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World Heritage Scorecard


Enhancing the Tour with the most cherished sites of the World


The Scorecard (Part 2)


Continued from/continued in:

Part 1 | Part 3


44.

A Mosque in Old Cairo


Name: Historic Cairo
Location: Cairo, Egypt
Type: Cultural
Official Site: ~ Go There ~
Amazement Factor: 7
Tour-Friendly Factor: 4
Comment: Visited during transfer to Stage 3, no cycling involved.





45.

The Pramids at Giza


Name: Memphis and its Necropolis – the Pyramid Fields from Giza to Dahshur
Location: Giza, Egypt
Type: Cultural
Official Site: ~ Go There ~
Amazement Factor: 8
Tour-Friendly Factor: 4
Comment: I only saw the main Pyramid group at Giza.





46.

A painting depicting the Old Axum Church


Name: Aksum
Location: Northern Ethiopia
Type: Cultural
Official Site: ~ Go There ~
Amazement Factor: 8
Tour-Friendly Factor: 6
Comment: A fairly extensive site to start off Stage 3.





47.

The Simyen Mountains


Name: Simien National Park
Location: Northern Ethiopia
Type: Natural
Official Site: ~ Go There ~
Amazement Factor: 7
Tour-Friendly Factor: 2
Comment: I did not actually cross the park boundary, but was still impressed by the beauty of the Simyen Mountains.





48.

Fasilidas's Castle in Gondar


Name: Fasil Ghebbi, Gondar Region
Location: Gondar, Ethiopia
Type: Cultural
Official Site: ~ Go There ~
Amazement Factor: 6
Tour-Friendly Factor: 3
Comment: Provided a nice break during a tough section of the Tour.





49.

Interior of Bete Maryam Church, Lalibela


Name: Rock-Hewn Churches, Lalibela
Location: Lalibela, Ethiopia
Type: Cultural
Official Site: ~ Go There ~
Amazement Factor: 10
Tour-Friendly Factor: 6
Comment: A excellent site with much to see.





50.

A Colubus Monkey in the Mt. Kenya Forest


Name: Mount Kenya National Park/Natural Forest
Location: Central Kenya
Type: Natural
Official Site: ~ Go There ~
Amazement Factor: n.a.
Tour-Friendly Factor: 7
Comment: Clouds prevented me from seeing the actual mountain.





51.

Giant Senecio Plant in the alpine zone of Mt. Kilimajaro


Name: Kilimanjaro National Park
Location: Northern Tanzania
Type: Natural
Official Site: ~ Go There ~
Amazement Factor: 9
Tour-Friendly Factor: 4
Comment: This time I saw the whole mountain thanks to a costly, but amazing, summit trek.





52.

Wildlife in Ngorongoro Crater


Name: Ngorongoro Conservation Area
Location: Northern Tanzania
Type: Natural
Official Site: ~ Go There ~
Amazement Factor: 9
Tour-Friendly Factor: 4
Comment: Bikes are prohibited, must visit on a costly safari.





53.

Elephants on the Serengeti


Name: Serengeti National Park
Location: Northern Tanzania
Type: Natural
Official Site: ~ Go There ~
Amazement Factor: 7
Tour-Friendly Factor: 4
Comment: Bikes are prohibited, must visit on a costly safari. I was not present during the famous wildlife migrations.





54.

Lake Malawi National Park


Name: Lake Malawi National Park
Location: Southern Malawi
Type: Natural
Official Site: ~ Go There ~
Amazement Factor: 7
Tour-Friendly Factor: 6
Comment: An enjoyable dive presented a multitude of chiclids.





55.

Victoria Falls


Name: Mosi-oa-Tunya / Victoria Falls
Location: Zambia/Zimbabwe border
Type: Natural
Official Site: ~ Go There ~
Amazement Factor: 7
Tour-Friendly Factor: 8
Comment: The dry-season Falls were still very impressive.





56.

The Golden Rhinocerous from Mapungubwe, in the Pretoria Museum


Name: Mapungubwe Cultural Landscape
Location: Northern Province, South Africa
Type: Cultural
Official Site: ~ Go There ~
Amazement Factor: 4
Tour-Friendly Factor: 2
Comment: Prohibited from proceeding very far into the site by bike.





57.

A small Brooksian Chameleon in Parque Nacional Ranomafana


Name: Rainforests of the Atsinanana
Location: Eastern Madagascar
Type: Natural
Official Site: ~ Go There ~
Amazement Factor: 9
Tour-Friendly Factor: 6
Comment: I have seen four sections of this site during two tours. Ease of access varies by specific parcel. Guides required.





58.

Royal residences at Ambohimanga


Name: Royal Hill of Ambohimanga
Location: Near Antananarivo, Madagascar
Type: Cultural
Official Site: ~ Go There ~
Amazement Factor: 6
Tour-Friendly Factor: 7
Comment: A small, but interesting site. I also visited on my first tour of Madagascar.





59.

A Homonid Skull at Sterkfontein


Name: Fossil Hominid Sites of Sterkfontein, Swartkrans, Kromdraai, and Environs
Location: Gauteng, Limpopo and North-west provinces, South Africa
Type: Cultural
Official Site: ~ Go There ~
Amazement Factor: 6
Tour-Friendly Factor: 8
Comment: I visited the Sterkfontein section, which has an excellent museum.





60.

Distant Hills of the Vredefort Dome


Name: Vredefort Dome
Location: Northwest and Free State provinces, South Africa
Type: Natural
Official Site: ~ Go There ~
Amazement Factor: 3
Tour-Friendly Factor: 5
Comment: Difficult to recognize and appreciate this geologically large site.





61.

Forest Foliage in iSimangaliso Wetland Park


Name: iSimangaliso Wetland Park
Location: KwaZulu Natal Province, South Africa
Type: Natural
Official Site: ~ Go There ~
Amazement Factor: 6
Tour-Friendly Factor: 7
Comment: Named St. Lucia Wetland Park when I visited; I saw more flora than fauna.





62.

Cathedral Peak Area


Name: uKhahlamba/Drakensberg Park
Location: KwaZulu Natal Province, South Africa
Type: Natural
Official Site: ~ Go There ~
Amazement Factor: 8
Tour-Friendly Factor: 6
Comment: Located well away from the main routes, and requires a moderate hike.





63.

Yellow Proteas


Name: Cape Floral Region Protected Areas
Location: Cape region, South Africa
Type: Natural
Official Site: ~ Go There ~
Amazement Factor: 7
Tour-Friendly Factor: 7
Comment: Spread out over several sections. I primarily saw Table Mountain.





64.

Mandela's Cell at Robben Island


Name: Robben Island
Location: Cape Town, South Africa
Type: Cultural
Official Site: ~ Go There ~
Amazement Factor: 7
Tour-Friendly Factor: 6
Comment: A rather depressing site.





65.

Sea lions at Península Valdés


Name: Península Valdés
Location: Eastern Argentina
Type: Natural
Official Site: ~ Go There ~
Amazement Factor: 6
Tour-Friendly Factor: 7
Comment: The season that I visited was not ideal for seeing wildlife.





66.

Perito Moreno Glacier


Name: Los Glaciares
Location: Patagonia, Argentina
Type: Natural
Official Site: ~ Go There ~
Amazement Factor: 8
Tour-Friendly Factor: 6
Comment: A chore to reach this site by bike.





67.

Pictographs at Cueva de las Manos


Name: Cueva de las Manos, Río Pinturas
Location: Patagonia, Argentina
Type: Cultural
Official Site: ~ Go There ~
Amazement Factor: 8
Tour-Friendly Factor: 4
Comment: Another difficult site to reach, but worth the effort.





68.

Iglesia de Nuestra Senora de Gracias de Nercon


Name: Churches of Chiloé
Location: Isla Chiloe, Chile
Type: Cultural
Official Site: ~ Go There ~
Amazement Factor: 7
Tour-Friendly Factor: 8
Comment: I saw 3 of the 16 listed churches.





69.

City and Port of Valparaíso


Name: Historic Quarter of the Seaport City of Valparaíso
Location: Valparaiso, Chile
Type: Cultural
Official Site: ~ Go There ~
Amazement Factor: 5
Tour-Friendly Factor: 5
Comment: A rather haphazard site.





70.

Ischigualasto Provincial Park


Name: Ischigualasto/Talampaya Natural Parks
Location: San Juan and La Rioja provinces, Argentina
Type: Natural
Official Site: ~ Go There ~
Amazement Factor: 7
Tour-Friendly Factor: 6
Comment: I saw only the Ischigualasto site.





71.

Jesuit Block and Estancias of Córdoba


Name: Jesuit Block and Estancias of Córdoba
Location: Cordoba, Argentina
Type: Cultural
Official Site: ~ Go There ~
Amazement Factor: 6
Tour-Friendly Factor: 6
Comment: I did not have time to visit the estancias.





72.

Doorway ornamentation in Colonia


Name: Historic Quarter of the City of Colonia del Sacramento
Location: Uruguay
Type: Cultural
Official Site: ~ Go There ~
Amazement Factor: 6
Tour-Friendly Factor: 9
Comment: A fairly small site, but an enjoyable visit.





73.

A bromilead in Parque Nacional do Superagui


Name: Atlantic Forest South-East Reserves
Location: Southeastern Brazil
Type: Natural
Official Site: ~ Go There ~
Amazement Factor: 7
Tour-Friendly Factor: 5
Comment: The sites I visited were around the Baia de Paranagua.





74.

A prophet statue at Congonhas


Name: Sanctuary of Bom Jesus do Congonhas
Location: Minas Gerais, Brazil
Type: Cultural
Official Site: ~ Go There ~
Amazement Factor: 7
Tour-Friendly Factor: 6
Comment: This hilltop basilica took a lot of energy to reach.





75.

Ouro Preto


Name: Historic Town of Ouro Preto
Location: Minas Gerais, Brazil
Type: Cultural
Official Site: ~ Go There ~
Amazement Factor: 9
Tour-Friendly Factor: 7
Comment: A very nice example of an historic town.





76.

Diamantina


Name: Historic Centre of the Town of Diamantina
Location: Minas Gerais, Brazil
Type: Cultural
Official Site: ~ Go There ~
Amazement Factor: 8
Tour-Friendly Factor: 9
Comment: Another nice historic town, farther from urban chaos.





77.

The famous legislature building in Brasilia


Name: Brasilia
Location: Brasilia, Brasil
Type: Cultural
Official Site: ~ Go There ~
Amazement Factor: 5
Tour-Friendly Factor: 2
Comment: Modernist architecture has never been my favorite, but there is some appeal here. However, a very auto-choked city.





78.

Goias


Name: Historic Centre of the Town of Goiás
Location: Goias, Brazil
Type: Cultural
Official Site: ~ Go There ~
Amazement Factor: 7
Tour-Friendly Factor: 8
Comment: The least touristy of the historic towns I saw in Brazil.





79.

A red-legged seriema and termite mounds in Parque Emas


Name: Cerrado Protected Areas: Chapada dos Veadeiros and Emas National Parks
Location: Goias, Brazil
Type: Natural
Official Site: ~ Go There ~
Amazement Factor: 7
Tour-Friendly Factor: 6
Comment: I visited the Emas section; required a guide.





80.

Parque Nacional do Pantanal


Name: Pantanal Conservation Area
Location: Matto Grosso do Sul, Brazil
Type: Natural
Official Site: ~ Go There ~
Amazement Factor: 9
Tour-Friendly Factor: 2
Comment: Difficult to reach the protected area, and saw only a small portion. Though surrounding areas just as good.





81.

Iguazu Falls


Name: Iguazu National Park
Location: Missiones, Argentina
Type: Natural
Official Site: ~ Go There ~
Amazement Factor: 10
Tour-Friendly Factor: 8
Comment: A beautiful site deserving a slow visit.





82.

Iguaçu Falls


Name: Iguaçu National Park
Location: Parana, Brazil
Type: Natural
Official Site: ~ Go There ~
Amazement Factor: 10
Tour-Friendly Factor: 6
Comment: The Brazilian side is just as impressive.





83.

Jesuit Mission at Trinidad


Name: Jesuit Missions of La Santísima Trinidad de Paraná and Jesús de Tavarangue
Location: Eastern Paraguay
Type: Cultural
Official Site: ~ Go There ~
Amazement Factor: 6
Tour-Friendly Factor: 9
Comment: Weather dampened my visit slightly.





84.

Santa Ana Mission Ruins


Name: Jesuit Missions of the Guaranis: San Ignacio Mini, Santa Ana, Nuestra Señora de Loreto and Santa Maria Mayor (Argentina), Ruins of Sao Miguel das Missoes (Brazil)
Location: Missiones, Argentina
Type: Cultural
Official Site: ~ Go There ~
Amazement Factor: 6
Tour-Friendly Factor: 7
Comment: I saw only the Santa Ana site.





Continued from/continued in:

Part 1 | Part 3





Why These Places Are Special


Beginning on 01978, the World Heritage Committee of the United Nations Educational, Scientific, and Cultural Organization has evaluated important places around the globe to determine those with universal values to humanity, and to aid in their understanding and preservation. Since that time 878 (as of 02008) properties have been inscribed on the World Heritage List. In what is surely a process fraught with political intrigue, reams of paperwork, and lengthy discussions, new sites are first proposed by individual nations, and then evaluated for inscription by the Committee. Though my including it here will certainly infuriate teams of lawyers, here are the selection guidelines:

(shamelessly clipped from THIS page)

Selection criteria:

The protection, management, authenticity and integrity of properties are also important considerations.

Since 1992 significant interactions between people and the natural environment have been recognized as cultural landscapes.
       (End of UNESCO text)