10 Heritage Sites to visit in South Africa

There are 10 South African heritage sites on the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO) World Heritage List.  The sites are designated as having “outstanding universal value” under the Convention Concerning the Protection of the World Cultural and Natural Heritage.

Heritage Day on September 24th recognises and celebrates the cultural diversity of our nation. Spend this special day with your loved ones at one of our World Heritage Sites.

1. Robben Island (Western Cape). Most famous for the incarceration of political prisoners, including Nelson Mandela, who was imprisoned here for 18 of his 27-year jail sentence.
2. iSimangaliso Wetland Park (KwaZulu-Natal). Formerly called the Greater St Lucia Wetland Park, it has both one of the largest estuary systems in Africa and the continent’s southernmost coral reefs.
3. Cradle of Humankind (Gauteng). It includes the hominid fossil sites at Swartkrans, Sterkfontein and Kromdraai. Fossils of some of the earliest known life forms on Earth have been found in South Africa.
4. Ukhahlamba-Drakensberg Park (KwaZulu-Natal). The park has outstanding natural beauty, Africa’s highest mountain range south of Kilimanjaro, and the largest and most concentrated series of rock art paintings in Africa.
5. Mapungubwe Heritage Site  (Limpopo). Once the centre of gold and ivory trade with eastern African ports, it was abandoned in the 1300’s. However, it remains a very important area thanks to the heritage left behind by past generations.
6. Cape Floral Kingdom (Western Cape). It makes up only 0.04% of the world’s land area, yet contains an astonishing 3% of its plant species, making it one of the richest areas for plants in the world and one of the globe’s 18 biodiversity hotspots. The protected areas include:

• Table Mountain
• De Hoop Nature Reserve
• Boland mountain complex
• Groot Winterhoek wilderness area
• Swartberg mountains
• Boosmansbos wilderness area
• Cederberg wilderness area
• Baviaanskloof
• Kirstenbosch Botanical Garden

7. Richtersveld Cultural and Botanical Landscape (Northern Cape). A remarkable mountainous desert that is uniquely owned and managed by the Nama community, descendants of the Khoi-Khoi people.
8. Vredefort Dome (Free State). Some two billion years ago, a meteorite 10 km in diameter hit the earth about 100 km southwest of Johannesburg, creating an enormous impact crater.
9. Barberton Makhonjwa Mountains (Mpumalanga). A range of small to medium hills and mountains that cover about 80% of the Mpumalanga province. Containing the oldest and best preserved sedimentary and volcanic rock.
10. Khomani Cultural Landscape (Northern Cape). The Khomani San descend directly from an ancient population that lived in southern Africa 150 000 years ago. This same group of people are believed to be among the ancestors of human beings.

Make this Heritage Day, one to remember by visiting one of our World Heritage Sites.