When traveling to Asia you can expect to see many cultural and historic sites.  This captivating continent offers endless vacation opportunities.  Vacation in Japan and explore the mountainous Shokawa Valley and the village of Shirakawa. This secluded area of Japan is known for its Gassho-Zukuri (joined hands)-style thatched houses.  These unique structures can only be found in this region earning it a place on UNESCO’s World Heritage List.

Prepare to explore the far reaching corners of the globe as we begin our next series covering a few of the sites on UNESCO’s World Heritage List. The list includes nearly 900 sites that span from Austria to Australia, and Turkey to Thailand; and with the Globus family of brands, travelers will visit many of the sites on the World Heritage List when they select from over 400 vacations to more than 70 countries.

To be included on the World Heritage List, sites must be of outstanding universal value and meet a set of selection criteria that includes:

- Representing a masterpiece of human creative genius

- Containing superlative natural phenomena or areas of exceptional natural beauty and aesthetic importance

- Be an outstanding example of a type of building, architectural or technological ensemble or landscape which illustrates a significant stage in human history

On our journey to the UNESCO World Heritage sites we will travel through the mountainous Shokawa Valley to Shirakawa in Japan, which is listed for the Gassho-Zukuri (joined hands)-style thatched houses that can only be found in this remote region.  Then we invite you to experience a long siesta in Montevideo, Uruguay and take a trip to nearby Colonia del Sacramento. Next join us as we view the many Buddha statues and ruins of temples and monasteries in Sukhothai Historical Park in Thailand. Finally we will wrap our whirlwind adventure by vacationing in Sydney, Australia where we will catch a breath taking view of the Sydney Opera House while cruising the harbor.