{"id":6570,"date":"2025-02-14T19:01:22","date_gmt":"2025-02-14T19:01:22","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/wanderlusttstg.wpengine.com\/inspiration\/20-best-unesco-cultural-sites-to-visit-around-the-world\/"},"modified":"2025-02-14T19:01:28","modified_gmt":"2025-02-14T19:01:28","slug":"20-best-unesco-cultural-sites-to-visit-around-the-world","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.wanderlustmagazine.com\/inspiration\/20-best-unesco-cultural-sites-to-visit-around-the-world\/","title":{"rendered":"21 of the best UNESCO World Heritage Sites to visit around the world"},"content":{"rendered":"<div class=\"wak-acf-block wak-acf-block-sidebar-content\" data-ad=\"first\"><div id=\"wak-acf-block-492019\" class=\"wak-acf-block wak-content-layout-default wak-acf-block-advert wak-ad-first\" data-placement-id=\"63374\" data-advert-visible=\"1\">\n    <style type=\"text\/css\">.wak-acf-block.wak-acf-block-advert 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a+h6,.wak-acf-block.wak-acf-block-copy-content .wak-copy div+h1,.wak-acf-block.wak-acf-block-copy-content .wak-copy div+h2,.wak-acf-block.wak-acf-block-copy-content .wak-copy div+h3,.wak-acf-block.wak-acf-block-copy-content .wak-copy div+h4,.wak-acf-block.wak-acf-block-copy-content .wak-copy div+h5,.wak-acf-block.wak-acf-block-copy-content .wak-copy div+h6,.wak-acf-block.wak-acf-block-copy-content .wak-copy ol+h1,.wak-acf-block.wak-acf-block-copy-content .wak-copy ol+h2,.wak-acf-block.wak-acf-block-copy-content .wak-copy ol+h3,.wak-acf-block.wak-acf-block-copy-content .wak-copy ol+h4,.wak-acf-block.wak-acf-block-copy-content .wak-copy ol+h5,.wak-acf-block.wak-acf-block-copy-content .wak-copy ol+h6,.wak-acf-block.wak-acf-block-copy-content .wak-copy p+h1,.wak-acf-block.wak-acf-block-copy-content .wak-copy p+h2,.wak-acf-block.wak-acf-block-copy-content .wak-copy p+h3,.wak-acf-block.wak-acf-block-copy-content .wak-copy p+h4,.wak-acf-block.wak-acf-block-copy-content .wak-copy p+h5,.wak-acf-block.wak-acf-block-copy-content .wak-copy p+h6,.wak-acf-block.wak-acf-block-copy-content .wak-copy ul+h1,.wak-acf-block.wak-acf-block-copy-content .wak-copy ul+h2,.wak-acf-block.wak-acf-block-copy-content .wak-copy ul+h3,.wak-acf-block.wak-acf-block-copy-content .wak-copy ul+h4,.wak-acf-block.wak-acf-block-copy-content .wak-copy ul+h5,.wak-acf-block.wak-acf-block-copy-content .wak-copy ul+h6{margin-top:40px}.wak-acf-block.wak-acf-block-copy-content .wak-copy h4,.wak-acf-block.wak-acf-block-copy-content .wak-copy h6{line-height:normal}.wak-acf-block.wak-acf-block-copy-content .wak-copy,.wak-acf-block.wak-acf-block-copy-content .wak-copy dd,.wak-acf-block.wak-acf-block-copy-content .wak-copy dt,.wak-acf-block.wak-acf-block-copy-content .wak-copy li,.wak-acf-block.wak-acf-block-copy-content .wak-copy ol,.wak-acf-block.wak-acf-block-copy-content .wak-copy p,.wak-acf-block.wak-acf-block-copy-content .wak-copy span,.wak-acf-block.wak-acf-block-copy-content .wak-copy ul{font-size:1.125rem;line-height:2.125rem}.wak-acf-block.wak-acf-block-copy-content .wak-copy a{font-size:1.125rem!important;line-height:2.125rem!important}.wak-acf-block.wak-acf-block-copy-content .wak-copy h1,.wak-acf-block.wak-acf-block-copy-content .wak-copy h2,.wak-acf-block.wak-acf-block-copy-content .wak-copy h3,.wak-acf-block.wak-acf-block-copy-content .wak-copy h4,.wak-acf-block.wak-acf-block-copy-content .wak-copy h5,.wak-acf-block.wak-acf-block-copy-content .wak-copy h6{margin:0;padding:0;word-break:break-word}.wak-acf-block.wak-acf-block-copy-content .wak-copy h1{font-family:Noe Display;font-size:3.75rem;font-weight:400;letter-spacing:normal;line-height:4.0625rem}.wak-acf-block.wak-acf-block-copy-content .wak-copy h2{font-family:Noe Display;font-size:3rem;font-weight:400;letter-spacing:normal;line-height:3.25rem}.wak-acf-block.wak-acf-block-copy-content .wak-copy h3{font-family:Noe Display;font-size:2.25rem;font-weight:400;letter-spacing:normal;line-height:2.5rem}.wak-acf-block.wak-acf-block-copy-content .wak-copy h4{font-family:Noe Display;font-size:1.75rem;font-weight:400;letter-spacing:normal;line-height:2.0625rem}.wak-acf-block.wak-acf-block-copy-content .wak-copy h5{font-family:Noe Display;font-size:1.25rem;font-weight:400;letter-spacing:normal;line-height:1.5625rem}.wak-acf-block.wak-acf-block-copy-content .wak-copy h6{font-family:Jost;font-size:.75rem;font-weight:500;letter-spacing:.08313rem;line-height:.875rem}.wak-acf-block.wak-acf-block-copy-content+.wak-acf-block-article-image,.wak-acf-block.wak-acf-block-copy-content+.wak-acf-block-copy-content,.wak-acf-block.wak-acf-block-copy-content+.wak-acf-block-image-carousel{margin-top:80px}<\/style>    <div class=\"wak-copy wak-body-standard-text\"><p>The United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO) was born out of the horrors of the Second World War\u00a0 with the remit of spreading peace.<\/p>\n<p>The idea of designating and conserving World Heritage sites \u2013 places deemed of great import for their cultural, historical or scientific value \u2013 was ratified in 1972. Just six years later, the first 12 were announced, ranging from Ecuador\u2019s Gal\u00e1pagos Islands to Germany\u2019s Aachen Cathedral.<\/p>\n<p>Today, over one thousand sites have been listed and protected for posterity, with a new batch added each July. The variety is staggering, but the idea is that each one makes the world a more enriching, more fascinating, more united place.<\/p>\n<p>Wondering where to start? Here are 21 of the best UNESCO World Heritage Sites we think you should be visiting in 2025 and beyond.<\/p>\n<\/div><\/div>\r\n\n\n    <div id=\"wak-acf-block-706830\" class=\"wak-acf-block wak-acf-block-article-image wak-content-layout-default\">\r\n        <style type=\"text\/css\">.wak-acf-block.wak-acf-block-article-image{flex-wrap:wrap;justify-content:center}.wak-acf-block.wak-acf-block-article-image .wak-title{text-align:left;width:100%}.wak-acf-block.wak-acf-block-article-image .wak-title+picture{margin-top:40px}.wak-acf-block.wak-acf-block-article-image .wak-caption{color:gray;margin-top:8px;text-align:right;width:100%}.wak-acf-block.wak-acf-block-article-image+.wak-acf-block-article-image,.wak-acf-block.wak-acf-block-article-image+.wak-acf-block-copy-content,.wak-acf-block.wak-acf-block-article-image+.wak-acf-block-image-carousel{margin-top:80px}<\/style>        \r\n        <h3 class=\"wak-title wak-h3\">1. Abu Simbel, Egypt<\/h3>\r\n                    \n<picture>\n    <source media=\"(max-width:575px)\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.wanderlustmagazine.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/10\/alta_wl-18_dreamstime_xxl_25088550-350x250.jpg, https:\/\/www.wanderlustmagazine.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/10\/alta_wl-18_dreamstime_xxl_25088550.jpg 2x\">\n    <source media=\"(max-width:991px)\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.wanderlustmagazine.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/10\/alta_wl-18_dreamstime_xxl_25088550.jpg, https:\/\/www.wanderlustmagazine.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/10\/alta_wl-18_dreamstime_xxl_25088550.jpg 2x\">\n    <source media=\"(min-width:992px)\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.wanderlustmagazine.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/10\/alta_wl-18_dreamstime_xxl_25088550.jpg, https:\/\/www.wanderlustmagazine.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/10\/alta_wl-18_dreamstime_xxl_25088550.jpg 2x\">\n    <img fetchpriority=\"high\" decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/www.wanderlustmagazine.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/10\/alta_wl-18_dreamstime_xxl_25088550-350x250.jpg\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.wanderlustmagazine.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/10\/alta_wl-18_dreamstime_xxl_25088550-350x250.jpg, https:\/\/www.wanderlustmagazine.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/10\/alta_wl-18_dreamstime_xxl_25088550.jpg 2x\" class=\"attachment-6569\" alt=\"The Great Temple at Abu Simbel lit up at night, with four figures carved into the rock around the entrance\" width=\"350\" height=\"250\"><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/picture>   \r\n        \r\n        <span class=\"wak-caption wak-image-caption-text\">(Dreamstime)<\/span>    <\/div>\r\n\n\n<div id=\"wak-acf-block-365911\" class=\"wak-acf-block wak-acf-block-copy-content wak-content-layout-default\">\r\n        <div class=\"wak-copy wak-body-standard-text\"><div class=\"wak-non-acf-block wak-non-acf-block-core-paragraph\">\n<p>Rescuing the ancient Nubian temples of Abu Simbel from the rising Nile wasn\u2019t just important for Egypt, it revolutionised the global approach to safeguarding heritage.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"wak-non-acf-block wak-non-acf-block-core-paragraph\">\n<p>In 1968, the complex built for Ramses II in around 1260 BC was cut into 2,000 pieces and moved \u2013 brick by brick \u2013 to higher ground. Now it\u2019s the headline act of a UNESCO site that includes other Nubian Monuments, such as the Sanctuary of Isis at Philae, and a powerful symbol of conservation.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"wak-non-acf-block wak-non-acf-block-core-paragraph\">\n<p><strong>Get there:<\/strong>\u00a0Abu Simbel is 280km south of Aswan; 30 minutes by plane, about three hours by bus.<\/p>\n<p>\u00a0<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<p><strong>Read next:\u00a0<\/strong><a href=\"https:\/\/www.wanderlustmagazine.com\/inspiration\/ashraf-masoud-eygpt-tour-guide-interview\/\">Egypt guide Ashraf Masoud: \u201cThere\u2019s more to Egypt than the pyramids\u201d<\/a><\/p>\n<\/div><\/div>\r\n\n\n    <div id=\"wak-acf-block-191070\" class=\"wak-acf-block wak-acf-block-article-image wak-content-layout-default\">\r\n                \r\n        <h3 class=\"wak-title wak-h3\">2. Al Ain, United Arab Emirates<\/h3>\r\n                    \n<picture>\n    <source media=\"(max-width:575px)\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.wanderlustmagazine.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/06\/shutterstock_1227005833-350x250.jpg, https:\/\/www.wanderlustmagazine.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/06\/shutterstock_1227005833-700x470.jpg 2x\">\n    <source media=\"(max-width:991px)\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.wanderlustmagazine.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/06\/shutterstock_1227005833-1280x693.jpg, https:\/\/www.wanderlustmagazine.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/06\/shutterstock_1227005833-2560x1386.jpg 2x\">\n    <source media=\"(min-width:992px)\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.wanderlustmagazine.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/06\/shutterstock_1227005833-1280x693.jpg, https:\/\/www.wanderlustmagazine.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/06\/shutterstock_1227005833-2560x1386.jpg 2x\">\n    <img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/www.wanderlustmagazine.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/06\/shutterstock_1227005833-350x250.jpg\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.wanderlustmagazine.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/06\/shutterstock_1227005833-350x250.jpg, https:\/\/www.wanderlustmagazine.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/06\/shutterstock_1227005833-700x470.jpg 2x\" class=\"attachment-84522\" alt=\"Al Ain Oasis. Photo shoes the pathways with date palm trees above\" width=\"350\" height=\"250\"><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/picture>   \r\n        \r\n        <span class=\"wak-caption wak-image-caption-text\">(Shutterstock)<\/span>    <\/div>\r\n\n\n<div id=\"wak-acf-block-598647\" class=\"wak-acf-block wak-acf-block-copy-content wak-content-layout-default\">\r\n        <div class=\"wak-copy wak-body-standard-text\"><p>The United Arab Emirates may be better known for its modern skyscrapers, but one of the best UNESCO World Heritage Sites can be found in one of the country\u2019s hidden gems: Al Ain.<\/p>\n<p>Part of the emirate of Abu Dhabi, Al Ain has been continuously occupied since the Neolithic period, and is home to a number of sites dating back to 2500 BC. Inscribed in 2011, the listing includes circular stone tombs, residential buildings, palaces and towers. Among the visited is Al Ain Oasis, which is an example of the ancient falaj irrigation systems that are still in use today to bring water down from the Hajar Mountains to water the date palm trees here.<\/p>\n<p><strong>Get there:\u00a0<\/strong>Al Ain is around a 90-minute drive from Abu Dhabi.<\/p>\n<\/div><\/div>\r\n\n\n    <div id=\"wak-acf-block-780790\" class=\"wak-acf-block wak-acf-block-article-image wak-content-layout-default\">\r\n                \r\n        <h3 class=\"wak-title wak-h3\">3. Caral-Supe, Peru<\/h3>\r\n                    \n<picture>\n    <source media=\"(max-width:575px)\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.wanderlustmagazine.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/06\/shutterstock_2369774521-350x250.jpg, https:\/\/www.wanderlustmagazine.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/06\/shutterstock_2369774521-700x470.jpg 2x\">\n    <source media=\"(max-width:991px)\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.wanderlustmagazine.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/06\/shutterstock_2369774521-1280x693.jpg, https:\/\/www.wanderlustmagazine.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/06\/shutterstock_2369774521-2560x1386.jpg 2x\">\n    <source media=\"(min-width:992px)\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.wanderlustmagazine.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/06\/shutterstock_2369774521-1280x693.jpg, https:\/\/www.wanderlustmagazine.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/06\/shutterstock_2369774521-2560x1386.jpg 2x\">\n    <img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/www.wanderlustmagazine.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/06\/shutterstock_2369774521-350x250.jpg\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.wanderlustmagazine.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/06\/shutterstock_2369774521-350x250.jpg, https:\/\/www.wanderlustmagazine.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/06\/shutterstock_2369774521-700x470.jpg 2x\" class=\"attachment-84525\" alt=\"Ruins of Caral-Supe seen in front of the mountainscape\" width=\"350\" height=\"250\"><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/picture>   \r\n        \r\n        <span class=\"wak-caption wak-image-caption-text\">(Shutterstock)<\/span>    <\/div>\r\n\n\n<div id=\"wak-acf-block-406027\" class=\"wak-acf-block wak-acf-block-copy-content wak-content-layout-default\">\r\n        <div class=\"wak-copy wak-body-standard-text\"><div class=\"wak-non-acf-block wak-non-acf-block-core-paragraph\">\n<p>Fellow Peruvian UNESCO site\u00a0<strong><a href=\"https:\/\/www.wanderlustmagazine.com\/inspiration\/the-wanderlust-guide-to-the-best-of-machu-picchu\/\">Machu Picchu<\/a><\/strong>\u00a0might get more of the plaudits and punters, but for historical heft, Caral-Supe wins hands down.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"wak-non-acf-block wak-non-acf-block-core-paragraph\">\n<p>This sacred city, once capital of the Norte Chico peoples, is around 5,000 years old, making it the oldest centre of civilisation in the Americas.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"wak-non-acf-block wak-non-acf-block-core-paragraph\">\n<p>Its ceremonial pyramids were in use 500 years before the Egyptians built those at Giza. Set on an arid desert terrace above the lush Supe Valley, the extensive site incorporates both public and private buildings, including circular sunken plazas, an amphitheatre and six large pyramidal structures; the largest, the Templo Mayor, measures 150m long and 28m high.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"wak-non-acf-block wak-non-acf-block-core-paragraph\">\n<p><strong>Get there:<\/strong>\u00a0Caral-Supe is 200km north of Lima.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div><\/div>\r\n\n\n    <div id=\"wak-acf-block-371480\" class=\"wak-acf-block wak-acf-block-article-image wak-content-layout-default\">\r\n                \r\n        <h3 class=\"wak-title wak-h3\">4. Changdeokgung, South Korea<\/h3>\r\n                    \n<picture>\n    <source media=\"(max-width:575px)\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.wanderlustmagazine.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/06\/shutterstock_2069552021-350x250.jpg, https:\/\/www.wanderlustmagazine.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/06\/shutterstock_2069552021-700x470.jpg 2x\">\n    <source media=\"(max-width:991px)\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.wanderlustmagazine.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/06\/shutterstock_2069552021-1280x693.jpg, https:\/\/www.wanderlustmagazine.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/06\/shutterstock_2069552021-2560x1386.jpg 2x\">\n    <source media=\"(min-width:992px)\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.wanderlustmagazine.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/06\/shutterstock_2069552021-1280x693.jpg, https:\/\/www.wanderlustmagazine.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/06\/shutterstock_2069552021-2560x1386.jpg 2x\">\n    <img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/www.wanderlustmagazine.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/06\/shutterstock_2069552021-350x250.jpg\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.wanderlustmagazine.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/06\/shutterstock_2069552021-350x250.jpg, https:\/\/www.wanderlustmagazine.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/06\/shutterstock_2069552021-700x470.jpg 2x\" class=\"attachment-84528\" alt=\"Changdeokgung palace in autumn, as viewed from a height\" width=\"350\" height=\"250\"><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/picture>   \r\n        \r\n        <span class=\"wak-caption wak-image-caption-text\">(Shutterstock)<\/span>    <\/div>\r\n\n\n<div id=\"wak-acf-block-867552\" class=\"wak-acf-block wak-acf-block-copy-content wak-content-layout-default\">\r\n        <div class=\"wak-copy wak-body-standard-text\"><p>Seoul, South Korea\u2019s capital, famously has five royal palaces, but only one of them is on UNESCO World Heritage Site list: Changdeokgung.<\/p>\n<p>While the buildings of the palace have been destroyed by fire and undergone various reconstructions, the committee decided to inscribe the palace on the list in 1997 because of the level of authenticity in the restoration.<\/p>\n<p>Open from Tuesday to Sunday, be sure to book in for a tour of the Secret Garden when visiting, too.<\/p>\n<p><strong>Get there:\u00a0<\/strong>Seoul is a 12-and-a-half hour flight from the UK<\/p>\n<p>\u00a0<\/p>\n<p><strong>Read next:\u00a0<\/strong><a href=\"https:\/\/www.wanderlustmagazine.com\/inspiration\/trip-planner-choose-your-ideal-adventure-in-south-korea\/\">South Korea trip planner<\/a><\/p>\n<\/div><\/div>\r\n\n\n    <div id=\"wak-acf-block-576887\" class=\"wak-acf-block wak-acf-block-article-image wak-content-layout-default\">\r\n                \r\n        <h3 class=\"wak-title wak-h3\">5. Churches of Chilo\u00e9, Chile<\/h3>\r\n                    \n<picture>\n    <source media=\"(max-width:575px)\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.wanderlustmagazine.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/10\/dreamstime_xl_113636221-350x250.jpg, https:\/\/www.wanderlustmagazine.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/10\/dreamstime_xl_113636221.jpg 2x\">\n    <source media=\"(max-width:991px)\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.wanderlustmagazine.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/10\/dreamstime_xl_113636221.jpg, https:\/\/www.wanderlustmagazine.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/10\/dreamstime_xl_113636221.jpg 2x\">\n    <source media=\"(min-width:992px)\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.wanderlustmagazine.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/10\/dreamstime_xl_113636221.jpg, https:\/\/www.wanderlustmagazine.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/10\/dreamstime_xl_113636221.jpg 2x\">\n    <img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/www.wanderlustmagazine.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/10\/dreamstime_xl_113636221-350x250.jpg\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.wanderlustmagazine.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/10\/dreamstime_xl_113636221-350x250.jpg, https:\/\/www.wanderlustmagazine.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/10\/dreamstime_xl_113636221.jpg 2x\" class=\"attachment-6561\" alt=\"Wooden church at sunset, Chilo\u00e9 Island, Chile\" width=\"350\" height=\"250\"><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/picture>   \r\n        \r\n        <span class=\"wak-caption wak-image-caption-text\">(Dreamstime)<\/span>    <\/div>\r\n\n\n<div id=\"wak-acf-block-678584\" class=\"wak-acf-block wak-acf-block-copy-content wak-content-layout-default\">\r\n        <div class=\"wak-copy wak-body-standard-text\"><div class=\"wak-non-acf-block wak-non-acf-block-core-paragraph\">\n<p>The Chilo\u00e9 Archipelago, south of the Chilean Lake District, was once the preserve of the native Chono and Huilliche peoples; then came the Spanish conquistadores and, from the 17th century, Jesuits and then Franciscans, eager to convert the locals.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"wak-non-acf-block wak-non-acf-block-core-paragraph\">\n<p>To that end, a ring of churches was constructed across the islands; today, 70 mission churches remain, 16 of them recognised by UNESCO for their wooden architecture and neat fusion of European and local traditions.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"wak-non-acf-block wak-non-acf-block-core-paragraph\">\n<p>Plan a church-hop: highlights include the tri-towered sky-blue Tena\u00fan and 53m-long Quinchao.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"wak-non-acf-block wak-non-acf-block-core-paragraph\">\n<p><strong>Get there:<\/strong>\u00a0Chilo\u00e9 Island is around two hours from Puerto Montt airport; buses run via the Chacao Channel ferry.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"wak-non-acf-block wak-non-acf-block-core-paragraph\"><\/div>\n<\/div><\/div>\r\n\n\n    <div id=\"wak-acf-block-607149\" class=\"wak-acf-block wak-acf-block-article-image wak-content-layout-default\">\r\n                \r\n        <h3 class=\"wak-title wak-h3\">6. Hegra, Saudi Arabia<\/h3>\r\n                    \n<picture>\n    <source media=\"(max-width:575px)\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.wanderlustmagazine.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/02\/HR-2HN02Y4-350x250.jpg, https:\/\/www.wanderlustmagazine.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/02\/HR-2HN02Y4-700x470.jpg 2x\">\n    <source media=\"(max-width:991px)\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.wanderlustmagazine.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/02\/HR-2HN02Y4-1280x693.jpg, https:\/\/www.wanderlustmagazine.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/02\/HR-2HN02Y4-2560x1386.jpg 2x\">\n    <source media=\"(min-width:992px)\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.wanderlustmagazine.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/02\/HR-2HN02Y4-1280x693.jpg, https:\/\/www.wanderlustmagazine.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/02\/HR-2HN02Y4-2560x1386.jpg 2x\">\n    <img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/www.wanderlustmagazine.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/02\/HR-2HN02Y4-350x250.jpg\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.wanderlustmagazine.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/02\/HR-2HN02Y4-350x250.jpg, https:\/\/www.wanderlustmagazine.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/02\/HR-2HN02Y4-700x470.jpg 2x\" class=\"attachment-84162\" alt=\"Qasr Al Farid, a Nabatean Tomb in Hegra, Saudi Arabia. Photo shows the tomb, known as the lonely castle, standing apart from the other structures against a blue background\" width=\"350\" height=\"250\"><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/picture>   \r\n        \r\n        <span class=\"wak-caption wak-image-caption-text\">(Shutterstock)<\/span>    <\/div>\r\n\n\n<div class=\"wak-acf-block wak-acf-block-sidebar-content\" data-ad=\"in_content_1\"><div id=\"wak-acf-block-693298\" class=\"wak-acf-block wak-content-layout-default wak-acf-block-advert wak-ad-in_content_1\" data-placement-id=\"63376\" data-advert-visible=\"1\">\n    \n    <div class=\"wak-advert-container\">\n        \n            <div id=\"div-gpt-ad-63376\">\n                <script>\n                    googletag.cmd.push(() => { \n                        googletag.display('div-gpt-ad-63376'); \n                    });\n                <\/script>\n            <\/div>\n                <\/div>\n<\/div><\/div><div id=\"wak-acf-block-853050\" class=\"wak-acf-block wak-acf-block-copy-content wak-content-layout-default\">\r\n        <div class=\"wak-copy wak-body-standard-text\"><p>You may well be familiar with Petra in Jordan, a heritage site from the Nabataean Kingdom dating back to 3rd century, but if you\u2019re looking for an equally-impressive alternative without quite so many crowds, consider Saudi Arabia\u2019s Hegra.<\/p>\n<p>Inscribed on the World Heritage List in 2008 (the first in the Kingdom), there are 111 monumental tombs here, dating from the 1st century BC to the 1st century AD, alongside cave drawings and ancient inscriptions from even before the Nabataean period.<\/p>\n<p><strong>Get there:\u00a0<\/strong>Flights to AlUla from Riyadh take around two hours.<\/p>\n<p>\u00a0<\/p>\n<p><strong>Read next:\u00a0<\/strong><a href=\"https:\/\/www.wanderlustmagazine.com\/inspiration\/petra-versus-hegra-land-of-the-nabataeans\/\">Petra versus Hegra: Discovering the land of the Nabataeans in Jordan and Saudi Arabia<\/a><\/p>\n<\/div><\/div>\r\n\n\n    <div id=\"wak-acf-block-251369\" class=\"wak-acf-block wak-acf-block-article-image wak-content-layout-default\">\r\n                \r\n        <h3 class=\"wak-title wak-h3\">7. Gwynedd castles, Wales<\/h3>\r\n                    \n<picture>\n    <source media=\"(max-width:575px)\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.wanderlustmagazine.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/10\/dreamstime_xl_38725808-350x250.jpg, https:\/\/www.wanderlustmagazine.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/10\/dreamstime_xl_38725808.jpg 2x\">\n    <source media=\"(max-width:991px)\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.wanderlustmagazine.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/10\/dreamstime_xl_38725808.jpg, https:\/\/www.wanderlustmagazine.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/10\/dreamstime_xl_38725808.jpg 2x\">\n    <source media=\"(min-width:992px)\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.wanderlustmagazine.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/10\/dreamstime_xl_38725808.jpg, https:\/\/www.wanderlustmagazine.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/10\/dreamstime_xl_38725808.jpg 2x\">\n    <img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/www.wanderlustmagazine.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/10\/dreamstime_xl_38725808-350x250.jpg\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.wanderlustmagazine.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/10\/dreamstime_xl_38725808-350x250.jpg, https:\/\/www.wanderlustmagazine.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/10\/dreamstime_xl_38725808.jpg 2x\" class=\"attachment-6563\" alt=\"Beaumaris Castle in Anglesey, Wales\" width=\"350\" height=\"250\"><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/picture>   \r\n        \r\n        <span class=\"wak-caption wak-image-caption-text\">(Dreamstime)<\/span>    <\/div>\r\n\n\n<div id=\"wak-acf-block-496317\" class=\"wak-acf-block wak-acf-block-copy-content wak-content-layout-default\">\r\n        <div class=\"wak-copy wak-body-standard-text\"><div class=\"wak-non-acf-block wak-non-acf-block-core-paragraph\">\n<p>After his invasion of North Wales was completed in 1283, Edward I embarked on the era\u2019s most ambitious building project: a network of new castles to secure the territory for the English crown.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"wak-non-acf-block wak-non-acf-block-core-paragraph\">\n<p>Now is as good time as ever to visit the four coastal bastions encompassed in UNESCO\u2019s \u2018Castles and Town Walls of King Edward in Gwynedd\u2019. This includes beautifully symmetrical Beaumaris, rock-top Harlech, the beefily fortified town of Caernarfon and the well-preserved ramparts and turrets of Conwy.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"wak-non-acf-block wak-non-acf-block-core-paragraph\">\n<p><strong>Get there:<\/strong>\u00a0Harlech and Conwy have mainline train stations. You can link all four by walking the Wales Coast Path (a stately 1,400km).<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"wak-non-acf-block wak-non-acf-block-core-paragraph\"><\/div>\n<\/div><\/div>\r\n\n\n    <div id=\"wak-acf-block-689873\" class=\"wak-acf-block wak-acf-block-article-image wak-content-layout-default\">\r\n                \r\n        <h3 class=\"wak-title wak-h3\">8. Kathmandu Valley, Nepal<\/h3>\r\n                    \n<picture>\n    <source media=\"(max-width:575px)\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.wanderlustmagazine.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/10\/dreamstime_xl_107897418-350x250.jpg, https:\/\/www.wanderlustmagazine.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/10\/dreamstime_xl_107897418-700x470.jpg 2x\">\n    <source media=\"(max-width:991px)\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.wanderlustmagazine.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/10\/dreamstime_xl_107897418-1280x693.jpg, https:\/\/www.wanderlustmagazine.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/10\/dreamstime_xl_107897418-2560x1386.jpg 2x\">\n    <source media=\"(min-width:992px)\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.wanderlustmagazine.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/10\/dreamstime_xl_107897418-1280x693.jpg, https:\/\/www.wanderlustmagazine.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/10\/dreamstime_xl_107897418-2560x1386.jpg 2x\">\n    <img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/www.wanderlustmagazine.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/10\/dreamstime_xl_107897418-350x250.jpg\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.wanderlustmagazine.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/10\/dreamstime_xl_107897418-350x250.jpg, https:\/\/www.wanderlustmagazine.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/10\/dreamstime_xl_107897418-700x470.jpg 2x\" class=\"attachment-6549\" alt=\"Close up of Nepal's Boudha Stupa\" width=\"350\" height=\"250\"><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/picture>   \r\n        \r\n        <span class=\"wak-caption wak-image-caption-text\">(Dreamstime)<\/span>    <\/div>\r\n\n\n<div id=\"wak-acf-block-700277\" class=\"wak-acf-block wak-acf-block-copy-content wak-content-layout-default\">\r\n        <div class=\"wak-copy wak-body-standard-text\"><div class=\"wak-non-acf-block wak-non-acf-block-core-paragraph\">\n<p>An earthquake in April 2015 devastated UNESCO\u2019s Kathmandu Valley site, with the Durbar Squares of Patan, Hanuman Dhoka (Kathmandu) and Bhaktapur almost completely destroyed.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"wak-non-acf-block wak-non-acf-block-core-paragraph\">\n<p>But all was not lost. UNESCO proposed a plan to restore the whole site and repairs are still underway \u2013 museums have reopened and the cracks in Boudhanath\u2019s vast stupa have been filled.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"wak-non-acf-block wak-non-acf-block-core-paragraph\">\n<p>The plan to \u2018build back better\u2019 should ensure that when the valley\u2019s tiered temples and Buddhist shrines are finally restored, they\u2019re still worthy of their World Heritage status.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"wak-non-acf-block wak-non-acf-block-core-paragraph\">\n<p><strong>Get there:<\/strong> Kathmandu is about a 12-hour flight from the UK, plus stopover.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div><\/div>\r\n\n\n    <div id=\"wak-acf-block-160645\" class=\"wak-acf-block wak-acf-block-article-image wak-content-layout-default\">\r\n                \r\n        <h3 class=\"wak-title wak-h3\">9. Lalibela, Ethiopia<\/h3>\r\n                    \n<picture>\n    <source media=\"(max-width:575px)\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.wanderlustmagazine.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/10\/alta_wl-18_dreamstime_xxl_47325447-350x250.jpg, https:\/\/www.wanderlustmagazine.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/10\/alta_wl-18_dreamstime_xxl_47325447.jpg 2x\">\n    <source media=\"(max-width:991px)\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.wanderlustmagazine.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/10\/alta_wl-18_dreamstime_xxl_47325447.jpg, https:\/\/www.wanderlustmagazine.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/10\/alta_wl-18_dreamstime_xxl_47325447.jpg 2x\">\n    <source media=\"(min-width:992px)\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.wanderlustmagazine.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/10\/alta_wl-18_dreamstime_xxl_47325447.jpg, https:\/\/www.wanderlustmagazine.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/10\/alta_wl-18_dreamstime_xxl_47325447.jpg 2x\">\n    <img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/www.wanderlustmagazine.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/10\/alta_wl-18_dreamstime_xxl_47325447-350x250.jpg\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.wanderlustmagazine.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/10\/alta_wl-18_dreamstime_xxl_47325447-350x250.jpg, https:\/\/www.wanderlustmagazine.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/10\/alta_wl-18_dreamstime_xxl_47325447.jpg 2x\" class=\"attachment-6551\" alt=\"Unique monolithic rock-hewn Church of St. George, Lalibela\" width=\"350\" height=\"250\"><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/picture>   \r\n        \r\n        <span class=\"wak-caption wak-image-caption-text\">(Dreamstime)<\/span>    <\/div>\r\n\n\n<div id=\"wak-acf-block-643138\" class=\"wak-acf-block wak-acf-block-copy-content wak-content-layout-default\">\r\n        <div class=\"wak-copy wak-body-standard-text\"><div class=\"wak-non-acf-block wak-non-acf-block-core-paragraph\">\n<p>The medieval rock-hewn churches of this \u2018New Jerusalem\u2019 in the highlands of\u00a0<strong><a title=\"Ethiopia\" href=\"https:\/\/www.wanderlustmagazine.com\/destinations\/ethiopia\/\">Ethiopia<\/a><\/strong>\u00a0were among the first 12 sites designated by UNESCO in 1978 \u2013 a nod to their splendour.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"wak-non-acf-block wak-non-acf-block-core-paragraph\">\n<p>With the help of angels (allegedly), these sunken chapels were chiselled from monolithic blocks, with windows, floors, doors and decoration subsequently carved in.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"wak-non-acf-block wak-non-acf-block-core-paragraph\">\n<p>Colonnaded Bet Medhane Alem, the biggest, is more than 11.5m high; some are only accessible via tunnels or ropes. Despite its age, Lalibela remains a place of devotion, alive with pilgrims, swirling incense and hypnotic chants. It\u2019s like stepping back 900 years.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"wak-non-acf-block wak-non-acf-block-core-paragraph\">\n<p><strong>Get there:<\/strong> Lalibela is a 90-minute flight from Addis Ababa.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div><\/div>\r\n\n\n    <div id=\"wak-acf-block-652423\" class=\"wak-acf-block wak-acf-block-article-image wak-content-layout-default\">\r\n                \r\n        <h3 class=\"wak-title wak-h3\">10. Mesa Verde National Park, USA<\/h3>\r\n                    \n<picture>\n    <source media=\"(max-width:575px)\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.wanderlustmagazine.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/10\/dreamstime_xl_119916199-350x250.jpg, https:\/\/www.wanderlustmagazine.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/10\/dreamstime_xl_119916199.jpg 2x\">\n    <source media=\"(max-width:991px)\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.wanderlustmagazine.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/10\/dreamstime_xl_119916199.jpg, https:\/\/www.wanderlustmagazine.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/10\/dreamstime_xl_119916199.jpg 2x\">\n    <source media=\"(min-width:992px)\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.wanderlustmagazine.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/10\/dreamstime_xl_119916199.jpg, https:\/\/www.wanderlustmagazine.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/10\/dreamstime_xl_119916199.jpg 2x\">\n    <img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/www.wanderlustmagazine.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/10\/dreamstime_xl_119916199-350x250.jpg\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.wanderlustmagazine.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/10\/dreamstime_xl_119916199-350x250.jpg, https:\/\/www.wanderlustmagazine.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/10\/dreamstime_xl_119916199.jpg 2x\" class=\"attachment-6557\" alt=\"Spruce Tree House within Mesa Verde National Park\" width=\"350\" height=\"250\"><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/picture>   \r\n        \r\n        <span class=\"wak-caption wak-image-caption-text\">(Dreamstime)<\/span>    <\/div>\r\n\n\n<div id=\"wak-acf-block-845957\" class=\"wak-acf-block wak-acf-block-copy-content wak-content-layout-default\">\r\n        <div class=\"wak-copy wak-body-standard-text\"><div class=\"wak-non-acf-block wak-non-acf-block-core-paragraph\">\n<p>UNESCO designated its first batch of World Heritage sites in 1978, and this cluster of Ancestral Puebloan ruins in south-west\u00a0<strong><a title=\"colorado rockies guide\" href=\"https:\/\/www.wanderlustmagazine.com\/inspiration\/colorado-rockies-guide\/\">Colorado<\/a><\/strong>\u00a0was one of that original dozen.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"wak-non-acf-block wak-non-acf-block-core-paragraph\">\n<p>The only US national park focused solely on archaeology, Mesa Verde comprises a massive concentration of Native American dwellings built from the sixth to the 12th centuries on a verdant plateau, 2,600m above sea level.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"wak-non-acf-block wak-non-acf-block-core-paragraph\">\n<p>Within the park, 4,400 sites have been recorded, ranging from simple pits and hollows to elaborate multi-storey cliff mansions with more than 100 rooms.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"wak-non-acf-block wak-non-acf-block-core-paragraph\">\n<p><strong>Get there:<\/strong>\u00a0Mesa Verde is located off Route 160, 14km east of Cortez; it lies around 600km south-west of Denver.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"wak-acf-block wak-acf-block-sidebar-content\" data-ad=\"in_content_2\">\n<div id=\"wak-acf-block-449652\" class=\"wak-acf-block wak-content-layout-default wak-acf-block-advert wak-ad-in_content_2\" data-placement-id=\"63377\" data-advert-visible=\"1\">\n<div class=\"wak-advert-container\">\n<div id=\"div-gpt-ad-63377\" data-google-query-id=\"CKL5g7L1wIsDFVFepAQd6D8dNw\">\n<div id=\"google_ads_iframe_\/12852463\/MultiSize_Slot_One_3__container__\"><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"wak-non-acf-block wak-non-acf-block-core-paragraph\"><\/div>\n<\/div><\/div>\r\n\n\n    <div id=\"wak-acf-block-166679\" class=\"wak-acf-block wak-acf-block-article-image wak-content-layout-default\">\r\n                \r\n        <h3 class=\"wak-title wak-h3\">11. Old Havana, Cuba<\/h3>\r\n                    \n<picture>\n    <source media=\"(max-width:575px)\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.wanderlustmagazine.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/06\/shutterstock_2429935065-350x250.jpg, https:\/\/www.wanderlustmagazine.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/06\/shutterstock_2429935065-700x470.jpg 2x\">\n    <source media=\"(max-width:991px)\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.wanderlustmagazine.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/06\/shutterstock_2429935065-1280x693.jpg, https:\/\/www.wanderlustmagazine.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/06\/shutterstock_2429935065-2560x1386.jpg 2x\">\n    <source media=\"(min-width:992px)\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.wanderlustmagazine.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/06\/shutterstock_2429935065-1280x693.jpg, https:\/\/www.wanderlustmagazine.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/06\/shutterstock_2429935065-2560x1386.jpg 2x\">\n    <img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/www.wanderlustmagazine.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/06\/shutterstock_2429935065-350x250.jpg\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.wanderlustmagazine.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/06\/shutterstock_2429935065-350x250.jpg, https:\/\/www.wanderlustmagazine.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/06\/shutterstock_2429935065-700x470.jpg 2x\" class=\"attachment-84532\" alt=\"Historic buildings on Teniente Rey Street with Cuba Capitol building at the back in Old Havana\" width=\"350\" height=\"250\"><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/picture>   \r\n        \r\n        <span class=\"wak-caption wak-image-caption-text\">(Shutterstock)<\/span>    <\/div>\r\n\n\n<div id=\"wak-acf-block-202044\" class=\"wak-acf-block wak-acf-block-copy-content wak-content-layout-default\">\r\n        <div class=\"wak-copy wak-body-standard-text\"><div class=\"wak-non-acf-block wak-non-acf-block-core-paragraph\">\n<p>Havana was founded in 1519 by the Spanish, and so celebrated its 500th a couple of years ago. However, years don\u2019t pass in a regular way in this time-warp city, beloved for its dishevelled mansions, leafy plazas, salsa-swaying streets, vintage cars and general state of appealing disrepair.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"wak-non-acf-block wak-non-acf-block-core-paragraph\">\n<p>Listed by UNESCO in 1982, Habana Vieja (Old Havana) is undergoing a long restoration to ensure it remains the most impressive historic city centre in the Caribbean.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"wak-non-acf-block wak-non-acf-block-core-paragraph\">\n<p>Explore on foot, weaving between the five large plazas, the cathedral and out to the fortifications that protected this once-key port, including one of the largest colonial fortresses in the Americas.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"wak-non-acf-block wak-non-acf-block-core-paragraph\">\n<p><strong>Get there:\u00a0<\/strong>Havana is around a ten-hour flight from the UK.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"wak-non-acf-block wak-non-acf-block-core-paragraph\"><\/div>\n<\/div><\/div>\r\n\n\n    <div id=\"wak-acf-block-988594\" class=\"wak-acf-block wak-acf-block-article-image wak-content-layout-default\">\r\n                \r\n        <h3 class=\"wak-title wak-h3\">12. Rajasthan Hill Forts, India<\/h3>\r\n                    \n<picture>\n    <source media=\"(max-width:575px)\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.wanderlustmagazine.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/10\/dreamstime_xl_113234007-350x250.jpg, https:\/\/www.wanderlustmagazine.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/10\/dreamstime_xl_113234007.jpg 2x\">\n    <source media=\"(max-width:991px)\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.wanderlustmagazine.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/10\/dreamstime_xl_113234007.jpg, https:\/\/www.wanderlustmagazine.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/10\/dreamstime_xl_113234007.jpg 2x\">\n    <source media=\"(min-width:992px)\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.wanderlustmagazine.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/10\/dreamstime_xl_113234007.jpg, https:\/\/www.wanderlustmagazine.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/10\/dreamstime_xl_113234007.jpg 2x\">\n    <img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/www.wanderlustmagazine.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/10\/dreamstime_xl_113234007-350x250.jpg\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.wanderlustmagazine.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/10\/dreamstime_xl_113234007-350x250.jpg, https:\/\/www.wanderlustmagazine.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/10\/dreamstime_xl_113234007.jpg 2x\" class=\"attachment-6555\" alt=\"Amer and Jaigarh Forts and Kesar Kyari Garden, Maotha Lake, Rajasthan\" width=\"350\" height=\"250\"><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/picture>   \r\n        \r\n        <span class=\"wak-caption wak-image-caption-text\">(Dreamstime)<\/span>    <\/div>\r\n\n\n<div id=\"wak-acf-block-943348\" class=\"wak-acf-block wak-acf-block-copy-content wak-content-layout-default\">\r\n        <div class=\"wak-copy wak-body-standard-text\"><div class=\"wak-non-acf-block wak-non-acf-block-core-paragraph\">\n<p>The Rajput princes knew how to live. These rulers, who flourished in northern India from the eighth to the 18th centuries, built some truly magnificent fortresses, a handful of which were jointly recognised by UNESCO back in 2013.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"wak-non-acf-block wak-non-acf-block-core-paragraph\">\n<p>They are a varied sextet: Jaipur\u2019s Amer Fort (pictured), desert-flung Jaisalmer Fort and Sawai Madhopur, which sits within tiger-prowled Ranthambhore National Park, are well-known on the tourist circuit. Lesser-visited are the riverside Gagron Fort, in the Jhalawar district, and Kumbhalgarh, near Udaipur, which has walls measuring 38km long.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"wak-non-acf-block wak-non-acf-block-core-paragraph\">\n<p>Top pick, though, has to be the majestic Mewar fortress of Chittorgarh, an enormous clifftop cluster of gates, palaces, towers and temples comprising the country\u2019s biggest walled complex.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"wak-non-acf-block wak-non-acf-block-core-paragraph\">\n<p><strong>Get there:\u00a0<\/strong>Railways connect Jaipur, Udaipur and Chittorgarh.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div><\/div>\r\n\n\n    <div id=\"wak-acf-block-297494\" class=\"wak-acf-block wak-acf-block-article-image wak-content-layout-default\">\r\n                \r\n        <h3 class=\"wak-title wak-h3\">13. Ravenna, Italy<\/h3>\r\n                    \n<picture>\n    <source media=\"(max-width:575px)\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.wanderlustmagazine.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/11\/alta_wl-18_dreamstime_xxl_28205149-350x250.jpg, https:\/\/www.wanderlustmagazine.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/11\/alta_wl-18_dreamstime_xxl_28205149-700x470.jpg 2x\">\n    <source media=\"(max-width:991px)\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.wanderlustmagazine.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/11\/alta_wl-18_dreamstime_xxl_28205149-1280x693.jpg, https:\/\/www.wanderlustmagazine.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/11\/alta_wl-18_dreamstime_xxl_28205149.jpg 2x\">\n    <source media=\"(min-width:992px)\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.wanderlustmagazine.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/11\/alta_wl-18_dreamstime_xxl_28205149-1280x693.jpg, https:\/\/www.wanderlustmagazine.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/11\/alta_wl-18_dreamstime_xxl_28205149.jpg 2x\">\n    <img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/www.wanderlustmagazine.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/11\/alta_wl-18_dreamstime_xxl_28205149-350x250.jpg\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.wanderlustmagazine.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/11\/alta_wl-18_dreamstime_xxl_28205149-350x250.jpg, https:\/\/www.wanderlustmagazine.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/11\/alta_wl-18_dreamstime_xxl_28205149-700x470.jpg 2x\" class=\"attachment-59115\" alt=\"Ceiling mosaic of the Galla Placidia, Ravenna\" width=\"350\" height=\"250\"><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/picture>   \r\n        \r\n        <span class=\"wak-caption wak-image-caption-text\">(Dreamstime)<\/span>    <\/div>\r\n\n\n<div id=\"wak-acf-block-542923\" class=\"wak-acf-block wak-acf-block-copy-content wak-content-layout-default\">\r\n        <div class=\"wak-copy wak-body-standard-text\"><div class=\"wak-non-acf-block wak-non-acf-block-core-paragraph\">\n<p>Italy has more UNESCO sites than any other country, and the Emilia Romagna city of Ravenna, one-time capital of the Western Roman Empire, has eight of them, known as the \u2018Early Christian Monuments of Ravenna\u2019.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"wak-non-acf-block wak-non-acf-block-core-paragraph\">\n<p>All date from the fifth and sixth centuries, and chief among them is the Mausoleum of Galla Placidia, built for the sister of Emperor Honorius who made Ravenna the capital in 402 AD.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"wak-non-acf-block wak-non-acf-block-core-paragraph\">\n<p>Austere outside, its interior is a kaleidoscope of rich, elegant mosaics, including a cupola sparkling with stars. Combine the sites with dips in the Adriatic and indulging in the fine regional cuisine and a glass of Sangiovese wine.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"wak-non-acf-block wak-non-acf-block-core-paragraph\">\n<p><strong>Get there:<\/strong> Ravenna is 70km from Bologna; trains and buses connect the two.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div><\/div>\r\n\n\n    <div id=\"wak-acf-block-113475\" class=\"wak-acf-block wak-acf-block-article-image wak-content-layout-default\">\r\n                \r\n        <h3 class=\"wak-title wak-h3\">14. Robben Island, South Africa<\/h3>\r\n                    \n<picture>\n    <source media=\"(max-width:575px)\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.wanderlustmagazine.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/10\/alta_wl-18_dreamstime_xxl_67248000-350x250.jpg, https:\/\/www.wanderlustmagazine.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/10\/alta_wl-18_dreamstime_xxl_67248000.jpg 2x\">\n    <source media=\"(max-width:991px)\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.wanderlustmagazine.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/10\/alta_wl-18_dreamstime_xxl_67248000.jpg, https:\/\/www.wanderlustmagazine.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/10\/alta_wl-18_dreamstime_xxl_67248000.jpg 2x\">\n    <source media=\"(min-width:992px)\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.wanderlustmagazine.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/10\/alta_wl-18_dreamstime_xxl_67248000.jpg, https:\/\/www.wanderlustmagazine.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/10\/alta_wl-18_dreamstime_xxl_67248000.jpg 2x\">\n    <img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/www.wanderlustmagazine.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/10\/alta_wl-18_dreamstime_xxl_67248000-350x250.jpg\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.wanderlustmagazine.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/10\/alta_wl-18_dreamstime_xxl_67248000-350x250.jpg, https:\/\/www.wanderlustmagazine.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/10\/alta_wl-18_dreamstime_xxl_67248000.jpg 2x\" class=\"attachment-6553\" alt=\"African penguins on Robben Island, Cape Town\" width=\"350\" height=\"250\"><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/picture>   \r\n        \r\n        <span class=\"wak-caption wak-image-caption-text\">(Dreamstime)<\/span>    <\/div>\r\n\n\n<div class=\"wak-acf-block wak-acf-block-sidebar-content\" data-ad=\"in_content_3\"><div id=\"wak-acf-block-745618\" class=\"wak-acf-block wak-content-layout-default wak-acf-block-advert wak-ad-in_content_3\" data-placement-id=\"63378\" data-advert-visible=\"1\">\n    \n    <div class=\"wak-advert-container\">\n        \n            <div id=\"div-gpt-ad-63378\">\n                <script>\n                    googletag.cmd.push(() => { \n                        googletag.display('div-gpt-ad-63378'); \n                    });\n                <\/script>\n            <\/div>\n                <\/div>\n<\/div><\/div><div id=\"wak-acf-block-456350\" class=\"wak-acf-block wak-acf-block-copy-content wak-content-layout-default\">\r\n        <div class=\"wak-copy wak-body-standard-text\"><div class=\"wak-non-acf-block wak-non-acf-block-core-paragraph\">\n<p>Nelson Rolihlahla Mandela was born in the Eastern Cape village of Mvezo on 18 July 1918 but spent 18 years, from 1964 to 1982, incarcerated on this small outcrop just off Cape Town.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"wak-non-acf-block wak-non-acf-block-core-paragraph\">\n<p>Robben Island is now a living museum, where a former prisoner-turned-guide will take you on a tour. Visit the old leper graveyard, the African\u00a0<strong><a title=\"best places to see penguins\" href=\"https:\/\/www.wanderlustmagazine.com\/inspiration\/best-places-to-see-penguins\/\">penguin<\/a><\/strong> colony, the lime quarry where Mandela and the other inmates were forced to toil, and the Maximum Security Prison, where you can walk the corridors, ascend the watchtowers and finish your explorations at Mandela\u2019s two-metre by three-metre cell.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"wak-non-acf-block wak-non-acf-block-core-paragraph\">\n<p><strong>Get there:\u00a0<\/strong>Robben Island is roughly a 30-to-60-minute ferry ride from Cape Town\u2019s Victoria &amp; Alfred Waterfront.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"wak-non-acf-block wak-non-acf-block-core-paragraph\"><\/div>\n<\/div><\/div>\r\n\n\n    <div id=\"wak-acf-block-706217\" class=\"wak-acf-block wak-acf-block-article-image wak-content-layout-default\">\r\n                \r\n        <h3 class=\"wak-title wak-h3\">15. Sambor Prei Kuk, Cambodia<\/h3>\r\n                    \n<picture>\n    <source media=\"(max-width:575px)\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.wanderlustmagazine.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/10\/alta_wl-18_dreamstime_xxl_45616246-350x250.jpg, https:\/\/www.wanderlustmagazine.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/10\/alta_wl-18_dreamstime_xxl_45616246.jpg 2x\">\n    <source media=\"(max-width:991px)\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.wanderlustmagazine.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/10\/alta_wl-18_dreamstime_xxl_45616246.jpg, https:\/\/www.wanderlustmagazine.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/10\/alta_wl-18_dreamstime_xxl_45616246.jpg 2x\">\n    <source media=\"(min-width:992px)\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.wanderlustmagazine.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/10\/alta_wl-18_dreamstime_xxl_45616246.jpg, https:\/\/www.wanderlustmagazine.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/10\/alta_wl-18_dreamstime_xxl_45616246.jpg 2x\">\n    <img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/www.wanderlustmagazine.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/10\/alta_wl-18_dreamstime_xxl_45616246-350x250.jpg\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.wanderlustmagazine.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/10\/alta_wl-18_dreamstime_xxl_45616246-350x250.jpg, https:\/\/www.wanderlustmagazine.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/10\/alta_wl-18_dreamstime_xxl_45616246.jpg 2x\" class=\"attachment-6552\" alt=\"Pre-Angkorian temple complex ruins, Sambor Prei Kuk, Kampong Thom\" width=\"350\" height=\"250\"><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/picture>   \r\n        \r\n        <span class=\"wak-caption wak-image-caption-text\">(Dreamstime)<\/span>    <\/div>\r\n\n\n<div id=\"wak-acf-block-582831\" class=\"wak-acf-block wak-acf-block-copy-content wak-content-layout-default\">\r\n        <div class=\"wak-copy wak-body-standard-text\"><div class=\"wak-non-acf-block wak-non-acf-block-core-paragraph\">\n<p>Inscribed onto the UNESCO list in 2017, the impressive, forest-cloaked complex of Sambor Prei Kuk comprises over 100 temples yet sees precious few visitors.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"wak-non-acf-block wak-non-acf-block-core-paragraph\">\n<p>Predating Angkor, this archaeological site on the eastern bank of Tonle Sap lake was once capital of the Chenla Empire, which thrived in the late sixth and early seventh centuries, and helped inspire the Khmer-style architecture seen at Cambodia\u2019s more famous UNESCO site.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"wak-non-acf-block wak-non-acf-block-core-paragraph\">\n<p>Hire a guide, both for greater insight and protection again unexploded ordnance, and explore a quiet mix of still-standing temples, sandstone carvings and crumbling ruins that are slowly being swallowed by the jungle.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"wak-non-acf-block wak-non-acf-block-core-paragraph\">\n<p><strong>Get there:\u00a0<\/strong>Sambor Prei Kuk is 30km north of Kampong Thom and 175km east of Angkor.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"wak-non-acf-block wak-non-acf-block-core-paragraph\"><\/div>\n<\/div><\/div>\r\n\n\n    <div id=\"wak-acf-block-224248\" class=\"wak-acf-block wak-acf-block-article-image wak-content-layout-default\">\r\n                \r\n        <h3 class=\"wak-title wak-h3\">16. Skellig Michael, Republic of Ireland<\/h3>\r\n                    \n<picture>\n    <source media=\"(max-width:575px)\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.wanderlustmagazine.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/10\/alta_wl-18_dreamstime_xxl_65430431-350x250.jpg, https:\/\/www.wanderlustmagazine.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/10\/alta_wl-18_dreamstime_xxl_65430431.jpg 2x\">\n    <source media=\"(max-width:991px)\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.wanderlustmagazine.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/10\/alta_wl-18_dreamstime_xxl_65430431.jpg, https:\/\/www.wanderlustmagazine.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/10\/alta_wl-18_dreamstime_xxl_65430431.jpg 2x\">\n    <source media=\"(min-width:992px)\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.wanderlustmagazine.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/10\/alta_wl-18_dreamstime_xxl_65430431.jpg, https:\/\/www.wanderlustmagazine.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/10\/alta_wl-18_dreamstime_xxl_65430431.jpg 2x\">\n    <img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/www.wanderlustmagazine.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/10\/alta_wl-18_dreamstime_xxl_65430431-350x250.jpg\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.wanderlustmagazine.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/10\/alta_wl-18_dreamstime_xxl_65430431-350x250.jpg, https:\/\/www.wanderlustmagazine.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/10\/alta_wl-18_dreamstime_xxl_65430431.jpg 2x\" class=\"attachment-6556\" alt=\"St Fionan\u2019s monastery atop Skellig Michael\" width=\"350\" height=\"250\"><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/picture>   \r\n        \r\n        <span class=\"wak-caption wak-image-caption-text\">(Dreamstime)<\/span>    <\/div>\r\n\n\n<div id=\"wak-acf-block-610393\" class=\"wak-acf-block wak-acf-block-copy-content wak-content-layout-default\">\r\n        <div class=\"wak-copy wak-body-standard-text\"><div class=\"wak-non-acf-block wak-non-acf-block-core-paragraph\">\n<p>Clinging onto a scatter of pyramidal rocks off the Irish coast, this Gaelic Christian monastic settlement is thought to have been founded in the sixth century.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"wak-non-acf-block wak-non-acf-block-core-paragraph\">\n<p>Monks lived precipitously, moving between the hermitage, beehive-shaped huts and the man-made terraces via steep stone steps.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"wak-non-acf-block wak-non-acf-block-core-paragraph\">\n<p>These remote islands was abandoned in the late 12th century, but soon became a pilgrimage site, first for Catholics, then for movie-lovers when it played the home of Luke Skywalker in the recent\u00a0<em>Star Wars<\/em>\u00a0films.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"wak-non-acf-block wak-non-acf-block-core-paragraph\">\n<p><strong>Get there:<\/strong>\u00a0Skellig Michael is 12km off Portmagee, south-west Kerry; boat trips run to the islands.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"wak-non-acf-block wak-non-acf-block-core-paragraph\"><\/div>\n<\/div><\/div>\r\n\n\n    <div id=\"wak-acf-block-360657\" class=\"wak-acf-block wak-acf-block-article-image wak-content-layout-default\">\r\n                \r\n        <h3 class=\"wak-title wak-h3\">17. Sukhothai, Thailand<\/h3>\r\n                    \n<picture>\n    <source media=\"(max-width:575px)\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.wanderlustmagazine.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/02\/shutterstock_2395272329-350x250.jpg, https:\/\/www.wanderlustmagazine.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/02\/shutterstock_2395272329-700x470.jpg 2x\">\n    <source media=\"(max-width:991px)\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.wanderlustmagazine.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/02\/shutterstock_2395272329-1280x693.jpg, https:\/\/www.wanderlustmagazine.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/02\/shutterstock_2395272329-2560x1386.jpg 2x\">\n    <source media=\"(min-width:992px)\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.wanderlustmagazine.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/02\/shutterstock_2395272329-1280x693.jpg, https:\/\/www.wanderlustmagazine.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/02\/shutterstock_2395272329-2560x1386.jpg 2x\">\n    <img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/www.wanderlustmagazine.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/02\/shutterstock_2395272329-350x250.jpg\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.wanderlustmagazine.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/02\/shutterstock_2395272329-350x250.jpg, https:\/\/www.wanderlustmagazine.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/02\/shutterstock_2395272329-700x470.jpg 2x\" class=\"attachment-84648\" alt=\"Aerial view of Sukhothai Historical Park\" width=\"350\" height=\"250\"><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/picture>   \r\n        \r\n        <span class=\"wak-caption wak-image-caption-text\">(Shutterstock)<\/span>    <\/div>\r\n\n\n<div id=\"wak-acf-block-495547\" class=\"wak-acf-block wak-acf-block-copy-content wak-content-layout-default\">\r\n        <div class=\"wak-copy wak-body-standard-text\"><p>Much of Thai culture can be traced back to the Kingdom of Sukhothai in the 13th and 14th centuries, and those with a interest in this history can uncover it for themselves at Sukhothai.<\/p>\n<p>The UNESCO World Heritage Site includes Sukhothai, Si Satchanalai and Kamphaeng Phet, and visitors can explore the various temples on the site and the architectural styles that influenced modern Thailand.<\/p>\n<p>While this isn\u2019t on the itinerary for many tourists, it definitely should be.<\/p>\n<p><strong>Get there:\u00a0<\/strong>Buses from Bangkok take around seven hours, but you can also take an hour-long flight.<\/p>\n<\/div><\/div>\r\n\n\n    <div id=\"wak-acf-block-519722\" class=\"wak-acf-block wak-acf-block-article-image wak-content-layout-default\">\r\n                \r\n        <h3 class=\"wak-title wak-h3\">18. Tikal National Park, Guatemala<\/h3>\r\n                    \n<picture>\n    <source media=\"(max-width:575px)\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.wanderlustmagazine.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/11\/dreamstime_xl_89541530-350x250.jpg, https:\/\/www.wanderlustmagazine.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/11\/dreamstime_xl_89541530-700x470.jpg 2x\">\n    <source media=\"(max-width:991px)\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.wanderlustmagazine.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/11\/dreamstime_xl_89541530-1280x693.jpg, https:\/\/www.wanderlustmagazine.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/11\/dreamstime_xl_89541530.jpg 2x\">\n    <source media=\"(min-width:992px)\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.wanderlustmagazine.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/11\/dreamstime_xl_89541530-1280x693.jpg, https:\/\/www.wanderlustmagazine.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/11\/dreamstime_xl_89541530.jpg 2x\">\n    <img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/www.wanderlustmagazine.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/11\/dreamstime_xl_89541530-350x250.jpg\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.wanderlustmagazine.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/11\/dreamstime_xl_89541530-350x250.jpg, https:\/\/www.wanderlustmagazine.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/11\/dreamstime_xl_89541530-700x470.jpg 2x\" class=\"attachment-59128\" alt=\"Ruins of the Maya Temple of the Jaguar\" width=\"350\" height=\"250\"><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/picture>   \r\n        \r\n        <span class=\"wak-caption wak-image-caption-text\">(Dreamstime)<\/span>    <\/div>\r\n\n\n<div id=\"wak-acf-block-882489\" class=\"wak-acf-block wak-acf-block-copy-content wak-content-layout-default\">\r\n        <div class=\"wak-copy wak-body-standard-text\"><div class=\"wak-non-acf-block wak-non-acf-block-core-paragraph\">\n<p>The Maya ruins at Tikal \u2013 and across the Pet\u00e9n region \u2013 are vast.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"wak-non-acf-block wak-non-acf-block-core-paragraph\">\n<p>What\u2019s more, research using LiDAR laser technology, which digitally removes the forest from aerial images, indicates the ruins are far more complex than first thought, revealing previously unknown structures and links between sites that were inhabited for 1,400 years from the 6th century BC.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"wak-non-acf-block wak-non-acf-block-core-paragraph\">\n<p>This all adds to the \u2018what else could be here?\u2019 frisson as you roam a Maya metropolis of temples, squares and palaces.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"wak-non-acf-block wak-non-acf-block-core-paragraph\">\n<p><strong>Get there:<\/strong>\u00a0Tikal is around 75 minutes\u2019 drive from the town of Flores.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"wak-non-acf-block wak-non-acf-block-core-paragraph\"><\/div>\n<\/div><\/div>\r\n\n\n    <div id=\"wak-acf-block-533738\" class=\"wak-acf-block wak-acf-block-article-image wak-content-layout-default\">\r\n                \r\n        <h3 class=\"wak-title wak-h3\">19. Troy, Turkey<\/h3>\r\n                    \n<picture>\n    <source media=\"(max-width:575px)\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.wanderlustmagazine.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/06\/shutterstock_1590079786-350x250.jpg, https:\/\/www.wanderlustmagazine.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/06\/shutterstock_1590079786-700x470.jpg 2x\">\n    <source media=\"(max-width:991px)\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.wanderlustmagazine.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/06\/shutterstock_1590079786-1280x693.jpg, https:\/\/www.wanderlustmagazine.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/06\/shutterstock_1590079786-2560x1386.jpg 2x\">\n    <source media=\"(min-width:992px)\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.wanderlustmagazine.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/06\/shutterstock_1590079786-1280x693.jpg, https:\/\/www.wanderlustmagazine.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/06\/shutterstock_1590079786-2560x1386.jpg 2x\">\n    <img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/www.wanderlustmagazine.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/06\/shutterstock_1590079786-350x250.jpg\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.wanderlustmagazine.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/06\/shutterstock_1590079786-350x250.jpg, https:\/\/www.wanderlustmagazine.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/06\/shutterstock_1590079786-700x470.jpg 2x\" class=\"attachment-84533\" alt=\"Ruins of the Ancient City of Troy\" width=\"350\" height=\"250\"><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/picture>   \r\n        \r\n        <span class=\"wak-caption wak-image-caption-text\">(Shutterstock)<\/span>    <\/div>\r\n\n\n<div id=\"wak-acf-block-286810\" class=\"wak-acf-block wak-acf-block-copy-content wak-content-layout-default\">\r\n        <div class=\"wak-copy wak-body-standard-text\"><div class=\"wak-non-acf-block wak-non-acf-block-core-paragraph\">\n<p>The ancient Anatolian city of Troy is easily one of the world\u2019s most famous archaeological treasures, founded in the third millennium BC by the Hittites and made a household name by Homer\u2019s<em>\u00a0Iliad<\/em>.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"wak-non-acf-block wak-non-acf-block-core-paragraph\">\n<p>The ruins, rediscovered in the 1870s, are extensive, and span millennia of occupation. You can see the early defensive walls and later Greek and Roman temples; also, the surrounding plains are littered with human history, from prehistoric settlements and Ottoman bridges to monuments to the First World War Battle of Gallipoli.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"wak-non-acf-block wak-non-acf-block-core-paragraph\">\n<p><strong>Get there:<\/strong>\u00a0Troy is a 45-minute minibus ride from the city of \u00c7anakkale, which has an airport.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"wak-non-acf-block wak-non-acf-block-core-paragraph\"><\/div>\n<\/div><\/div>\r\n\n\n    <div id=\"wak-acf-block-966002\" class=\"wak-acf-block wak-acf-block-article-image wak-content-layout-default\">\r\n                \r\n        <h3 class=\"wak-title wak-h3\">20. Tsodilo Hills, Botswana<\/h3>\r\n                    \n<picture>\n    <source media=\"(max-width:575px)\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.wanderlustmagazine.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/06\/shutterstock_1040429272-350x250.jpg, https:\/\/www.wanderlustmagazine.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/06\/shutterstock_1040429272-700x470.jpg 2x\">\n    <source media=\"(max-width:991px)\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.wanderlustmagazine.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/06\/shutterstock_1040429272-1280x693.jpg, https:\/\/www.wanderlustmagazine.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/06\/shutterstock_1040429272-2560x1386.jpg 2x\">\n    <source media=\"(min-width:992px)\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.wanderlustmagazine.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/06\/shutterstock_1040429272-1280x693.jpg, https:\/\/www.wanderlustmagazine.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/06\/shutterstock_1040429272-2560x1386.jpg 2x\">\n    <img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/www.wanderlustmagazine.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/06\/shutterstock_1040429272-350x250.jpg\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.wanderlustmagazine.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/06\/shutterstock_1040429272-350x250.jpg, https:\/\/www.wanderlustmagazine.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/06\/shutterstock_1040429272-700x470.jpg 2x\" class=\"attachment-84534\" alt=\"Paintings on a rock at the end of a wooden staircase in Botswana\" width=\"350\" height=\"250\"><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/picture>   \r\n        \r\n        <span class=\"wak-caption wak-image-caption-text\">(Shutterstock)<\/span>    <\/div>\r\n\n\n<div id=\"wak-acf-block-796551\" class=\"wak-acf-block wak-acf-block-copy-content wak-content-layout-default\">\r\n        <div class=\"wak-copy wak-body-standard-text\"><div class=\"wak-non-acf-block wak-non-acf-block-core-paragraph\">\n<p>Safari buffs descend on Botswana for its wonderful wildlife. But less lauded is the country\u2019s wealth of rock art.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"wak-non-acf-block wak-non-acf-block-core-paragraph\">\n<p>The Tsodilo Hills have been dubbed the \u2018Louvre of the Desert\u2019 \u2013 over 4,500 paintings are clustered in a small patch of quartzite rocks in the Kalahari, in the country\u2019s north-west.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"wak-non-acf-block wak-non-acf-block-core-paragraph\">\n<p>San people view this as the site of first Creation, a place frequented by ancestral spirits, and have daubed the rocks with various figures, animals, shapes and geometric patterns. While some were painted as recently as the 19th century, others are thought to date back more than 20,000 years.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"wak-non-acf-block wak-non-acf-block-core-paragraph\">\n<p><strong>Get there:<\/strong>\u00a0Tsodilo is a four-hour 4WD trip from the village of Shakawe, about 370km from Maun.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div><\/div>\r\n\n\n    <div id=\"wak-acf-block-600809\" class=\"wak-acf-block wak-acf-block-article-image wak-content-layout-default\">\r\n                \r\n        <h3 class=\"wak-title wak-h3\">21. Valletta, Malta<\/h3>\r\n                    \n<picture>\n    <source media=\"(max-width:575px)\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.wanderlustmagazine.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/10\/alta_wl-18_dreamstime_xxl_105053450-350x250.jpg, https:\/\/www.wanderlustmagazine.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/10\/alta_wl-18_dreamstime_xxl_105053450.jpg 2x\">\n    <source media=\"(max-width:991px)\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.wanderlustmagazine.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/10\/alta_wl-18_dreamstime_xxl_105053450.jpg, https:\/\/www.wanderlustmagazine.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/10\/alta_wl-18_dreamstime_xxl_105053450.jpg 2x\">\n    <source media=\"(min-width:992px)\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.wanderlustmagazine.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/10\/alta_wl-18_dreamstime_xxl_105053450.jpg, https:\/\/www.wanderlustmagazine.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/10\/alta_wl-18_dreamstime_xxl_105053450.jpg 2x\">\n    <img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/www.wanderlustmagazine.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/10\/alta_wl-18_dreamstime_xxl_105053450-350x250.jpg\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.wanderlustmagazine.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/10\/alta_wl-18_dreamstime_xxl_105053450-350x250.jpg, https:\/\/www.wanderlustmagazine.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/10\/alta_wl-18_dreamstime_xxl_105053450.jpg 2x\" class=\"attachment-6567\" alt=\"Sunrise view of St. Paul\u2019s Cathedral, Valletta\" width=\"350\" height=\"250\"><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/picture>   \r\n        \r\n        <span class=\"wak-caption wak-image-caption-text\">(Dreamstime)<\/span>    <\/div>\r\n\n\n<div id=\"wak-acf-block-937085\" class=\"wak-acf-block wak-acf-block-copy-content wak-content-layout-default\">\r\n        <div class=\"wak-copy wak-body-standard-text\"><div class=\"wak-non-acf-block wak-non-acf-block-core-paragraph\">\n<p>Strategically sited Malta has been ruled by Phoenicians, Greeks, Carthaginians, Romans, Byzantines, Arabs and the Order of the Knights of St John.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"wak-non-acf-block wak-non-acf-block-core-paragraph\">\n<p>Thus its diminutive capital\u00a0<strong><a title=\"Short break Valletta Mdina Malta\" href=\"https:\/\/www.wanderlustmagazine.com\/inspiration\/short-break-valletta-mdina-malta\/\">Valletta<\/a><\/strong>, perched on a hill between two natural harbours, is a dense layer cake of monuments \u2013 according to UNESCO, \u2018one of the most concentrated historic areas in the world\u2019.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"wak-non-acf-block wak-non-acf-block-core-paragraph\">\n<p>The best way to get a sense of the fortified city is aboard a\u00a0<em>dghajsa<\/em>\u00a0(traditional boat), then visit the Baroque dazzle of St John\u2019s Co-Cathedral and the opulent Grand Master\u2019s Palace, a centre of power from the 16th century onwards.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"wak-non-acf-block wak-non-acf-block-core-paragraph\">\n<p><strong>Get there:<\/strong>\u00a0Valletta is connected to many UK airports; flight time is from around three hours.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<p>\u00a0<\/p>\n<p><strong>Read next: <\/strong><a href=\"https:\/\/www.wanderlustmagazine.com\/inspiration\/historic-hotel-stays-in-malta\/\">12 historic hotel stays in Malta<\/a><\/p>\n<\/div><\/div>\r\n<div class=\"wak-acf-block wak-acf-block-sidebar-content\" data-ad=\"last\"><div id=\"wak-acf-block-219077\" class=\"wak-acf-block wak-content-layout-default wak-acf-block-advert wak-ad-last\" data-placement-id=\"63380\" data-advert-visible=\"1\">\n    \n    <div class=\"wak-advert-container\">\n        \n            <div id=\"div-gpt-ad-63380\">\n                <script>\n                    googletag.cmd.push(() => { \n                        googletag.display('div-gpt-ad-63380'); \n                    });\n                <\/script>\n            <\/div>\n                <\/div>\n<\/div><\/div>","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>From ancient tombs to Welsh castles, we celebrate the UNESCO-listed wonders that make the world a more cultured place&#8230;<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":36,"featured_media":84535,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":true,"_relevanssi_hide_post":"","_relevanssi_hide_content":"","_relevanssi_pin_for_all":"","_relevanssi_pin_keywords":"","_relevanssi_unpin_keywords":"","_relevanssi_related_keywords":"","_relevanssi_related_include_ids":"","_relevanssi_related_exclude_ids":"","_relevanssi_related_no_append":"","_relevanssi_related_not_related":"","_relevanssi_related_posts":"13739,16804,20930,50016,11908,30781","_relevanssi_noindex_reason":"","inline_featured_image":false,"footnotes":""},"elementor-post":[],"inspiration":[14],"seo-content-tag":[54],"seo-continent":[66,67,73,69,68,70],"seo-country":[],"coauthors":[374],"class_list":["post-6570","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","inspiration-culture-heritage","seo-content-tag-culture-heritage","seo-continent-africa","seo-continent-asia","seo-continent-caribbean-central-south-america","seo-continent-europe","seo-continent-middle-east","seo-continent-north-america"],"acf":{"destination":"","header_video":"","header_image_caption":"","thumbnail_video":"","thumbnail_video_image":"","promoter_image":"","promoter_name":"","promoter_url":"","wak_author_name":"Sarah Baxter"},"yoast_head":"<!-- This site is optimized with the Yoast SEO plugin v23.4 - https:\/\/yoast.com\/wordpress\/plugins\/seo\/ -->\n<title>Best UNESCO World Heritage Sites around the world - Wanderlust<\/title>\n<meta name=\"description\" content=\"Best UNESCO World Heritage Sites around the world to visit in 2025, from ancient tombs to Welsh castles\" \/>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/www.wanderlustmagazine.com\/inspiration\/20-best-unesco-cultural-sites-to-visit-around-the-world\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"21 of the best UNESCO World Heritage Sites to visit around the world - Wanderlust\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:description\" content=\"Best UNESCO World Heritage Sites around the world to visit in 2025, from ancient tombs to Welsh 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