS)

  • Nuevo Casas Grandes: Archaeological Zone of Paquimé

Rwanda/Zambia (3 WHS)

  • Memorial sites of the Genocide (Rwanda)
  • Nyungwe National Park (Rwanda)
  • Victoria Falls *Top 100 

Sicily - Malta - Tunisia (11 WHS)

  • Late Baroque Towns of the Val di Noto (Italy)
  • Mount Etna (Italy)
  • Syracuse and the Rocky Necropolis of Pantalica (Italy)
  • Villa Romana del Casale (Italy)
  • City of Valletta (Malta)
  • Megalithic Temples (Malta)
  • Hal Saflieni Hypogeum (Malta)
  • Isole Eolie (Italy)
  • Arab-Norman Palermo and the Cathedral Churches of Cefalú and Monreale (Italy)
  • Medina of Tunis (Tunisia)
  • Archaeological Site of Carthage (Tunisia)

Slovenia/Italy (3 WHS)

  • The Works of Jože Plečnik in Ljubljana (Slovenia)
  • Škocjan Caves (Slovenia)
  • Venice (Italy) *Top 100

Thailand/Cambodia (5 WHS)

  • Historic City of Ayutthaya (Thailand)
  • The Ancient Town of Si Thep (Thailand)
  • Dong Phayayen - Khao Yai Forest Complex (Thailand)
  • Angkor (Cambodia) *Top 100
  • Koh Ker (Cambodia)

United Kingdom (12 WHS)

  • Flow Country
  • The Heart of Neolithic Orkney
  • Frontiers of the Roman Empire
  • Durham Castle and Cathedral
  • City of Bath
  • Great Spa Towns of Europe
  • Stonehenge
  • Kew Gardens
  • Westminster
  • Tower of London
  • Maritime Greenwich
  • Blenheim Palace

United States/Canada (2 WHS)

  • Alaska: Glacier Parks / Wrangell-St. *Top 100
  • Canada: Tr’ondëk-Klondike

Yucatán Peninsula Mexico via train (6 WHS)

  • Sian Ka'an
  • Pre-Hispanic City of Chichen-Itza *Top 100
  • Pre-Hispanic Town of Uxmal
  • Historic Fortified Town of Campeche
  • Pre-Hispanic City and National Park of Palenque *Top 100
  • Ancient Maya City of Calakmul, Campeche *Top 100

Travel Plans [Country List]

My most impressive site: Yellowstone, Machu Picchu

My proposal for a new site: Native/Indigenous Sites in the United States: (1) Ancestral Lands of the Diné: Canyon de Chelly & Monument Valley (2) Coso Rock Art Historic District (3) Heritage of the Hawaiian Kingdom (4) Rock Art of the Chumash People (5) Sinagua Cultural Landscape 6) Southwestern Utah: Canyonlands and Bears Ears Cultural Landscape 7) Grand Canyon National Park (cultural criteria)

Check out my website: http://completecalifornia.weebly.com/

Recent Visits
  • 0
    1
    July 30, 2025
    Korea Summer 2025: Stone Buddhas and Pagodas at Hwasun Unjusa Temple
  • 1
    0
    July 21, 2025
    Korea Summer 2025: Gyeongju
  • 0
    1
    July 9, 2025
    Korea Summer 2025: Getbol, Korean Tidal Flats (Extension)
Top 10 Missing
  1. Angkor 4.72
  2. Petra 4.61
  3. Galapagos Islands 4.60
  4. Rome 4.57
  5. Venice and its Lagoon 4.51
  6. Pyramids (Memphis) 4.51
  7. Rapa Nui 4.49
  8. Victoria Falls 4.48
  9. Tikal National Park 4.46
  10. Florence 4.45
Completed Countries

About Kyle Magnuson

Member since
March 2010
Country of Origin
United States of America
Visits
Rank
#493
WHS
104
Tentative Sites
36
Website Participation
Reviews
151
Ratings

Ratings

World Heritage Sites
Tentative Sites
98 38
Locations
17
Zones
0
Reserved for members.

Reviews by Kyle Magnuson

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Getbol Extension

Getbol, Korean Tidal Flats (E… (Nominated)

Garorim Bay (Seosan Getbol)

Korea's getbol extension will surely will be inscribed in 2026. These additions will further protect Korea's West Coast, while also improving accessibility for the public. Like the Wadden Sea, our …

Keep reading Kyle Magn… 16/08/25
Ami-dong Tombstone Spolia

Sites of the Busan Wartime Ca… (On tentative list)

The City of Refugees

Visiting Busan 9 years later, I sought to add more components of the Busan Wartime Capital nomination. From my first visit, I could not form an opinion whther this serial …

Keep reading Kyle Magn… 11/08/25
Unjusa, the Mysterious Temple

Stone Buddhas and Pagodas at … (On tentative list)

Unjusa, the Mysterious Temple

I certainly share the previous reviewers enthusiasm that Unjusa is special. I am also happy that this site created such a positive response within our community, in fact this is …

Keep reading Kyle Magn… 10/08/25
The Dissemination of Seon (Zen) Buddhism to Korea

Hoeamsa Temple (On tentative list)

The Dissemination of Seon (Zen) Buddhism to Korea

Many experienced World Heritage travelers who visited Korea have likely come across remnants of ancient Buddhist Temples, such as those found in Gyeongju, Buyeo, or Iksan. Sometimes all that remains …

Keep reading Kyle Magn… 10/08/25
Hahoe & Yangdong

Hahoe and Yangdong (Inscribed)

Historic Clan Villages of the Yangban (Joseon Aristocrats)

I believe I might be the only person since Els who visited both villages (at least among the reviewers). I visited Hahoe (Andong) in 2011, just after inscription and now …

Keep reading Kyle Magn… 09/08/25
Chilburam

Gyeongju (Inscribed)

Gyeongju Icons: Chilburam, Cheomseongdae, Bunhwangsa, Tumuli

I first visited Gyeongju in early Spring 2008 and again that following Summer, those memories remain special. Yet, at the time I knew little about what sites in Gyeongju to …

Keep reading Kyle Magn… 07/08/25
Joshua Tree National Park by Kyle Magnuson

Joshua Tree National Park (Removed from tentat…)

Joshua Tree National Park

Suggestion for an updated nomination: future tentative list

Joshua Tree National Park may qualify for world heritage status on its own, but the possibility of something far greater …

Keep reading Kyle Magn… 25/02/25
Rosenborg Castle by Kyle Magnuson

Rosenborg Castle (Removed from tentat…)

Rosenborg Castle

Suggestion for an updated nomination: future tentative list

Copenhagen remains without a world heritage site, though that may change in a few years. Rosenborg Castle would have been …

Keep reading Kyle Magn… 22/02/25
The Historic City of Dublin by Kyle Magnuson

The Historic City of Dublin (Removed from tentat…)

The Historic City of Dublin

Suggestion for an updated nomination: future tentative list

I do not see a particularly strong justification for Dublin to become a world heritage site, but Trinity College stood out. …

Keep reading Kyle Magn… 19/02/25
Pu'uhonua o'Honaunau NHP by Kyle Magnuson

Pu'uhonua o'Honaunau NHP (Removed from tentat…)

Pu'uhonua o'Honaunau NHP

Suggestion for an updated nomination: future tentative list

Consideration of a future Heritage of the Kanaka Maoli (Native Hawaiian People) nomination, Pu'uhonua o'Honaunau NHP would be …

Keep reading Kyle Magn… 17/02/25
Walled City of Manila by Kyle Magnuson

Walled City of Manila (On tentative list)

Walled City of Manila

My first thought when exploring the fortifications and the Colonial heart of Manila was this must be difficult to preserve. The vegetation seemed like it was overtaking the ruins. Moreover, …

Keep reading Kyle Magn… 11/02/25
Vizcaya Bridge by Kyle Magnuson

Vizcaya Bridge (Inscribed)

Vizcaya Bridge

During our planned stay in Bilbao, the Gran Hotel Puente Colgante in Portugalete (adjacent to the bridge) was too appealing to ignore. With the Portugalete station nearby and the very …

Keep reading Kyle Magn… 20/01/25
Mudejar Architecture of Aragon by Kyle Magnuson

Mudejar Architecture of Aragon (Inscribed)

Mudejar Architecture of Aragon

My interest in Al-Andalus and what came after was first perked with the novel 'The Lions of Al-Rassan' by Canadian author Guy Gavriel Kay. A major theme of the novel …

Keep reading Kyle Magn… 16/01/25
Palau de la Musica Catalana & Hospital de Sant Pau by Kyle Magnuson

Palau de la Musica Catalana &… (Inscribed)

Palau de la Musica Catalana & Hospital de Sant Pau

From the Sagrada Familia station its a pleasant walk to the Hospital de Sant Pau via the Av. de Gaudí. Self-guided tours within Sant Pau are now €17 and can …

Keep reading Kyle Magn… 11/01/25
Works of Antoni Gaudí by Kyle Magnuson

Works of Antoni Gaudí (Inscribed)

Works of Antoni Gaudí

Careful planning informed my visit to all the major Antoni Gaudí sites in and around Barcelona (including non-inscribed Gaudí buildings like Casa Figueres "Bellesguard"). All tickets were reserved well in …

Keep reading Kyle Magn… 07/01/25
Gulf of California by Kyle Magnuson

Gulf of California (Inscribed)

Gulf of California

On my 3rd road trip to Sonora, Mexico from Los Angeles I decided to reserve a boat tour to Isla San Jorge, part of the 'Islands and Protected Areas of …

Keep reading Kyle Magn… 09/12/24
Beijing Central Axis by Kyle Magnuson

Beijing Central Axis (Inscribed)

Beijing Central Axis

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 …

Keep reading Kyle Magn… 10/08/24
Capital Fortifications of Hanyang by Kyle Magnuson

Capital Fortifications of Han… (Nominated)

Bukhansanseong

Since this nomination expanded, I thought I would write a review specifically for Bukhansanseong (about 12 km wall length). I visited Bukhansanseong (Mountain Fortress) in the Summer of 2008. I …

Keep reading Kyle Magn… 10/05/24
Guanacaste by Kyle Magnuson

Guanacaste (Inscribed)

Guanacaste

I dedicated 3 days to exploring the Area de Conservación Guanacaste in March 2024. Every day we made sure to arrive at the park gate when it opened at 8am …

Keep reading Kyle Magn… 06/04/24
Guanajuato by Kyle Magnuson

Guanajuato (Inscribed)

Guanajuato

Clearly, based on the reviews thus far there is no need to go into the magic of Guanajuato! The music of the Callejoneada, the beautiful plazas (personal favorite, Plaza de …

Keep reading Kyle Magn… 02/02/24
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