{"id":507,"date":"2019-10-09T04:55:37","date_gmt":"2019-10-09T04:55:37","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/bodyprayer.me\/?p=507"},"modified":"2024-05-02T00:39:32","modified_gmt":"2024-05-02T00:39:32","slug":"7-under-the-radar-unesco-world-heritage-sites-i-love-to-visit-3","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"http:\/\/bodyprayer.me\/index.php\/2019\/10\/09\/7-under-the-radar-unesco-world-heritage-sites-i-love-to-visit-3\/","title":{"rendered":"7 Under the Radar UNESCO World Heritage Sites I Love to Visit"},"content":{"rendered":"
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I don\u2019t normally make it the focus of my travels, if there\u2019s an opportunity for me to visit a UNESCO World Heritage Site, I always make sure I stop. In 1972 the UN, through the UNESCO World Heritage Committee, began recognizing important sites around the world that they consider vital in order to maintain the cultural and natural heritage we have all inherited. Even though I haven\u2019t even scratched the surface of visiting the more than 1,000 sites in every corner of the planet, I have been to quite a few and think every traveler should make a point to visit them if they can. To show the width and breadth of this amazing collection of sites, today I want to share some that while impressive, mostly fly under the tourism radar and hopefully in the process this list will encourage your own UNESCO themed visits in the future.<\/p>\n
This year I\u2019m working with Allianz Travel Insurance<\/a> to share my thoughts about travel, what makes me happy when I explore the world and why I even travel in the first place. This post is done in partnership with them and I\u2019m excited for the opportunity to share some fun spots to add to your travel bucket list.<\/p>\n The Jantar Mantar – India<\/strong><\/p>\n The old town of Jaipur wasn\u2019t just where my guide and I started the day, it\u2019s where most tourists to this popular spot along the Golden Triangle begin. It\u2019s here where the city\u2019s most famous and important landmarks still stand, including the massive City Palace and the remarkable UNESCO World Heritage Site, the Jantar Mantar. This site fascinated me perhaps the most, due not only to its size but its purpose. The Jantar Mantar is a collection of 19 larger than life astronomical instruments built in the early 1700s, including the world\u2019s largest stone sundial. These surprisingly precise instruments were built in order to best calculate the movement of the earth and the heavens, so that advisors to the ruler could provide the most accurate astrological advice possible. It\u2019s a remarkable achievement, even more so that it remains intact today, practically adjacent to the equally fascinating City Palace.<\/p>\n Town of Bamberg – Germany<\/strong><\/p>\n Maybe it was the bright sunshiny day, or maybe it was the city\u2019s famous smoked beer, but whatever did it, I totally and completely fell in love with Bamberg. It probably sounds repetitive, but Bamberg too has an ancient history, and it too is recognized by UNESCO for its beauty and incredibly intact medieval old town. It\u2019s also so colorful, much more so than I would have thought and with picture-perfect views along the river it was an afternoon I know I\u2019ll never forget. The city\u2019s Christmas markets of course only add to this festive feeling, from smaller ones around town to the massive central Christmas market in Maximiliansplatz.<\/p>\n Shark Bay – Australia<\/strong><\/p>\n Located in the wilds of Western Australia, the Shark Bay UNESCO World Heritage region may seem remote, but it\u2019s well worth the effort to visit this remarkable area. Located near the popular beach resort Monkey Mia, Shark Bay is a popular place to explore either on your own or on a Jeep Safari. The striking red sand meets the azure waters of the Indian Ocean in a contrast that will take your breath away, but that\u2019s not why it\u2019s on the UNESCO list. It\u2019s there thanks to its incredible flora and fauna, but especially the stromatolites at Hamelin Bay. Stromatolites are the oldest life form on the planet and the only place on the earth accessible enough for people to visit these prehistoric creatures is in the Shark Bay region. Aside from the prehistoric beginnings to life on earth, it\u2019s just a fun place to visit, spending a few days to explore as one of the few tourists around.<\/p>\n Sabbioneta – Italy<\/strong><\/p>\n Not far from the bustling city of Mantua is a far different town, one that when I visited was oddly quiet but captivating thanks to the unique lines and angles of the architecture and public spaces. I was in Sabbioneta, an early example of urban planning from the 15th century. More fortress than town, Sabbioneta was built by the powerful Gonzagas and the thick city walls and ramparts are all still completely intact. It was more than the defenses that interested me though, the grid pattern of the streets and the impressive squares and monuments are all what drew my attention almost immediately. Meant to impress, the Duke\u2019s palace, the theater, churches and more are all on a scale and designed with a level of beauty that may have been representative of the era, but which are rare to find today. I wouldn\u2019t recommend spending a lot of time there, but if you\u2019re in Mantua definitely spend an afternoon or even a day exploring the strange little town of Sabbioneta.<\/p>\n Cape Floral Region Protected Area – South Africa<\/strong><\/p>\n One of my favorite countries in the world, the beauty of South Africa is diverse and even opulent at times. The areas near Cape Town though have a secret, the rich floral region is amongst the most diverse in the world. From the scraggly fynbos to the yearly explosion of wildflowers, the ecology here is unlike anything else on the planet. A fact to consider, this area accounts for just 0.5% of the area of Africa but is home to nearly 20% of the continent\u2019s flora. That\u2019s an amazing level of diversity and makes exploring this region a beautiful experience. One of the best ways to get out amongst the fields is by taking a wildflower safari like the one offered at the Grootbos Resort in Hermanus. Expert naturalists take guests out in a safari truck to experience the natural side of the area for a once in a lifetime experience. Even if you\u2019re like me and have a marginal interest in such things, the shocking beauty of the region simply can\u2019t be denied.<\/p>\n Rock Art of Alta – Norway Located deep in the heart of Norway\u2019s Arctic Circle, the small town of Alta is known for a lot of things, but not necessarily the site that put it on the UNESCO map. I was in Alta to see the Northern Lights, go sledding with huskies and a whole host of other wintertime activities. A pleasant bonus though was discovering the town\u2019s not as famous but just as important rock art. The rock carvings in Alta go back as far as 4,200 BC and show a variety of scenes sharing the lives of ancient hunter-gatherers with us today. They were only discovered in the 1970s, but since then several of the sites have been converted into an open-air museum, preserving these prehistoric treasures for future generations. Sadly, I only got as far as the visitor\u2019s center because during the winter the art is covered by snow. But during the summer months, thousands trek here to see the rock art and to explore the many hiking and biking trails around them.<\/p>\n Episcopal City of Albi – France<\/strong><\/p>\n Located in the heart of the incredibly green rolling hills of the Tarn region of France, Albi is an absolute treasure. I\u2019m a history fan, and I loved learning more about the tragic history of the Cathars, which culminated in and around Albi more than eight hundred years ago. But on the lighter side, Albi was also the birthplace of Toulouse-Lautrec, the famed French artist of the 19th century. The Toulouse-Lautrec museum conveniently located in the heart of Albi has just been renovated and it is a masterpiece of modern design and museum management. I truly enjoyed roaming the galleries admiring the impressive display of Toulouse-Lautrec works. No matter what you decide to do in Albi, I know you\u2019ll enjoy wandering its streets as much as I did.<\/p>\n The post 7 Under the Radar UNESCO World Heritage Sites I Love to Visit<\/a> appeared first on LandLopers<\/a>.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" I don\u2019t normally make it the focus of my travels, if there\u2019s an opportunity for me to visit a UNESCO World Heritage Site, I always make sure I stop. In 1972 the UN, through the UNESCO World Heritage Committee, began recognizing important sites around the world that they consider vital...<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":324,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":[],"categories":[15],"tags":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"http:\/\/bodyprayer.me\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/507"}],"collection":[{"href":"http:\/\/bodyprayer.me\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"http:\/\/bodyprayer.me\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/bodyprayer.me\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/bodyprayer.me\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=507"}],"version-history":[{"count":3,"href":"http:\/\/bodyprayer.me\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/507\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":510,"href":"http:\/\/bodyprayer.me\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/507\/revisions\/510"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/bodyprayer.me\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/324"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"http:\/\/bodyprayer.me\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=507"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/bodyprayer.me\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=507"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/bodyprayer.me\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=507"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}<\/p>\n
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