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World Heritage Sites safaris, lodges and wildlife tours

Africa currently has 30 designated UNESCO World Heritage Sites - some of which are major natural attractions. Ramsar sites - wetlands of international importance - are also listed.

World Heritage Sites travel info

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Table Mountain

Cape Town is set against Table Mountain's famous profile, while the Table Mountain National Park encompasses 60 km of incredibly scenic beauty, and includes the Peninsula mountain chain that stretches from Signal Hill to Cape Point.

Okavango

Botswana's Okavango Delta is probably most famous, and certainly the most spectacular, floodplain in the world, home to the Moremi Game Reserve - explore this pristine Wetland of International Importance (RAMSAR) by air, land or water.

Serengeti

The annual wildebeest migration in Tanzania is arguably the most spectacular natural event in Africa. More than 3 million large mammals have made the vast Serengeti plains their home.

Greater St. Lucia

Now called the iSimangaliso Wetland Park it is a World Heritage Site and Ramsar Wetland and situated along the KwaZulu-Natal coast in South Africa - a unique region of great lakes, wetlands, rain forests and coastline.

Ngorongoro Crater

Ngorongoro Crater is a large volcanic crater near Arusha in Tanzania. Maasai herders graze their cattle amid the wildlife, which roams freely. It is a World Heritage site.

Bwindi National Park

Bwindi Impenetrable Forest is a world heritage site and the safest place to track habituated gorillas in Africa. There are also chimpanzees, 90 other mammal species, and countless bird varieties.

Kilimanjaro

Tanzania's Mount Kilimanjaro is the highest mountain in Africa at 19,340ft. This is a mountain climber's paradise - a challenging trek that includes five distinct ecological zones.

Victoria Falls

The Victoria Falls represent the world's largest sheet of falling water, and can be enjoyed from the Zambian and Zimbabwean side. Despite their fame, the magic of the Falls is still intact.

Lake Naivasha

Lake Naivasha, a Wetland of International Importance (RAMSAR), is a papyrus-lined freshwater lake, surrounded by fever tree acacias, visited by hippos, giraffe, buffalo and colobus monkeys and a world class birding destination with over 400 avian species.

Selous Game Reserve

The Selous in southern Tanzania boasts the largest elephant population in the world. It is a UNESCO world heritage site; its highly diverse ecosystems teem with African wildlife.

Ruwenzori Mountains

Explore meandering rainforest and bamboo trails before emerging in a high altitude plateau on the mist-shrouded "Mountains of the Moon". Then take on Africa's 3rd highest peak - permanently ice-capped, and rated Uganda's most challenging.

Elephant are frequently seen at the magnificent Mana Pools.

Mana Pools

Mana Pools in northern Zimbabwe is a breathtaking wildlife haven. The Zambezi River has left behind the remains of old channels, forming small seasonal pools scattered over 2 000 sq. km, visited by large herds of big game in the dry season.

Drakensberg

The Drakensberg is South Africa's highest and most impressive mountain range, rising to over 3 000 meters. It is a 200 km mountainous wonderland and a world heritage site.

Cederberg

The Cederberg is an area of stark and strangely eroded rock formations, waterfalls, crystal streams, clear pools, magnificent view sites, of caverns, overhangs, peaks and ravines.

Wilderness National Park

The Wilderness National Park lies in the foothills of the Outeniqua Mountains in a region of incomparable beauty, encompassing lakes, rivers, lagoons, forests, fynbos, white beaches and the sea.

Lake Malawi

Lake Malawi is the third largest lake in Africa. It is a tropical paradise with palm, mango, avocado and banana trees lining its shores. The blue, tranquil waters ensure wonderful canoeing, while the kaleidoscope of cichlids make for exciting snorkelling.

Wildlife viewing on horseback in Waterbeg

Waterberg

The Waterberg Conservancy in the Limpopo Province is regarded as one of South Africa's best kept wildlife secrets - 75 mammal species live within its 150 000 hectares, and archaeological sites abound.

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World Heritage Sites travel info

UNESCO: The United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization seeks to encourage the identification, protection and preservation of cultural and natural heritage around the world. The World Heritage List grows longer every year as new nominations are accepted by the World Heritage Committee and more countries sign the World Heritage Convention. Drawing up the World Heritage List presents a difficult challenge: What is it that constitutes the 'outstanding universal value' of a cultural or natural treasure? To be included on the World Heritage List, a property must satisfy the selection criteria adopted by the Committee.

A cultural monument: could be a masterpiece of creative genius; have exerted great architectural influence; be associated with ideas or beliefs of universal significance; or it may be an outstanding example of a traditional way of life that represents a certain culture.

A natural property: may exemplify major stages of the earth's history; represent ongoing ecological and biological processes; contain the natural habitats of endangered animals; or it may be a setting of exceptional beauty.

When a property on the World Heritage List is seriously threatened, it may be inscribed on the List of World Heritage in Danger , which entitles it to special attention and international assistance.

RAMSAR: The Convention on Wetlands, signed in Ramsar, Iran, in 1971, is an intergovernmental treaty which provides the framework for national action and international cooperation for the conservation and wise use of wetlands and their resources. There are presently 138 Contracting Parties to the Convention, with 1368 wetland sites, totaling 120.5 million hectares, designated for inclusion in the Ramsar List of Wetlands of International Importance.

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