Archive for the ‘World Heritage Site of the Week’ Category

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Uzbekistan Visa Requirements To Visit Samarkand

Wednesday, April 21st, 2010

This week’s featured UNESCO World Heritage Site was founded in the 7th century BC.  Many people today have never heard of the ancient city of Samarkand, but it was once one of the most important cities in Asia.

Samarkand is located in modern-day Uzbekistan, and was once an important stop on the Silk Road, the great trade route that connected China with Europe.

It was also the location of the first paper mill in the Islamic world, and for a long time it was an important center of Islamic study. In the 14th century, the Mongol warlord Tamerlane made Samarkand his capital, bringing in artists and artisans from all over his empire.

The traces of this long, distinguished history linger in Samarkand today, making it a beautiful and interesting place to visit. It was added to the UNESCO World Heritage list in 2001.

To get to Samarkand, you need a valid passport and an Uzbekistan visa. You cannot get an Uzbekistan visa at the airport when you arrive-you must apply well in advance.  Here’s what you will need:

  • Your US passport
  • One Uzbekistan visa application form
  • 1 passport photo
  • 1 copy of your flight tickets and your itinerary.

To get an Uzbekistan tourist visa, you need a tourist voucher, which is like a permission slip. If you’re traveling with an organized group, they should provide one. If not, RushMyTravelVisa.com can get one for you if you apply through us.

If you are visiting friends or family, your host needs to get an invitation letter for you.

Also, bear in mind that additional visas may also be required if your itinerary has you stopping in another country on your way to Uzbekistan-even if it’s only to change planes!

RushMyTravelVisa can help you get the documents you need for a trip to Uzbekistan.  We’ll look at your itinerary and check visa requirements to ensure that nothing is overlooked. Then, we’ll provide you with clear, easy-to-understand instructions that make it easy to fill out the required paperwork. Finally, we deliver your application to the appropriate embassy or consulate for the fastest processing possible.

Apply for your Uzbekistan visa with us today!

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China Visa Requirements To See the Terracotta Army of the 1st Qin Emperor

Saturday, April 17th, 2010

This week’s featured UNESCO World Heritage Site is the Mausoleum of the First Qin Emperor of China. Qin Shi Huang took the title of emperor in 221 BC, and fought to subjugate and unify most of what today is modern-day China.

The Qin Dynasty did not last long after Qin Shi Huang’s death-the next 2 rulers were inept and the dynasty was replaced by what would become the Han Dynasty in 206 BC.

However, before the dynasty collapsed, the kingdom spared no expense to send its first emperor into the next life in style.  Qin Shi Huang was buried in an elaborate tomb accompanied by what is estimated to be over 8,000 larger-than-life terracotta soldiers, acrobats and musicians, along with assorted calvary horses and horse-drawn chariots.

Other than the Terracotta Army’s size and scope, the most amazing thing about it is the attention to detail.  No two soldiers are alike-they all have individual features and facial expressions.

The mausoleum is located 30-35 kilometers east of Xian City. Although much of the mausoleum has yet to be excavated, there are still interesting exhibits open to the public.

However, you do need a  China visa to visit.  If you are visiting China as a tourist, you need an “L” visa.  What does it take to get an “L” visa? You will need the following:

  • One completed Chinese visa application
  • Your US passport
  • One  passport photo

If your plane leaves in the seven days, you should also include a copy of your travel itinerary to expedite your visa.

China visa regulations require you to get your visa before you leave the US-it is simply not possible to get a tourist visa on arrival.  RushMyTravelVisa can help guide you through the process of getting a China visa, as well as any other visas you may need for your trip.

We’ll take a look at your itinerary and research visa regulations for each country to ensure you don’t get caught by surprise. Then, we’ll walk you through the application process,  helping you avoid common mistakes that could hold up your visa application.

Finally, we submit your application to the appropriate embassy or consulate for the fastest possible processing.

Apply for your China visa today!

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Ethiopian Visa Requirements To Visit Fasil Ghebbi

Sunday, April 11th, 2010

Can you imagine touring fairy-tale castles in the heart of Africa? This week’s featured UNESCO World Heritage Site is located in the Gondar region of Ethiopia. The fortresses of Fasil Ghebbi date to the 16th and 17th centuries, after the Ethiopians made contact with the Portuguese.

The Ethiopians may have rejected the Roman Catholic faith introduced by the Portuguese in favor of their own traditional version of Christianity, but they were apparently more impressed by Portuguese architecture.  The castles of Fasil Ghebbi really do look like something out of the Brothers Grimm, leading Gadling to refer to Fasil Ghebbi as “Ethiopia’s Camelot.”

The castles aren’t strictly European, of course-they were also influenced by Hindu and Arab architecture as well as Ethiopia’s own native building styles. The end result is fantastic.

The first fortress in Gondar was founded by King Fasilides in the 16th century. Eight of his successors  reigned there as well, including one queen, called Queen Mentaweb.  Born a commoner, she became a queen when she married King Bacaffa, and ruled Ethiopia after his death.

Fasil Ghebbi was added to the list of UNESCO World Heritage Sites in 1979.

American citizens do need a visa to visit Eithiopia. Theoretically, you can obtain a visa when you arrive at Bole International Airport. However, the US Department of State advises against this, saying

To avoid possible confusion or delays, travelers are strongly advised to obtain a valid Ethiopian visa at the nearest Ethiopian Embassy prior to arrival.

Here’s what you need to apply for an Ethiopian visa:

  • 1 completed Ethiopian visa application  form
  • 1 passport-sized photo of yourself
  • A copy of your round-trip itinerary
  • Your US passport

RushMyTravelVisa can help make getting your Ethiopian visa much easier. We’ll take a look at your itinerary to make sure you know exactly what documents you need to travel, and we’ll provide easy-to-follow instructions that make filling out applications breeze and reduce the chance of common errors.  Then, we submit your application to the appropriate visa or consulate for the fastest possible processing.

Apply for your Ethiopian visa today!

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Get a Brazil Visa To Visit Jaú National Park

Tuesday, March 30th, 2010

To get to this week’s featured UNESCO World Heritage Site, you  must travel into the beating heart of the Amazon. Jaú National Park  is part of the Central Amazon Conservation Complex, the largest stretch of protected forest in the Amazon Basin.

The park is listed as a UNESCO World Heritage Site because it shelters a unique variety of flora and fauna,  both on land and in the rivers that wind through it. For example,  the tropical rainforest ecosystem is home to jaguars, sloths, armadillos and uncountable numbers of birds.  In the rivers, you’ll find manatee, pink river dolphin, black caiman alligators, and the “living fossil” giant arapaima fish.

Watch out, though- Jaú National Park is also home to the widest variety of electric fish in world.

Currently, you need permission from the Brazilian government to visit the park, but that doesn’t mean that it’s impossible-just that you need t0 plan ahead and make sure you only deal with reputable tour operators who have the required permits to lead tours in the park.  This Wikitravel article is one good source of logistical information.

Brazil visa regulations require all American tourists to have a tourist visa in hand to enter the country.  Make sure to apply ahead of time, or you won’t be allowed to board your flight to Brazil.

Here’s what you need to apply

  • Your US passport, which needs to have an expiration date at least 6 months in the future and also needs to have at least 2 blank pages in the back so that the Brazil embassy has room to add the tourist visa.
  • One completed Brazil visa application
  • 2 passport-sized photos of yourself
  • A copy of your round-trip itinerary showing the dates you plan to enter and leave Brazil.
  • A  photocopy of your driver’s license or state-issued ID card. The copy must be clear and easy to read.
  • If you will be visiting friends or relatives while in Brazil, you also need a letter from your hosts.

To enter Brazil, you may be required to get a yellow fever vaccination. Vaccines are required of travelers who have been to any of the following countries in the past 3 months (90 days): Angola, Bolivia, Benin, Burkina Faso, Cameroon, Colombia, Democratic Republic of Congo, Ecuador, French Guiana, Gabon, Ghana, Gambia, Republic of Guinea, Liberia, Nigeria, Peru, Sierra Leone, Sudan or Venezuela.

You should also be aware that Brazil has a “jurisdictional” visa system. That means that you have to apply at the specific Brazilian embassy or consulate that serves your home address.

Brazil visa rules are more than a little complex. A private visa expediting company like RushMyTravelVisa can make it easier and faster to get your visa.

Let us help you with your Brazil visa today!

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Vietnam Visa Requirements to Visit Phong Nha – Ke Bang National Park

Sunday, March 28th, 2010

This week’s featured UNESCO World Heritage Site is  in Vietnam, 500 kilometers south of Hanoi. Phong Nha – Ke Bang National Park is located on the site of one of the world’s largest karst systems. Karst is a type of terrain that is distinguished by limestone rock formations and caves. Phong Nha – Ke Bang National Park  contains 65-70 kilometers worth of caves and underwater rivers.

Of the 300 caves and grottoes located in the park, only 20 have been studied and mapped.  The most spectacular of these caves is Phong Nha Cave, which is 7729 meters long.  Although tourists are only allowed to see the first 1,500 meters of the cave,  it is a popular destination due to its numerous grottoes and 13,969 meter-long underground river.

Phong Na cave is also filled with fascinating rock formations that have been given fanciful names like the Lion, the Fairy Caves, the Royal Court and the Buddha.

The park also boasts the world’s largest cave, called Son Doong Cave.

Above ground, the park is covered with evergreen forests. It is home to rare orchids and many different species of animals, including monkeys, deer, guar (a type of wild cow), bears, antelopes and the pangolin, or scaly antelope.

To get to Phong Nha – Ke Bang National Park, you need both a valid passport and  a visa. Vietnam visa regulations do not allow visas to be issued on arrival, so you will need to apply in advance.

Here are the required documents for US tourists applying for a Vietnamese visa:

  • Your US passport
  • A completed Vietnamese visa application
  • A recent passport photo, taken within the past 6 months.

Also, if you need a multiple-entry visa, make sure you specify that when you apply-otherwise, the default is a single-entry visa.

It can be somewhat confusing and intimidating to negotiate the visa system of an unfamiliar country-that’s why RushMyTravelVisa.com is here to help. We’ll walk you through the application process and deliver your application to the appropriate visa or consulate for the fastest service possible.

Apply for your Vietnam visa today!

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Bolivian Visa Requirements to Visit The Ancient City of Tiwanaku

Sunday, March 21st, 2010

This week’s UNESCO World Heritage Site is located in Bolivia. Once upon a time (more precisely, from between 300 to 1000 AD), the city of Tiwanaku was the center of a great empire. According to Wikipedia, the people that lived there used an ingenious form of agriculture called “suka kollus,” growing crops in raised fields separated by flooded canals. The canals kept the crops irrigated during the hot days and protected them against freezing during the cold nights.

Supported by these agricultural techniques, the city grew to 6.5 square kilometers, and had between 15,000 – 30,000 inhabitants when it was at its largest point.

Tiwanaku also brought other cities under its leadership, sometimes through trade and treaties, sometimes by force. The city expanded its territory to include parts of modern-day Peru, Bolivia and Chile. Around 1000 AD, the empire fell, possibly because a drought led to decreased food production.  However, the city’s monumental architecture remained and has been excavated along with other artifacts.

UNESCO’s web site notes that the city’s ” monumental remains testify to the cultural and political significance of this civilisation, which is distinct from any of the other pre-Hispanic empires of the Americas.”

To see Tiwanaku, you need a US passport and a Bolivian visa. Tourists can apply for a Bolivian visa upon arrival at the airport, but of course you’ll get out of the airport faster and with less stress if you get one before you leave the States. Here is what is required to get a Bolivian tourist visa:

  • 1 completed Bolivian visa application form.
  • A valid US passport
  • 1 passport photo
  • Your hotel confirmation, if you are staying in a hotel.
  • A letter of invitation if you are staying with someone in a private home.
  • A copy of a roundtrip airline ticket.  However, if you are planning on touring South America by bus or by car instead of flying in, you can submit a statement saying when and where you plan to enter and exit the exit the country.
  • A recent bank or credit card statement showing that you have enough cash or credit to cover the cost of your trip.
  • An international yellow fever vaccination certificate.

RushMyTravelVisa.com can help you get your visa quickly and easily.

Apply for your Bolivian visa with us today!

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Get an Indian Visa to See Nanda Devi and the Valley of Flowers

Thursday, March 11th, 2010

This week’s UNESCO World Heritage Site of the Week is a set of two national parks in India, Nanda Devi and Valley of Flowers. Nanda Devi is India’s second-highest mountain, rising 25,643 feet into the air. It is often referred to the patron goddess of the Uttarakhand Himalaya.

Nearby, the lush beauty of the Valley of Flowers offers a pleasing contrast to the jagged peaks of Nanda Devi. As you might expect from the name, Valley of Flowers is covered in so many flowers that locals legends say it is inhabited by fairies!

UNESCO named both parks World Heritage Sites in 2008, saying:

“Together they encompass a unique transition zone between the mountain ranges of the Zanskar and Great Himalaya, praised by mountaineers and botanists for over a century and in Hindu mythology for much longer.”

To visit these parks, you will need an Indian tourist visa. You must apply in advance-visas are not available at the airport.  To get an Indian tourist visa, you need the following documents:

  • Your valid US passport
  • 2 recent passport-sized photos
  • A completed Indian visa application form. To ensure that your visa application is approved, make sure that you write neatly and that you do not make any mistakes on the application. Make sure that you enter in “tourism” in the section that asks you to state why you are traveling to India.
  • A photocopy of your plane tickets or your itinerary.
  • A clear photocopy of your driver’s license or utility bill.

India has what is known as a “jurisdictional” visa system. That means that you must submit your visa application to the correct embassy or consulate for your home state.

RushMyTravelVisa can help you apply for your Indian visa. We’ll assist you with the application, and then deliver it directly to the appropriate embassy or consulate for the fastest possible processing.

Apply for your Indian visa today!

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Get a Belarus Visa To Get Lost in the Woods of Belovezhskaya Pushcha

Thursday, February 25th, 2010

This week’s UNESCO  World Heritage Site of the Week is the Belovezhskaya Pushcha in Belarus.  This ancient forest is one of the largest, most pristine forests in Europe, consisting of 1,771 square kilometers in Belarus and Poland, where it is called the Białowieża Forest.

The forest is home to an amazing variety of creatures, including the wisent, or European bison.  The story of the recovery of the wisent is almost miraculous-the animal actually went extinct in the wild in 1927, when the last one was shot by poachers. However, a small herd was reintroduced in the 1950’s, and today there are around 300 in the park.

The park is also home to some magnificent oak trees, some over 500 years old.  The forest was made a UNESCO World Heritage site in 1979.

To visit the Belovezhskaya Pushcha, you need a Belarus tourist visa. You should apply well in advance, as visas are not available on arrival.  Here are the documents you will need to apply:

  • 1 Belarus visa application form
  • 1 passport-sized photo of yourself
  • If you are  going on a tour, you need a letter from the tour company confirming your reservation with them and your  itinerary.
  • If you are traveling by yourself, you need a hotel reservation from an authorized Belarussian travel agency. The agency will give you an  authorization number to write on your Belarus visa application form.
  • If you are a former Soviet/Belarussian, you will also need to prove how you lost your Soviet/Belarussian citizenship. Generally, you can use the documents you used to get your US citizenship.
  • Your US passport

Also, bear in mind that you may need transit visas for countries that you travel through on the way to Belarus.  RushMyTravelVisa can review your itinerary and make sure you get all of the documents you need for your journey. We can also help cut through the confusion of the visa application process, providing you with clear instructions to make sure you get the fastest service available.

Apply for your visa today!

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UNESCO World Heritage Site of the Week: Get a Chinese Visa to See Giant Pandas

Wednesday, February 17th, 2010

Who doesn’t love pandas? With their big, over-sized heads and gentle faces, they look like they are just waiting to be picked up and hugged (although they will bite if provoked- see this amusing story about a Chinese student who broke into a panda cage and tried to hug one, only to discover he’d bitten off more than he could chew.)

There are some pandas in zoos in America, but for the full panda experience, you really have to go to the Sichuan Giant Panda Sanctuaries.The panda sanctuaries protect the largest stretch of habitat remaining for the giant panda, and contain the largest panda captive breeding program.  The area is home to 30% of the world’s giant pandas and has been a UNESCO World Heritage site since 2006.

In addition to housing giant pandas, the sanctuaries also protect other endangered and elusive creatures, including the red panda, the snow leopard and the clouded leopard. While the Woolong Nature Reserve used to be the top choice for viewing pandas because of the gorgeous views and natural scenery, it was heavily damaged in the China Earthquake, and is currently closed.

Until Woolong opens back up, the best place to see pandas is the Chengdu Panda Base, which has a healthy population of captive breeding pandas.

To visit China, you will need a Chinese tourist visa, also called an L visa. You need to apply before you leave, and you will need to submit the following documents:

  • An application for a Chinese tourist visa.
  • Your passport, which must be valid for at least 6 months and have at least one blank page.
  • You’ll also need a copy of the information page from your passport.
  • One passport.

If you plan to leave within the next 7 days, you should also submit a copy of your travel itinerary to get expedited service.

RushMyTravelVisa can help you speed through the China application process, providing friendly advice, personal attention, easy-to-follow instructions, and the fastest possible service.

Apply for your Chinese visa with us today!

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Get a Turkmenistan Visa to See Ancient Parthian Fortresses

Monday, February 8th, 2010

This week’s UNESCO World Heritage Site is located in the country of Turkmenistan. The Parthian Fortresses of Nisa are the remains of two fortresses that date back to the Parthian Empire, which ruled the area from the middle of the 3rd century BC to the 3rd century AD.

The Parthians competed with the Roman Empire, providing a barrier to expansion that they were never able to defeat. Nisa was their capital city. The two fortresses contained in the UNESCO World Heritage site date from different time periods, and are called Old Nisa and New Nisa.

The UNESCO World Heritage website says that Nisa was chosen to receive the World Heritage Site designation because “the archaeological remains vividly illustrate the significant interaction of cultural influences from central Asia and from the Mediterranean world.”

Visas are required to travel to Turkmenistan. Here’s what you need to get a Turkmenistan tourist visa:

  • Your US passport, which must be valid for at least 3 months past the date you plan to enter Turkmenistan.
  • 2 Turkmenistan visa application forms
  • 2 passport photos
  • If you are staying with a private citizen in Turkmenistan, you will need an invitation from that person . The  invitation must be certified  by the minister of foreign affairs. If you are staying in a hotel, you can  contact ministry of tourism to get an invitation instead.

You should also be aware that transit visas may be required if you pass through  certain countries on the way to Turkmenistan. RushMyTravelVisa can help you go over your itinerary to make sure you know exactly what documents you need to get to your destination.

We can also help you apply for your  visas, providing clear, easy to understand instructions and walking you through the application process, then forwarding your application to the appropriate embassy or consulate for the fastest possible processing.

Apply for your travel visas with us today!

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