Kyle Magnuson

United States of America \ Member since March 2010

#503 104 41 3

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 the Republic of 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

Next Trip December 2025: The Historic Town of St George and Related Fortifications, Bermuda

Next Trip March 2026: La Fortaleza and San Juan National Historic Site in Puerto Rico

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World Heritage Planning 2025-2035

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 Portugal (1 WHS)

  • Central Zone of the Town of Angra do Heroismo in the Azores

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 (3 WHS)

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

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

Mongolia (2 WHS)

  • Deer Stone Monuments
  • Orkhon Valley Cultural Landscape

Nordic/Baltic Nations (9 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 *Malmö to Oslo

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

Train from Oslo

  • Bryggen (Norway)

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

Southern Spain (4 WHS)

  • Historic Centre of Cordoba *Top 100
  • Caliphate City of Medina Azahara
  • Cathedral, Alcazar and Archivo de Indias in Seville *Top 100
  • Alhambra, Generalife and Albayzin, Granada *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

Recent Visits
  • 9
    6
    July 10, 2025
    Korea - Summer 2025: Ancient Mountain Fortresses in Central Korea, Capital Fortifications of Hanyang, Changdeokgung …
  • 4
    1
    June 19, 2025
    Southeast Asia - Summer 2025: Bali Subak system, FRIM Selangor, Melaka and George Town ...
  • 5
    0
    Dec. 15, 2024
    Spain - Christmas Season 2024: Mudejar Architecture of Aragon, Palau de la Musica Catalana & …
Completed Countries

About Kyle Magnuson

Member since
March 2010
Country of Origin
United States of America
Visits
Rank
#503
WHS
104
Tentative Sites
41
Website Participation
Reviews
151
Ratings

Ratings

World Heritage Sites
Tentative Sites
101 40
Locations
92
Zones
0
Reserved for members.

Reviews by Kyle Magnuson

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Mudejar Architecture of Aragon (KJM)

Mudejar Architecture of Aragon (Inscribed)

Zaragoza just before Christmas

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 …

Hospital de Sant Pau, Barcelona (KJM)

Palau de la Musica Catalana &… (Inscribed)

Performance at the Palau de la Musica Catalana

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 …

Parque Güell (Gaudí)

Works of Antoni Gaudí (Inscribed)

Gaudí's Magnum Opus

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 …

Isla San Jorge (Gulf of California)

Gulf of California (Inscribed)

Island of San Jorge and the Upper Gulf Region

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 …

Beijing Central Axis (KJM)

Beijing Central Axis (Inscribed)

An Imperial Axis Still . . .

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 …

Bukhansanseong (KJM)

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 …

Guanacaste (KJM)

Guanacaste (Inscribed)

The Natural Wonders of Guanacaste Province

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 …

José Chávez Morado at the Alhóndiga de Granaditas (KJM)

Guanajuato (Inscribed)

Synchronously Alluring Art, Architecture, Music, and Food

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 …

Protective Town of San Miguel (KJM)

San Miguel de Allende (Inscribed)

The Heart of Mexico

One does wonder walking in San Miguel de Allende if each gallery and restaurant is trying to outdo the other to impress potential customers. The ambience, the decor, the presentation …

Querétaro (KJM)

Querétaro (Inscribed)

Appreciating Querétaro, the Case for the City

Querétaro does not exhibit the type of intact historic core as experienced in San Miguel de Allende and therefore is rightly or wrongly judged as inferior. As a visitor, I …

Sharjah (KJM)

Sharjah: the Gate to Trucial … (On tentative list)

Aviation Angle?

There are so few world heritage sites connected to Aviation. Ideally this nomination will eventually evolve into a transnational nomination with the UK, the UAE, Singapore, and other nations where …

Mleiha (KJM)

Mleiha (On tentative list)

Desert Excursion - Partially Inscribed

You might wonder why Mleiha has become an increasingly promoted excursion from Sharjah/Dubai? The interpretation and programing at Mleiha is exceptional. In February 2023, four new tentative nominations emerged from …

Faya Palaeolandscape (KJM)

Faya Palaeolandscape (Inscribed)

Paleoenvironmental and Archaeological Potential

ICOMOS called this nomination 'premature' and of 'potential importance'. I suppose the UAE was not satisfied with waiting and thus campaigned hard toward inscription.

I have little experience in visiting …

Al Qattara Oasis (KJM)

Al Ain (Inscribed)

The Oases Areas of Al Ain

After visiting the archaeological sites around Mleiha, I was not keen on searching out more of them in Al Ain, particularly since the sites in Al Ain range through various …

Khor Dubai (KJM)

Khor Dubai (On tentative list)

Historical Fraud? Not Entirely!

In the dwindling chance Dubai Creek is inscribed, I will seek to plot out the best use of your time over 2 days. After visiting "Khor Dubai" I have to …

City of York (KJM)

City of York (Nominated)

A Day in York

"Eoferwic was, and still is, the chief city of northern Englaland. It possesses a great abbey, an archbishop, a fortress, high walls, and a vast market. It stands beside the …

Temporary Government Complex (Busan)

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

1,023 Days

For those who have visited Busan, you can be forgiven for not prioritizing its wartime history! The fact is, Busan is a lively city and its main attractions (Taejongdae, Jagalchi …

Willemstad (KJM)

Willemstad (Inscribed)

Four Historic Urban Districts

Having 4 days and 4 nights in Curaçao allowed my spouse and I ample time to explore Historic Willemstad and the island as a whole. Using Els' neatly compiled list …

West Curacao Plantations (KJM)

Plantations in West Curacao (On tentative list)

Potential for Transnational Slavery Nomination

Despite my downward vote for the "The Plantations in West Curaçao" tentative site, this reflects more my support for a transnational nomination rather than several dozen individual nominations. I visited …

Petrified Forest National Park (KJM)

Petrified Forest National Park (On tentative list)

The Painted Desert

After my first visit years previously, we spent the majority of time viewing the petrified wood in the Southern section of the park, though we did make it to the …

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