World Heritage Honeymoon

"The Grand Canyon retraces two billion years of the

The city of Venice is just one of more than 750 U.N.-designated World Heritage sites.

 earth's history. The Galapagos Islands inspired Charles Darwin in his theory of evolution. Moenjodaro tells the story of an ancient civilization, Völklingen Ironworks the one of industrialization. The Island of Gorée is a reminder of slavery, the Citadel of Haiti a symbol of liberty, built by slaves who had gained their freedom." That's how the United Nations Educational, Scientific, and Cultural Organization introduces its World Heritage list. What do all these places have in common? They've been judged by UNESCO's World Heritage Committee to be of such "outstanding universal value" that they deserve to be protected and preserved as part of the rich heritage of humankind.

The World Heritage list includes 754 such sites in 129 countries. It's a great place to browse for honeymoon ideas.

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Places to Go, Things to Do

The World Heritage list contains places you'd expect—Vatican City, Venice, Independence Hall, and Yellowstone National Park, for example—as well as many places you've probably never heard of before. Here's a sampling (all quotes are from the World Heritage List):

• Tsolido, Botswana: "With one of the highest concentrations of rock art in the world, Tsodilo has been called the 'Louvre of the Desert'. Over 4,500 paintings are preserved in an area of only 10 sq. km of the Kalahari Desert. The archaeological record of the area gives a chronological account of human activities and environmental changes over at least 100,000 years. Local communities in this hostile environment respect Tsodilo as a place of worship frequented by ancestral spirits."

• Saint Catherine's Monastery, Egypt: "The Orthodox Monastery of St Catherine stands at the foot of Mount Horeb where, the Old Testament records, Moses received the Tablets of the Law. The mountain is known and revered by Muslims as Jebel Musa. The entire area is sacred to three world religions: Christianity, Islam, and Judaism. The Monastery, founded in the 6th century, is the oldest Christian monastery still in use for its initial function. Its walls and buildings are of great significance to studies of Byzantine architecture and the Monastery houses outstanding collections of early Christian manuscripts and icons. The rugged mountainous landscape, containing numerous archaeological and religious sites and monuments, forms a perfect backdrop to the Monastery."

• Volcanoes of Kamchatka, Russia: "This is one of the most outstanding volcanic regions in the world, with a high density of active volcanoes, a variety of types, and a wide range of related features. The six sites included in the serial designation group together the majority of volcanic features of the Kamchatka peninsula. The interplay of active volcanoes and glaciers forms a dynamic landscape of great beauty. The sites contain great species diversity, including the world's largest known variety of salmonoid fish and exceptional concentrations of sea otter, brown bear and Stellar's sea eagle."

• Old Town Lunenburg, Nova Scotia, Canada: "Lunenburg is the best surviving example of a planned British colonial settlement in North America. Established in 1753, it has retained its original layout and overall appearance, based on a rectangular grid pattern drawn up in the home country. The inhabitants have managed to safeguard the city's identity throughout the centuries by preserving the wooden architecture of the houses, some of which date from the 18th century."

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UNESCO World Heritage List

The World Heritage list online; browse the whole list, or browse one of fifteen categories. The description of each site tends to be brief and somewhat technical, but it's enough to give you an idea of why the site is important.

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Your honeymoon story

Have you done this trip (whether on your honeymoon or other travel)? We'd love to hear about your experience so we can share it with others . . . just drop us a line.

Last Updated: April 1, 2004