UNESCO World Heritage Sites

UNESCO World Heritage Sites were created in 1978 by the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO). They began designating important sites around the globe as part of an effort to preserve the world’s cultural and natural heritage. The current list of World Heritage Sites includes 1,153 properties as of 2021.

Since 2007 I have visited 410 World Heritage Sites and have documented each and every visit. For each world heritage site I visit, I try to make a purposeful and meaningful visit. I attempt to take at least one representative photo of every site.

The sites listed here are in the order that I visited them. In the case where a site I visited becomes a world heritage site after the fact, its place on the list is determined by when it was made a world heritage site, not when I visited. This is so I don’t have to constantly renumber everything, every year.

Every year the world heritage convention meets to vote on new sites. There are approximately 20 new World Heritage Sites created every year, which means I have to visit that many just to keep pace with the creation of new sites.

Contrary to some internet rumors, sites are not owned or controlled by the United Nations or UNESCO. National Parks and other historic sites are not owned by UNESCO or the UN. They are usually owned by the local government and a few are in private hands. Member states have to apply to have a site listed and no site can be listed without the approval of the host country. The only power which UNESCO has is to have a site delisted as a World Heritage Site, which has happened so far twice in its history.

With regard to the countries associated with each site, I am adopting what UNESCO nomenclature for consistency. If you have a political objection (i.e. Kosovo/Serbia or Israel/Palestine) bring it up to the World Heritage Committee.

For more information read:

Upcoming World Heritage Sites

1. I visited the Ningaloo Reef in 2008 during my trip to Australia. It became a UNESCO World Heritage Site in June 2011.
2. I visited Wadi Rum in 2009. It became a UNESCO World Heritage Site in June 2011.
3. The Dresden Elbe Valley was removed from the UNESCO list in 2009 because of the construction of a highway. I have decided to keep it on my list because I strongly disagree with the decision to remove it.
4. I visited the Rock Islands of Palau in 2007. It became a UNESCO World Heritage Site in July 2012.
5. I visited Bali in 2008. It became a UNESCO World Heritage Site in July 2012.
6. I visited the Baptism Site in Jordan in 2013. It became a World Heritage Site in July 2015.
7. I visited Nan Modal in 2007. It became a World Heritage Site in July 2016
8. I visited The Venetian Works of Defense in Kotor and Zadar on several trips. It was added to the World Heritage list in 2017.
9. After visiting three different sites which are part of the property, all of which are World Heritage Sites in their own right, I considered this visited.
10. I previously visited the sites added to the list in 2021.
11. Liverpool was removed from the list in 2021, but I keep in on my list because I disagree with the decision.