The Rock Islands Southern Lagoon, a UNESCO mixed site in the Republic of Palau, encompasses 445 limestone islands with mushroom-shaped profiles, over 385 coral species, and the extraordinary Jellyfish Lake — where millions of golden jellyfish have evolved to lose their sting. The lagoon also preserves ancient Palauan cultural heritage and dozens of Second World War wrecks in its clear waters.

The White Monuments of Vladimir and Suzdal, UNESCO-inscribed in 1992, preserve the 12th–13th century limestone architecture of the Vladimir-Suzdal principality — the dominant Russian state before the Mongol invasion. Two hours by express train from Moscow, the ensemble includes the Cathedral of the Assumption (prototype for Moscow’s Kremlin cathedral), the ornament-encrusted Cathedral of St Dmitry, and the solitary Church of the Intercession on the Nerl, widely regarded as the most perfect work of medieval Russian architecture.

Elephanta Caves on Gharapuri Island in Mumbai Harbour preserve some of the finest Shaiva rock-cut sculpture in India, carved between the fifth and eighth centuries CE. The monumental Trimurti panel — a 6.6-metre three-headed image of Shiva — survived Portuguese occupation and remains one of the supreme achievements of early medieval Indian art. The caves are reached by a 65-minute ferry from the Gateway of India.