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Certainly a major achievement by mankind, this bridge is important, but only impressive if you consider when it was built: Construction began in 1779, and the bridge opened on New Year's Day 1781.

There isn't much to see, but you can walk across and underneath it, making it easy to observe and take some shots of the bridge. There is a tourist information desk at one end of the bridge. There's a site museum, too, which was already closed when I got there. The bridge is said to be open until sun set.

Getting there

This can easily be reached by public transport from Birmingham and other places in the area. There are some buses going from other places near, but I got off at Telford train station and took the bus to Telford bus station. Direct buses depart from there. Make sure to check the return schedule as they don't run frequently in the evening.

When in London, this one can't be missed. Slightly out of the center, it is reached easily by public transport. Depending on where you're based, the Kew Gardens and the Richmond train stations are probably your best stops. From there it's a short walk with signs directing you to the nearest entrance (yes there are multiple).

The site itself is huge. Climbing the pagoda was fun, especially the short explanation on how the gardens were used to test smoke curtains in Second World War was impressive. If you really want to see, read and do all things, you probably won't be able to do that in one day. On 'good days' some of the places can get a little crowded. At 25 GBP the entrance fee is a little steep, but this is kind of the norm in England.

The value for humanity is explained throughout the site, with many plant, seed, fungus and other signs and descriptions explaining why their work on them is important for our understanding and their survival.

We visited Brno on a sweltering day in July 2025 to catch up with a friend and as a pitstop between Prague and Vienna. Of course, it'd be sacrilegious not to visit Villa Tugendhat. However, as this was a last minute trip decision, we didn’t have the foresight to book one of the interior tours in advance, so we opted for The Villa from the Outside tour. While it was a more modest experience, we thought it was still a worthwhile one. It was also a nice change of pace from all the palace and church hopping we’d been doing.

The tour

We started the tour with the guide huddling us in front of the villa’s main door. She began with a bit of background on Fritz Tugendhat and Greta Löw-Beer, their families, and the villa itself—mostly within the context of their status as a wealthy Jewish family and their practical and aesthetic vision for a home. The guide then talked about the villa's architect, Ludwig Mies van der Rohe, and how he was given the freedom to design not just the building but also the furniture. That creative liberty allowed our boy Mies van der Rohe to craft something that, in my opinion, was ahead of its time—something that could’ve been built last year rather than nearly a century ago.

The tour, which lasted about 40 minutes, took us through the terraces and gardens of the villa. The upper terrace offered an outstanding view of the city. Our guide …

Note: I added more pictures of the site I visited.

According to the tour guide at Arabuko Sokoke Forest (which is on the tentative list), people can easily find a guide in Malindi or Kilifi to access these forests.

There is little information on this sacred forest site and the only two other visitors who shared their experience here either hired a tour guide or had their own vehicles. I decided to take public transport because of my tight budget.

My journey started from Mwembe Tayari road where I took a matatu (public bus) to Mazeras. The journey was smooth and only cost 150 Ksh. From Mazeras I took another bodaboda/motobike, which is only supposed to be 50ksh. (Obviously as a foreigner I got overcharged for twice the price even after my bargaining.) I arrived at the Dr Krapf memorial museum at Rabai where the first Christian church in East Africa is located. The museum staff helped to contact the forest staff and led me there.

We walked about 40 mins but only arrived at Kaya Mudzimuvya, a fenced forest restoration site, which seems to be within the boundary of Kaya Rabai based on the official map at WHC website. According to the museum staff, he took many primary school students here every year to learn about Mijikenda culture.

The site turned out to be a bit disappointing. I didn’t see any WH sign indicating this is part of the World Heritage site, and I was not allowed to enter …

Moçambique seems calmer now from the civil war and everlasting conflict, so we made room in our itinerary to come here.We flew AirLink from Johannesburg to Nampula. At arrival there was an administration fee for us at the immigration (650 MZN around €10 pp) and the process took about an hour.We had prearranged transport with B&B Jardim dos Aloés (it’s on booking.com) on the island. It was a three hour drive - nearly 200 km - to the island (6500 MZN - around €100 for both of us) - and the return is the same). The B&B resides in the core zone of Stone Town - the colonial part, it has only three very charming rooms and the very nice Italian host Bruno. He served a very nice breakfast where he tended and shared all his knowledge of the island, and he had taught his chef to bake Italian bread 🥯 The Island is connected to the mainland Ia a 3 1/2 km long single line bridge and it has distinct meeting spots so you can pass. It’s a necessity. It was built in 1967 by the Portuguese.Bruno organised every guided tour for us with the Amisse (+258 875107143). He had a kind of african-mohican appearance (shaved hair in both sides) and was very charming and nice.

The last thing we organised directly with him was a sunset cruise with a dhow (4000 MZN for the boat - around €65). It was late July (winter in this area) and he …

Visit July 2025

Once a grand city — today, there’s almost nothing left.

A visit doesn’t take long. Not much has changed at this site since the last review.

There is still no tourist infrastructure, although the gate is open and an information board provides a brief description of the site in several languages. A tiled pathway has been laid out, but it’s already neglected.

There’s little to see apart from a couple of columns, the reconstructed layout of what was once a magnificent church, and some remnants of water pipes.

Hard to imagine this as World Heritage material.

Visit July 2025. 

Although listed as a UNESCO World Heritage Site since 1991, Ilha de Moçambique, just a few handful of members from the community have made it here. 

We flew into Nampula from Johannesburg and made our way to the island. We stayed at Jardim dos Aloés, a beautifully restored 17th-century Portuguese house, now a charming guesthouse, owned by Bruno, an Italian. With its high ceilings, vintage details, and leafy courtyard, it was the perfect base for our time on the island.

The island itself is 3 km long and 500 m wide. The whole island make up the core zone. The island is roughly split in two: Stone Town, the historic colonial core, where the Portuguese elites once lived; and Macuti Town, where most of the local population still live today.

Stone Town

On our first day, we explored Stone Town with our guide, Amisse, who gave us a deeper understanding of the island. A highlight was the former Governor’s House, now a museum with a preserved collection of colonial-era furniture. Originally built by Jesuits and later taken over by the Portuguese, the building served as the capital’s governor’s residence. One room was even furnished for the King of Portugal — though he never came. The only person who ever slept in the royal bed was Mozambique’s first president, during a national tour. He later declared the building a museum — likely saving it from being looted during the civil war. The church’s altar …

I visited in June 2025 the roças of Sundy, Água-Izé and Monte Café that are part of this nomination.

The first visit was at the Roça Sundy on the island of Príncipe. Sundy is now owned by the HBD Príncipe hotel group and the roça's main buildings have been renovated to cater as luxury hotel facilities. For this reason this was the most pleasant visit of all the roças. We stayed at one of the HBD's hotels on the island so visit to Roça Sundy was easy to organize (there are basically no public transportation or taxis on Príncipe). Sundy is the biggest roça on Príncipe. The roça originally produced coffee but these days its only product is chocolate, and the production is very small scale. The main building, that used to be the owner's house, has a beautiful entrance hall with a restaurant at the back which is open for anyone. From the restaurant's balcony opens amazing view to the sea and over the lush forests as the roça is located quite high up on a hill. Next to the main building is a small monument to the British astronomer Arthur Eddington who proved here in 1919 that Einstein's theory of relativity to be correct. Bit further away from the main building there is a massive wall that looks like a fortress. This wall is the only thing left of the horse stables of the roça. Next to the wall is the former chapel of the roça. The chapel …

This little gem of a place is tucked away in the southwestern corner of Hungary, a bit of a lonely island away from other UNESCO sites so a dedicated day trip to visit was required. We visited on Thursday 23 July 2025, after hiring a car from Subotica (Serbia) and driving the 153klms to Pecs to explore this site for the day.

A visit to the OUV sites of the Cella Septichora Visitor Centre and the Early Christian Mausoleum (100 metres across the road) which the underground component to the public is now open, having been closed in 2022 for renovations. The cost of a ticket to visit both sites is 3600 HUF (Aus $16). Other tickets can be purchased to view other historical parts of Pecs at reduced rates as well.

Give yourself about 2 - 3 hours to explore both sites. The main visitor centre is much larger and provides access and viewings of 7 Burial Chambers. The Wine Pitcher Bural Chamber, Burial Chambers III, IV, V, XIX, XX and Peter & Paul Burial Chamber. Good signage and information is available including a variety of printed documents, multi-media visual and audio.

We enjoyed the sites, and the visitor experiences provided in each of the locations as they were very informative, so the use of a guide is not specifically needed or warranted. Although different civilisations, having recently visited the Etruscan Necropolis site in Tarquinia in March 2025, we found the painted burial chambers in Tarquinia more interesting. That …

Mount Kumgang is not an easy WHS to visit as it's located in the very closed country of North Korea. I visited in summer 2019 on a rainy day. Quite happy I did, as since 2020 North Korea is kind of closed for tourists completely. It was my second time in North Korea, again on a private itinerary (with my son this time though). Of course, 2 guides and a driver joined, but no group tour as I had specific wishes to see places. Things are possible. Mount Kumgang is not on many itineraries, and I didn't see a single other tourist throughout that day trip from Wonsan. The nomination file says the area can receive up to 1300 tourist with an average of 700 normally. Not sure about that; probably North Korean numbers.

The first stop was at Lagoon Samil Area in Sea Kumgang, which, at that time I didn't know, is part of the core zone as well. It's a beautiful lagoon with tiny islands and some shrines. Very peaceful. We stopped at a couple of lookout points and walked along the wooden walkways along the shore. It wasn't raining (yet).

Looking at the current WHS maps with inscribed area, I did not visit the area at the actual sea. It was offlimits probably due to sensitive area. I did ask at that time about Sea Kumgang, and the guides said I will see it. I think they simply meant the Lagoon Samil, which is part of it. …

The best way to see the Baltic Klint according to my research would be to follow the Saka-Ontika-Toila road to see the Ontika Landscape Reserve. The Klint goes along the sea there and is clearly visible.

As I was restricted in time and had a car with limited miles, I settled for a closer proposed component: the Tsitre Muuksi. And boy, this was not easy to find. First I drove to the Tsitre vaatetorn, a watch tower close to the beach. The beach is nice, with forest right behind it, but no klint visible. I did some internet research on spot (coverage is really good in Estonia) and found a map on a local website, that marked the beach as "Cambrian Blue Clay Terrace" with the Cambrian Terrace a bit further inland. On Google Maps I found the Muuksi linnamägi (hill fort). I figured hill equals klint and went there. Sure enough I found the klint. After the monument for the hill fort (image 3 on maps) there is a small path leading you into the forest. YOu actually walk along the top part of the Klint. With some climbing and getting stung by a million moscitoes I managed to snap some pictures of the Klint.

Was it worth the effort? Probably not. If this ever gets inscribed, I would likely go back and visit the Ontika landscape. At least I got in some beach and some hiking in the forest, which is never a bad thing to do.

Visited June 2025

I do not know what I was expecting before coming to this WHS, but I must admit that I was a bit disappointed because the causeway itself is not so giant (picture, seen from the cliff) , is not so long that the real Irish warrior and hero Fionn mac Cumhaill could use it to cross straight to the Scottland and back. Well, sorry, I should remember that the causeway was destroyed by his Scottish rival… Although not so big, this place is amazing – thousands of basalt columns leading into the sea like magical stairs and the stepping stones disappear under the water. Most of the columns are hexagonal, but you can see some with less or more sides… And the only trace of the giants is the petrified shoe that looks like throne…

During the high tide it can be dangerous to approach to the end of this natural bridge/road. I witnessed an accident – two people were not very careful, lost their balance and fell into the water, hurting and injuring their heads. The ambulance arrived just in couple of minutes.

I visited the site using public transportation. From Belfast International Airport I took a bus to Antrim and then the train to Coleraine where you change to the bus going to Giant’s Causeway Visitor Centre (at least one bus every hour); I skipped the centre and went to the lower path which goes all the way to its end at the lower part …

Most of the reviews here are about the Stećci near Stolac in Bosnia and Herzegovina. We visited two Stećci fields in Montenegro, which are easy to reach from Žabljak if you have your own vehicle.

Žabljak is the gateway to the WHS ‘Durmitor National Park’ and the two fields are located south-east of the town, only about 20 minutes drive away.

The two fields are located in a very attractive alpine landscape with two small lakes at approx. 1450 metres above sea level. First you drive along the Vražje jezero (Devil's Lake) and then you come to the Riblje jezero (Fish Lake), at the other end of which you can clearly see the first Stećci on the top of a small hill (field ‘Grčko groblje’) . After a short walk you are there and can admire the Stećci. Some are decorated with ornaments, some are specially carved, but the most remarkable thing is the overall experience: you are standing on a hill in the middle of this evidence of an ancient civilisation and have a great panoramic view of the Fish Lake and the beautiful landscape in the mountains of Montenegro all around you. During our visit, the wind was whipping across the plateau, which added to the wonderfully mythical atmosphere.

A few minutes' drive later, you find yourself at the second field, ‘Bare Žugića’ (image 2). This is larger and is located right by the roadside, but we liked the first field near the lake better.

There is simply no place like it. Kathmandu Valley is perhaps the greatest synthesis of Asian culture on the entire continent. Its legacy and influence span from its architectural contributions to religious architecture in the form of pagodas to its identity as a holy city of Hinduism and Tibetan Buddhism, directly and indirectly shaping the culture and aesthetics all over South, East, and Southeast Asia, a region containing half of the world's population. In my July 2025 trip to Nepal, I tried my best to cover it all.

The story told by its most impressive remains starts in Changu Narayan, the oldest temple in the valley, as attested by carved stone pillars standing onsite. Starting at least by the 4th century CE, the era to which this temple dates back, the concept of the multi-tiered pagoda is believed to have developed here before spreading (mostly) to East Asia, influencing monumental architecture as far as Japan by the 8th century (see Horyu-ji) and beyond to Southeast Asia and the world beyond. Today, earthquakes have destroyed any pagodas from this time period, but some of the world's most impressive examples still stand to pass on the tradition. To me, the greatest one is the over 300-year-old Nyatapola on Taumadhi Square in Bhaktapur, a 5-story pagoda with a 5-story base, which has escaped damage from any of the recent earthquakes that have devastated many other monuments in the valley.

Meanwhile, probably the most richly decorated pagoda is the main temple of Pashupatinath, considered …

I've wanted to visit this site for years. The biggest problem? It's so far away from anything! The closest airport is Montes Claros which is still 3 hours away but hey - at least you are close, right? Well, so I didn't do that but I'll get back to it soon. Most travelers actually fly to Montes Claros and take a collectivo to Itacarimbi which is the closest town to the park. This is THE way to go. There's a shitty public bus but trust me to say you don't want to take that. For the way back just ask your pousada or hotel to organize a car back and you'll join one of those. Plus you don't even pay more than the bus would! So I didn't do that because I was in the area for more, starting from Belo Horizonte I rented a car (airport is north anyway which saves you 40min), stopped over in Diamantia again (used the airport before but driving was...err...well, fun?) and then had an easy ride to the park. Later, I would drive onwards to Brasilia which is a bit unpaved sometimes so getting a 4x4 isn't a bad idea plus the park roads here are utter rubbish thus getting a 4x4 helps. Sure the costs are higher but you'll be glad to have it.

Second is where the stay. I stayed in Itacarimbi which is 15~20min away from the park entrance. There are some pousada closer but I only recommend Recanto das …

July 2025

We had the chance to visit three (four) locations of Nelson Mandela’s legacy in the Johannesburg area. This review focuses on logistics and practical experiences rather than deep historical background.

We arrived from Malawi around noon and checked into an airport hotel near OR Tambo. The hotel had a free shuttle to and from the airport, which made things very convenient.

Liliesleaf Farm

Our first destination was Liliesleaf Farm in Rivonia. This was the secret headquarters of the ANC and Umkhonto we Sizwe until it was raided by police in 1963, leading to the arrest of key anti-apartheid leaders and the Rivonia Trial.

We took an Uber there after checking with the hotel staff to confirm that the area was safe. To our surprise, the gate was closed despite a sign indicating the museum should be open. As we stepped out to take a few quick photos, a security guard appeared. He kindly let us in and said we could walk around and take pictures, though the museum itself was closed. Everything was well marked and plenty of information panels, so with didn’t miss much by not visiting the museum. We had arranged for our Uber driver to wait, which worked well.

Constitution Hill

We then continued to Constitution Hill. Constitution Hill in Johannesburg is a powerful symbol of South Africa’s journey from brutal oppression to democracy and justice. Once a notorious prison and military fort, it now houses the country’s highest court – the Constitutional Court – …

Growing up, one of the first ways I got exposed to the world of travel was through my mom's stories of her visits to Italy and France when she was younger. In fact, my recent voyage to Italy in April 2025 was almost an exact replica of her adventure. I did throw in some differences though, and the main one was that I wanted to hike in the Cinque Terre. I am a big fan of the national parks in the United States and I try to make it a point to visit at least one national park for every country that I enter (if they have any). I am also an avid hiker and the idea of hiking between villages sounded very fun!

We chose to stay in Riomaggiore for 2 nights. If I was to go back to this area, I would probably choose to stay in Riomaggiore again because it had the right balance between being lively while retaining just a tad of Italian authenticity.

This brings me to my main point. If you are expecting authentic Italian small-town charm, this is not the place to go. The towns are beautiful and photogenic but are heavily commercialized. Everywhere in Italy on the tourist circuit there are lots of souvenir stands and the like, but it felt much more noticeable here because of the small area of the towns. The crowds here also felt particularly bad because the villages are honestly not equipped to handle the amount of …

There's very little I can add to the comprehensive reviews below, other than agreeing that the view of coloured pools, limestone walls, snow-capped peaks, and impressive waterfalls is spectacular. It's an excellent inscription on the "beautiful landscape" criteria.

But I can provide a logistics update: Huanglong is now far more accessible! There is now a high-speed rail link between Huanglong and Chengdu, which takes about 90 minutes (it's mostly through tunnels, so there is very little in the way of scenery). If you're visiting Huanglong alongside Jiuzhaigou (and you absolutely should), there's plenty of options on trip.com. We picked a shuttle bus that picked us up from Huanglong station, dropped us off at the Huanglong cable car bottom station, picked us up at the main entrance, then took us on to Jiuzhaigou.

We visited in mid-November 2024, which had pluses and minuses. The plus side: that time of year meant very few domestic tourists, so the site was relatively uncrowded (even by Chinese standards). The down side: that time of year meant incredibly low temperatures. Despite clear skies and bright sunshine, the daytime "highs" were between about -2 degrees, while overnight it would drop to at least -10. It also meant that a lot of the pools were frozen over (particularly on the higher parts of the mountain), so not quite as spectacular as usual.

Recommended route: take the cable car up to the top station, then walk back down to the main entrance (this took us ~3 hours at …

This is hardly a representative review, but given that there is no other so far for this tentative serial property, I surmise that something is better than nothing. While vacationing on Naxos a couple of weeks ago, I took time for a drive to the Cheimarros Tower.

Google visitor reviews suggested that there is not much to see there, and the tower failed to exceed my very low expectations. It is covered in scaffolds, cordoned off, and inaccessible. The scaffolding implies restoration efforts, and a simple internet search would tell you that such works have been approved all the way back in 2014. It is anyone's guess when - or if - they will be completed.

The tower is also proverbially in the middle of nowhere. The southeast inland part of Naxos is mountainous and arid, with practically no human activity whatsoever. It is only about 13 kilometers from the lovely village of Filoti, and the road has at least a handful of signs to remind you that you are going in the right direction. For the large part of that drive - and back - I saw a flock of goats and a couple of donkeys, and not a single other car or a single other person.

I don't have material knowledge of the state and accessibility of other towers. The property description mentions both that some are well preserved and that restoration efforts are in progress. Cheimarros Tower may eventually become a viable visitor attraction. At the moment, …

May 2025 visit. It seems like everyone visits Nesvizh after Mir Castle on the same day since they are only half an hour apart. This is probably the better choice as Nesvizh is the nicer of the two by a slight margin. Upon entry I was given an audioguide and shoe covers and had about 1 and a half hours to make my way through all the rooms. It is bigger and much more of a residential palace than Mir Castle but still undersells the power and influence of the Radziwill family in the history of this region.

Because it was a national holiday it was also busy with local visitors and got very crowded at times. Perhaps that's why I enjoyed my stroll around the moat and grounds more. I don't know if this is the more popular of the two but it is more set up to cater to tourists with little souvenir stands outside the walls and more restaurants in town. The nearby Corpus Christi church helps to elevate the site and its importance and should not be missed.