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SSouth Africa has eight UNESCO World Heritage Sites, each an area of extraordinary beauty or a site of great importance to humanity. From Robben Island to the Cradle of Humankind, visiting one or more of our heritage sites is a must.
Explore South Africa's UNESCO World Heritage Sites and get a glimpse of our natural and cultural wonders:
Robben Island: This famous landmark in Table Bay is where Nelson Mandela and many other Freedom Struggle heroes were imprisoned. Guided tours are done by previous inmates, which together with the location, history and prison conditions make for a highly emotive experience.
iSimangaliso Wetland Park: One of the largest estuary systems in Africa, it's acclaimed for its exceptional biodiversity and over 520 bird species. Here you’ll find the world's highest sand dunes, golden beaches, coral reefs, wetlands, mangrove swamps, woodlands, coastal forests and grasslands.
Cradle of Humankind: This area close to Johannesburg boasts the richest evidence of human evolution over the past 3.5-million years and has yielded the remains of some of the oldest hominids, the early ancestors of the human race.
uKhahlamba-Drakensberg Park: South Africa's highest mountain range, has exceptional scenic beauty, a diverse habitat harbouring a number of endangered plant and bird species and a concentration of historic rock art paintings. An ideal place for adventure activities ranging from hiking trails to mountain climbing.
MMapungubwe Cultural Landscape: This Iron Age site showing evidence of a highly advanced indigenous society that existed centuries before European colonialism spread across Africa. This is where the famous golden rhinoceros and many other artifacts were found.
Cape Floral Region: The Western Cape's fynbos (indigenous flowering shrubland) is one of the richest and most diverse floral areas in the world. Around 70% of its floral species occur nowhere else on the planet. Table Mountain National Park, which is part of this remarkable wilderness area, has more plant species in its 22 000 hectares than Britain or New Zealand.
Vredefort Dome: The world's biggest meteor crater dates back two million years when a gigantic meteorite 10km in diameter hit the earth. Today this site is the oldest and largest clearly visible meteorite impact site in the world. Adventure activities abound.
The Richtersveld Cultural and Botanical Landscape: A remarkable mountainous desert in the north-west of the country that is uniquely owned and managed by the Nama communities.
Related links
- Robben Island Museum
- Cradle of Humankind World Heritage Site
- Richtersveld National Park
- iSimangaliso Wetland Park
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