Situated in the east of Europe, Ukraine remains a mystical and misunderstood land. A simple west-to-east cross of this country and you are bound to get the most intriguing history lesson. Along the way, you will discover that there are plenty of cultural myths and stories, the kinds about unique local archetypal characters that will capture your imagination and keep you coming back for more local travel experiences in Ukraine.

Tourism expert and owner of WHL Egypt, Sherif Abd Elwahab is thrilled that his team of local from Alexandria, Egypt, is now available to assist in planning a fun and responsible Alexandria holiday. “We at WHL Egypt are committed to promoting sustainable tourism and to using the tourism industry as a vehicle for protecting Egypt’s great historical sites,” said Elwahab. Alexandria joins the growing list of whl.travel destinations in Egypt, including Cairo, Sharm el Sheikh, Aswan and Luxor, Safaga, Ein Sokhna and Port Said.

WHL Egypt manages destination portals all across Egypt, including Cairo, Sharm El Sheikh, Aswan and Luxor, Safaga and Ein Sokhna. Now, with the addition of www.portsaid-shoreexcursions.com, the staff at WHL Egypt is excited to continue the partnership with whl.travel, a company with which it shares a commitment to ethical travel and the preservation of history and culture around the world.

As the Great Wall of China stretches across most of a massive country, its justifiable fame and beauty make it one of the best known of all UNESCO World Heritage sites. The wall, however, is not the same in all places. From the seas of the east to the western deserts of the Hexi corridor, the Great Wall changes and so does the experience of a visit to this massive defensive bulwark. Each part nevertheless provides a new vista of and new justification for its 1987 inclusion on UNESCO’s vaunted list.

Counted individually, the UNESCO World Heritage Sites in Ghana are more plentiful than in any other country in Africa. They consist of 32 historic forts and castles and 13 traditional Ashanti buildings. There remains one Ghanaian asset of immense cultural and scientific value that needs inclusion on the UNESCO list to save it from destruction: Lake Bosomtwe.

December 21, 2012, is the last day of the 13th baktun of the Mayan calendar, a day on which many believe that something big is going to happen. Rather than preparing for the apocalypse, why not plan a 2012 tour of the Mayan pyramids and prophesies in Guatemala? Explore the grand ruins of ancient Mayan civilisations. Meet a traditional living Mayan community of today and find out firsthand what they are thinking and doing as you take part in sacred rituals and ceremonies.

In a place called Shakhrisabz, about 80 kilometres south of Samarkand in Uzbekistan, a giant monument to the 14th-century Mongol khan Temor (Tamerlane) marks the place he was born. The towering statue of Temor cues what is to come: in the city of Samarkand itself, even more references to one of the country’s most important historical figures are to be found, including the heavily-restored mausoleum where he was buried.