travel

Two UNESCO World Heritage Sites lie within half a day of Accra: Ghana’s slave-trade coastal forts and Asante sacred buildings near Kumasi. Both hold difficult, essential history.

Two of Mongolia’s UNESCO World Heritage Sites — the Orkhon Valley and the sacred Burkhan Khaldun mountain — are reachable overland from Ulaanbaatar within a day’s drive.

Three UNESCO World Heritage Sites on Java — Borobudur, Prambanan and Sangiran — are all reachable from Jakarta in a single trip east.

Four UNESCO World Heritage Sites lie within a short flight of Ho Chi Minh City — Hoi An, My Son, Hue, and Phong Nha — spanning merchant trading towns, Hindu temple ruins, imperial citadels, and the world’s largest cave system.

Myanmar’s two UNESCO World Heritage Sites — the ancient Pyu walled cities and the 3,500-temple plain of Bagan — are both reachable from Yangon, and each rewards the journey.

Singapore’s own UNESCO-listed Botanic Gardens are a short MRT ride away; Melaka and George Town are reachable by coach, and Sumatran rainforest lies just a flight beyond.

Ethiopia’s UNESCO World Heritage Sites range from undeciphered standing stones at Tiya — 90 km from Addis Ababa — to the Awash Valley where Lucy was found, Lalibela’s carved churches, and the castles of Gondar.

Four UNESCO World Heritage Sites lie within 200 km of Fez: the medieval medina itself, imperial Meknes, Roman Volubilis, and the Andalusian lanes of Tetouan.

Four UNESCO World Heritage Sites lie within reach of Marrakech: the ancient medina itself, the earthen fortress of Ait-Ben-Haddou, the Atlantic port of Essaouira, and the imperial city of Meknes.