Sankt Goar is a town on the west bank of the Middle Rhine in the Rhein-Hunsrück-Kreis in Rhineland-Palatinate, Germany. It is well known for its central location in the Rhine Gorge, a UNESCO World Heritage Site since July 2002. Above the town stand the ruins of Burg Rheinfels, one of the castles for which the Middle Rhine is famous, and across the river lies the sister town of Sankt Goarshausen with its own castles, Katz and Maus. The castle stands on a hilltop above the northern side of Sankt Goar’s town center. The ruins of a magnificent fortress that dates back over 700 years. Rheinfels Castle is open daily from March to November and has an admission fee. During the rest of the year it is open on weekends only for pre-booked guided tours. The fee includes a trail map of the castle.
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Tags: Castle, castle St.-Goar, germany, Goar, HDR, Rheinfels, Rhine Gorge, Rhineland, Sankt, sankt-goar, unesco
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Vinales Valley is the pride and joy of the citizens of western Cuba and probably of all Cubans. It’s one of the most visited sites in Cuba. Thousands of visitors visit the Valley, go inside its caves, admire its nature and get to know its culture and particular Vinales cuisine. The valley has an area of 132 km2 and is located in the Sierra de los Organos mountains just north of Vinales in the Pinar del Rio Province. The town of Vinales and the scenic valley in which it is located has been a favoured location for living from the earliest days of human settlement on Cuba. It is a great combination of Mother Nature and traditional Cuban art and craft. The town offers plenty of paladares with local food and live music spots, placed along the main street. In 1999, the Valley was declared as a World Heritage Site by UNESCO, in the category of Cultural Landscape.
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Tags: Cuba, Guaniguanico, Heritage, Kuba, Site, tobacco-plantation, unesco, valle-de-vinales, Valley, Vinales, vinales-valley, world, World Heritage Site
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Masada is an ancient fortification in the Southern District of Israel situated on top of an isolated rock plateau, akin to a mesa. It is located on the eastern edge of the Judaean Desert, overlooking the Dead Sea 20 km east of Arad. The rhomboid-shaped mountain towers 434 metres above the level of the Dead Sea. It was built as a palace complex, in the classic style of the early Roman Empire, by Herod the Great, King of Judaea. Masada is one of the greatest archaeological sites in Israel and, perhaps, across the world. Its dramatic ascent can now be made by cable-car.
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Tags: Desert, Desert Fortress, Fortress, Israel, Masada, unesco, World Heritage Centre
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The famed city of Toledo is located in the independent community of Castilla-La Mancha, situated only 71 kilometers from Madrid, the capital of Spain. The city is found on the top of a hill about 100m high, surrounded by the river Tajo. Toledo is considered most representative of Spanish culture, and its historic centre was designated a UNESCO World Heritage site in 1986. Toledo is a magic place, probably one of the most spectacular cities in the world. The buildings and winding streets contained within the old city walls hold hundreds of years of history
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Tags: Architecture, city, historic, medieval, outdoor, Spain, Toledo, tresculturas, unesco, Visiting
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The Stone Circles of Senegambia are found in a zone about 100 km wide and 350 km long to the north of the Gambia River and include 1053 stone circles with a total 28,931 monoliths. Four representative groups of these circles have been selected for world heritage listing – at two locations in The Gambia (Wassu and Kerbatch), with two in Senegal (Sine Ngayene and Wanar). Wassu is located in the Niani district of Gambia, and is made up of 11 stone circles. The tallest stone is found in this area, with a height of 2.59 meters. The builders of the monuments here possessed great knowledge of their local geology in order to find the sources of laterite stones. They must also have had great technical ability in order to extract these stones without splitting or cracking them. Many local people consider that stone circles have special powers and can be lethal if disturbed. They mention the case of excavations in the 1930s when leader of expedition and archaeologist died mysteriously. There are stories about stones which glow in the dark and powerful spirits lurking near these circles.
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Tags: africa, Banjul, Circles, Gambia, Senegal, Stone, Stone Circles, Travel, unesco, Wassu, wassu-stone-circles
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The fortress of Suomenlinna is one of Finland’s most popular sights. It is only a very short ferry crossing away from Helsinki. Just a 15-minute ferry ride from the Kauppatori. The Suomenlinna ferry is part of Helsinki’s public transport service. Set on a tight cluster of islands connected by bridges, the UNESCO World Heritage site was originally built by the Swedes as Sveaborg in the mid-18th century. Swedish built here a fortress for defensive purposes against the Russians and was original called Sveaborg (fortress of Svea, Swedish still call it this way) but of course Finish renamed it after their independence into Suomenlinna (castle of Finland). The construction of the fortress begun in 1748 but expanded later in 19th century by the Russians. We noticed some old canons on the island but what we liked most were some colorful corners full of flowers.
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Tags: Finland, Fortress, fortress Finland, Sea, sea fortress, Suomenlinna, unesco, UNESCO World Heritage
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The Great Blue Hole is a large underwater sinkhole off the coast of Belize. It lies near the center of Lighthouse Reef, a small atoll 62 miles from the mainland of Belize City. This large submarine vertical cave measures 984 feet in diameter and 407 feet deep. With its beautiful, clear water and the variety of wild marine life residing in its depths, the enormous blue hole is a popular scuba diving destination. Jacques Cousteau revealed the secrets of the mysterious Blue Hole to millions of viewers in 1971 through the television series The Undersea World of Jaques-Yves Cousteau. The Great Blue Hole is part of the larger Belize Barrier Reef Reserve System, a World Heritage site of the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization.
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Tags: Atoll, Belize, Blue, BlueHole, Caribbean Sea, corals, Diving, Great, great blue hole, greatbluehole, Hole, Lighthouse Reef, underwater, unesco, Water
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Ellora is a site of outstanding cave temples, datable between c. ad 575 and the end of the 9th century, 20 km north of Aurangabad in the Sahyadri Hills, Maharashtra, India. The cave temples and monasteries are excavated out of the vertical face of an escarpment. The 34 caves contain Buddhist Chaityas or halls of worship, and Viharas, or monasteries, Hindu and Jai temples. The Caves not only bear witness to three great religions (Buddhism, Brahminism and Jainism) but they also illustrate the spirit of tolerance, characteristic of ancient India, which permitted these three religions to establish their sanctuaries and their communities in a single place, which thus served to reinforce its universal value.
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Tags: archaeology, Aurangabad, caves, Ellora, ellora caves, history, INDIA, Maharashtra, Marathi, Sacred, unesco, World Heritage Centre
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It is one of the 7 world heritage sites in Sri Lanka and is one of it’s most popular tourist destinations. Rock fortress is an ancient palace located in the central Matale District near town of Dambulla of the Central Province, Sri Lanka. The ruins of the capital built by the parricidal King Kassapa I lie on the steep slopes and at the summit of a granite peak standing some 180m high, which dominates the jungle from all sides.
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Tags: aerial excursion, Fortress, Lanka, Lion Rock, Rock, Rock Fortress, Sigiriya, sigiriya rock, Sri, Sri Lanka, unesco, vacantion, World Heritage Centre
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Esfahan was a crossroad of international trade and diplomacy. It is located on the route from Teheran to the Persian Gulf. The city is known for its silver filigree and metal work. It contains a wide range of Islamic Architectural styles ranging from the 11th century (C.E.) to the 19th. Today, Esfahan is a major industrial center and also is one of the important tourism centers of Iran. It is a city for walking, getting lost in the bazaar, dozing in beautiful gardens, and drinking tea and chatting to locals in the marvellous teahouses.
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Tags: Cities, esfahaan, Esfahan, iran, isfahan, Oldest, One, silver filigree, teheran, unesco
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Angkor Wat was built in the first half of the 12th century (113-5BC). Estimated construction time of the temple is 30 years by King Suryavarman II. Angkor Wat is also called a “funeral” temple: the reason for its construction was so that the king’s ashes could be placed there. To simply it, the purpose of this complex is the same as that of pyramids of Egypt. The complex is, indeed, very majestic. The central tower (with the height of 65 meters) and four small surrounding towers represent the five peaks of the sacred Mount Meru. The giant moat around the temple (190 meters wide and over 5.5 kilometers in length) represents world oceans. A stone-paved road leads to the lavishly decorated temple with a form of a three-level pyramid.
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Tags: Angkor, Angkor Wat, Archaeological Park, Heritage, Lost City, Mount Meru, Pharaoh, Shah Jahan, Suryavarman, unesco, UNESCO World Heritage Centre, Wat, world
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The city is Unesco Heritage listed, which means a blessed ban on buses and trucks. Most road activity consists of bicycles or motorcycles, Luang Prabang is a city located in north central Laos, at the confluence of the Nam Khan river and Mekong River about 425 km north of Vientiane. The charm of city is still considered to its spiritual heart, breathes a rich meld of French Indochinese architecture, Theravada Buddhist temples and a magical atmosphere.
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Tags: Heritage, laos, LAOS Tours, Luang, luang prabang, luang prabang laos, Prabang, Royal Buddha, unesco, Unesco Heritage, world
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The Drakensberg is one of the major mountain ranges of southern Africa with dramatic scenery. The park includes beautiful rivers, wetlands, indigenous forests, grasslands, valleys and cliffs. The Ukhahlamba Drakensberg Park has an average altitude of 3000m, the highest range south of Kilimanjaro – and spans 150kms over 243 000 ha of land. One of the greatest treasures is set of 20 000 individual rock paintings at 500 different cave and overhang sites between Royal Natal National Park and Bushman’s Neck.
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Tags: African, Amphitheatre, Amphytheatre, Cathedral Peak, Dragon Mountains, Drakensberg, drakensberg mountains, drakensberge, Drakensbergen, Landscape, Lesotho, mushroom rock, Nature, Outstanding, park, Reserve, Sentinel, South, south africa, uKhahlamba, unesco
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Pamukkale is a natural phenomena and gift of Mother Nature also known as the Cotton Castles. It is a natural site and a tourist attraction in south-western Turkey in the Denizli Province. It is famous for its hot springs and travertines, terraces of carbonate minerals left by the flowing water. The stunning white calcium pools are wonderful and amazing. At 525 feet high Pamukkale is really a big hill whose stark white cap calls to mind an alpine mountain as misplaced in the surrounding green valley. The illusion of snow is actually travertine, a type of limestone created by a rapid precipitation of calcium bicarbonate originating from hot springs.
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Tags: Aegean region, carbonate minerals, cotton castle, Denizli, Denizli Province, Hierapolis, Holiday, Pamukkale, pamukkale hotel, Pamukkale Turkey, Sunset, terrace, Terraces, Travertine, Turkey, turkey vacantion, unesco, World Heritage, world heritage area, World Heritage Sites
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Himeji Castle, also called Shirasagijo alias White Heron Castle due to its white outer walls, is most impressive and complet castle in Japan. Himeji Castle was never destroyed in wars, earthquakes or fires and survives in its original form. Himeji Castle includes 83 structures that are recognised as National Treasures. The Himeji Castle is constructed 45.6 meters high on the top of sea level, and on the hill known as Himeyama. Himeji Castle dates to 1333, when Akamatsu Norimura built a fort on top of the hill. The castle in its current form was completed by Ikeda Terumasa in 1610. If any enemies had entered the castle, they would hard found the complicated path to the main tower, becouse of the maze. Castle lies just 20 minutes walk from the Himeji Station. The castle opens from 9:00 am and closes at 4:00 pm in the evening. The entry fee is 600 yen.
Tags: Castle, castles, Himeji, himeji castle, himeji castle history, himeji castle location, himeji castle restoration, himeji city, himeji-jo, Himeyama, Impressive, Japan, japan castles, Japanese castles, Most, unesco, white heron castle, world, yen
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