The Inspiration

As a country that is very rich in culture and traditions, India has always been a very popular destination for cultural tourism, which is one of the many reasons why most of the UNESCO World Heritage Sites prominently showcase the cultural glory along with the historical significance of this great land.

In 2017, an attack on a Swiss couple who were visiting one of the many Indian Heritage Sites in Fatehpur Sikri shocked many. While the incident was indeed unfortunate, it gave us the spark to take up the mission of proving that India is in fact a safe place to travel. We also wanted to prove that good public transport and well-maintained conveniences are available at all important tourist destinations and monument sites all over the country, including World Heritage Sites.

Most of all, we wanted to prove the world that using public transport in India as a traveler is not only safe but also efficient too, and that we can cover heritage sites in record-breaking time too.

We therefore approached Guinness World Records with our intention, who provided us with a list of about 150 rules and regulations. As a team, we had to comply with all of them to become eligible for the title “Most UNESCO World Heritage Site Visits in 12 Hours Using Public Transport”.

MOST UNESCO WORLD HERITAGE SITE VISITS IN 12 HOURS USING PUBLIC TRANSPORT

After a very long period of hibernation, we got the approval to do 7 UNESCO World Heritage Site Visits in 12 Hours (or less). The expedition was led by Triumph Expeditions, in association with Transcend Adventures.

Interestingly, selecting the participants for the Guinness World Record attempt was one of the most difficult tasks undertaken by us, as there were several criteria to be met. One of the criteria for the Guinness World Record was a set of parameters pertaining to the usage of public transport. This required that we had to also select women and children for the World Heritage Sites’ visits, and prove that they too can travel safely and comfortably.

The team for the world record attempt comprised of members from both Triumph Expeditions (from Coimbatore, Tamil Nadu) and Transcend Adventures (from Hyderabad, Telangana). The members were selected on the basis of their level of physical fitness, and their experience in adventure travel. The children too were taken into consideration based on their prior travel experience.

Finally, a team of 21 members were selected for the World Record attempt, which was named the “UNESCO12” expedition.

World Record Attempt Day: 8th July 2018

It look us quite some time to plan and finalize the route for the UNESCO12 event. Since it was an effort which comprised women and children as members of the team, we undertook a trial attempt on 6th July, two days prior to the event.

On 8th July, the team started its expedition at 05.20 am from the Taj Mahal, Agra. We reached the Agra Fort at Agra, and traveled to Fatehpur Sikhri. The team then traveled to Keoladeo National Park, Bharatpur by a local bus. Later, we took the Jan Shatabdi Express train to New Delhi at 09:25 am. Humayun’s Tomb was the first UNESCO World Heritage Site we visited in New Delhi, which was followed by the Red Fort before travelling to the last heritage site.

The Record Time

Finally, at 04.53 pm, the team finished the expedition at Qutub Minar, Delhi.

It took us a total of 11 Hours 33 Minutes and 18 Seconds to visit all the Seven UNESCO World Heritage Sites covering a distance of 274 km (170 mi) using only public transport. On an average, we took about 1 hour and 40 minutes (100 mins) for reach each heritage site.

Across the expedition, the team covered the distance of 274 kms by electric vehicle, metered taxi, government bus, auto rickshaws, train, metro (train), and also walked for more than 5 km (3 mi).

Among the guidelines prescribed for the world record attempt, we had to get two witnesses’ signatures at each of the seven UNESCO World Heritage Sites, and one more signature from a senior official to sign as consolidated witness at the final UNESCO site.

Our Thanks

At Triumph Expeditions, we have always believed that there is always a team behind most if not all great accomplishments. In line with our beliefs, our accomplishment too was made possible because of our enthusiastic team, which included wonderful children too.

In addition to our team members, we were both blessed and lucky to find tourist guides, people who were in-charge at the heritage sites, and others – all extending their unconditional support. It is the coming together of all of them which made it possible for us to achieve the title: Most UNESCO World Heritage Site Visits in 12 Hours Using Public Transport.

Representing Incredible India from the Ministry of Tourism, Govt. of India, its Regional Director Mr. Anil Oraw, provided with his signature as consolidated evidence for the successful accomplishment of the World Record.

We thank UNESCO for giving the status of the World Heritage Site for the seven monuments that we covered, and for all other monuments that have been provided with the status. We would also like to thank the Government of India for maintaining all these sites in a wonderful way.

Passing Our Values

Spending time each of the sites was a wonderful experience for each one of us. What struck us the most, apart from the beautiful monuments themselves, was the good ambience within and the serene surroundings around the monuments. Each of them gave us the feeling as if we had travelled back in time!

We strongly believe in preserving history in its true form. We are also very passionate about the conservation of our environment. That’s why we are highly committed to pass on these values to the future generations, which we hope they will pass on to their next.