Two UNESCO World Heritage Sites lie within reach of Bishkek: the sacred mountain of Sulaiman-Too in Osh and the transboundary wilderness of the Western Tian-Shan.

Windhoek is the gateway to two of Africa’s most extraordinary UNESCO sites: the ancient San petroglyphs of Twyfelfontein and the towering dune landscape of the Namib Sand Sea.

Two UNESCO sites are accessible from Antananarivo: the sacred Royal Hill of Ambohimanga 24 km away, and the Rainforests of the Atsinanana, six parks of extraordinary endemic wildlife.

Uganda’s three UNESCO World Heritage Sites span a royal burial ground within Kampala, a mountain gorilla stronghold in Bwindi, and the glaciated Rwenzori summits.

Qatar’s only UNESCO World Heritage Site, Al Zubarah, is a vast ghost town of pearl-trade ruins on the Gulf coast — 105 km and 75 minutes from Doha.

Manila is the gateway to four UNESCO World Heritage Sites: a 16th-century church in Intramuros, the colonial streets of Vigan, the Ifugao rice terraces, and the pristine reefs of Tubbataha.

Four UNESCO World Heritage Sites lie within reach of Algiers: the Ottoman Casbah in the city itself, Roman coastal ruins at Tipasa, and two exceptional highland cities at Djemila and Timgad.

Zambia’s sole UNESCO World Heritage Site, Mosi-oa-Tunya / Victoria Falls, lies 470 km from Lusaka — the world’s largest curtain of falling water, with the Devil’s Pool and white rhino walks on the Zambian side.

Four UNESCO World Heritage Sites lie within a day’s travel of Harare — from the medieval stone ruins of Great Zimbabwe to the thundering curtain of Victoria Falls.

Sudan’s Meroe Pyramids and sacred Jebel Barkal mountain are both reachable by road from Khartoum, placing visitors at the heart of a Kushite royal landscape older and larger than most expect.