9 New UNESCO World Heritage Sites You Won’t Want To Miss

The world has been drinking tea for centuries, and its origins can be traced back to Jingmai, China. The only tea-related UNESCO–listed site, visitors can explore the Ancient Tea Plantations of Pu’er (one of the world’s most popular, longstanding teas) by basing out of Jinghong on the China/ Thailand border. It’s a 3.5-hour drive to the village of Jingmai, where visitors can witness tea pickers scaling the ancient tea trees and, naturally, partake in traditional tea tastings.

Bale Mountains National Park showcases the gamut of nature, from grasslands, woodlands, meadows, tropical rainforests, and volcanoes. This national park, which is about 250 miles (400 kilometers) from Addis Ababa, is also critically important for species like the bale monkey and Ethiopian wolf.

For the best experience, visitors should explore this vast and wild place with a guide. Tours regularly span three to seven days, ensuring those lucky enough to be here have enough time to hike, camp, spot wildlife, and properly soak in this slice of African beauty.

Encompassing 139 sites across Belgium and northern France, the funerary and memory sites of the First World War seek to enshrine into memory the lives lost in this unprecedented global battle. Seeing them all would take months, but for an immersive introduction, visitors should start around Verdun, where an 11-month skirmish became one of the war’s bloodiest events. Hop on a tour to make the most of the area, including paying visits to the former battlefields and the trenches.

Marking the United States’ 25th UNESCO–listed site, the Hopewell Ceremonial Earthworks features eight Indigenous sites showcasing earthen mounds built between 2,000 and 1,600 years ago. The best base to explore them is Columbus, Ohio; after exploring the city’s attractions, hop in the car and follow the Ohio River, weaving past these special areas. Though all are worth exploring, Hopewell Culture National Historical Park and the Newark Earthworks are particular standouts.

Cambodia may be known for its ancient structures like Angkor Wat, but nearby Thailand has its fair share of archaeological sites, too. The town of Si Thep is a great example: Visitors can see an ancient moated town, with monuments like Prang Si Thep, the main temple built in Khmer style, and Khao Klang Nai Temple, built as a Dvaravati Mahayana Buddhist temple (look for the stuccos and motifs at the bottom of the stupa).

Si Thep is best visited from Lopburi—one of Thailand’s oldest cities—where visitors can book a tour to explore the “monkey temple.” Or, visit during a 6-day tour, along with Ayutthaya, another UNESCO–listed site and example of exquisite Dvaravati architecture.

Near the Albanian border, the newly UNESCO–listed site Zagori Cultural Landscape can be found in Epirus, a region in northwestern Greece that’s full of traditional villages from the 15th century. It’s a mountainous world of stone: stone bridges, stone homes, stone paths, stone staircases, and more.

Vikos (and the beautiful Vikos Gorge, Koukouli, Mikro, and Megalo Papingo are just four villages that mandate exploring—there are many more. Hikers will also have plenty to do here, traversing the region’s plentiful stone footpaths, ideally with a guide.

If you’re looking for a day trip from Copenhagen, consider a visit to Denmark’s UNESCO–listed Viking Age Ring Fortresses, made up of five defense works erected 1,000 years ago under King Harald. The easiest one to access is Trelleborg, the hub of Viking ring fortresses. Partially reconstructed to aid imaginations, visitors can explore tall earth and stone ramparts, four access gates, a moat crossed by small wooden bridges, a small museum, a cemetery, and beyond. Find it near the modern city of Slagelse, about an hour from Copenhagen.

The small Spanish island of Menorca may be known for its beaches and laid-back vacation vibes, but now it just might be known for its UNESCO–listed history. Nine clusters of Bronze Age and Iron Age archaeological sites dot the island, each showcasing an isolated building technique that ended with the invasion of Rome.

Since the sites are spread out, visitors should book a tour or plan on renting a car or e-bike. Torre d’en Galmes (the largest and best-preserved settlement) tops the list, though Talati de Dalt, Torralba d’en Salort, and the Cala Morell necropolis are also well worth a visit.

Technically, two sites—the volcanoes and forests of Mount Pelée and the Pitons of Northern Martinique—are now on Martinique’s UNESCO list. Beyond containing incredible biodiversity in the Lesser Antilles, these landscapes are renowned examples of the life cycle of volcanoes.

Visitors can book a tour to explore the northern region of this Caribbean island, usually visiting waterfalls, black-sand beaches, and cultural points such as the Balata Cathedral, designed to replicate Paris’s Sacre Coeur. Avid hikers can also hike up the iconic and lush Mount Pelee, though they should be prepared for a particularly wet 4-mile (6.5-kilometer) trek.