To be awarded World Heritage Natural Site status, each site must be of ‘exceptional natural beauty’ or an ‘outstanding example’ of a major stage in the earth's 4-6-billion-year history or offer ‘unique richness’ in biological diversity. That’s quite a recommendation for South Africa’s three World Heritage Natural Sites.
Adventure for everyone
Apart from the sites themselves, each area offers an exciting range of activities, places to stay, places of interest and adventures for tourists of every ageand fitness level. Consult the links at the end of this article.
The uKhahlamba-Drakensberg Mountains
These mountains have the power to breathe new life into the human spirit, is what the mystics say about the mighty mountains of the uKhahlamba-Drakensberg Park.
Largest mountain wilderness area in Africa
The single largest protected mountain wilderness area in Africa, this site spans 2500-square kilometres.
uKhahlamba, meaning ‘barrier of spears’, was the name the Zulu people gave to these precipitous mountain peaks when they first set eyes on them several centuries back.
The name Drakensberg or Dragon’s Mountain dates back to the 1800s when ‘a giant lizard with wings and a tail’ is said to have been sighted flying above the mountain peaks.
Exceptional natural beauty
Nestled between KwaZulu-Natal and Lesotho, the uKhahlamba–Drakensberg range epitomises “exceptional natural beauty” with its soaring basalt cliffs, dramatic peaks and golden sandstone buttresses.
The site's diversity of habitats offers an extraordinary mix of species – including many endemic and globally threatened species. It contains 2153 plant species, 48 mammal species and over 300 bird species.
Put it on your lifetime list
Whether you’re a serious hiker or a day ambler, fit or rusty, if there is one site you need to visit, put the uKhahlamba-Drakensberg Mountains on your lifetime list.
Vredefort Dome
Imagine a meteorite measuring between 5 and 15 kilometres hurtling towards Earth at thousands of kilometres per hour.
The world’s greatest known single energy release event
Now imagine this huge chunk of rock slamming into
the Earth in what UNESCO describes as “the world’s greatest known single energy release event”.
This catastrophic scenario happened 2 billion years ago near what is today the town of Vredefort, about 120kms southwest of Johannesburg.
The impact created a 300km wide crater with a large central uplift (or dome).
The oldest and largest impact structure on Earth
Today, much of the original crater and dome have eroded away but a ring of mountainous land remains to remind us of this impact that turned part of the Earth’s crust inside out.
Buried gold
In so doing, it buried the gold reefs of the Witwatersrand for 2 billion years.
In fact, if the Vredefort impact had not occurred when and where it did, the world’s largest goldfields would have washed away into the prehistoric oceans.
Apart from the dome, enjoy many adventure options in this Vaal River region: kayaking, waterskiing, mountain-biking, hiking, abseiling, with dozens of accommodation options close by.
2-billion-year trip
The Vredefort Dome is an easy day drive from Johannesburg. So why not hop in your car and take the 2-billion-year trip?
The Greater ISimangaliso Wetland Park
A breathtakingly beautiful patchwork of wetlands, dunes and coastal forests, the ISimangaliso Wetlands Park, fomerly the St Lucia Wetlands on the Elephant Coast of KwaZulu-Natal, is an extreme natural high.
The A-Z of estuarine and marine wildlife
A protected area covering 260,000-hectares, this site offers the A-Z of estuarine and marine wildlife: from whales and dolphins to tropical fish, waterfowl, giant turtles, corals.
Fed by five rivers, ISimangaliso consists of 8 inter-linking ecosystems, 3 major lake systems and about 280km of Indian Ocean coastline.
Whales, whale-sharks and dolphins
From June to September each year, you can spot Southern Right whales, whale-sharks and dolphins.
In summer, you can see giant turtles laying their eggs on the beaches at night.
526 species of birds
If you’re a birder, you’ll see large breeding colonies of pelicans, storks, herons, terns and over 526 species of birds.
Take a morning stroll along the endless sandy beaches or snorkel amongst the most southerly coral reefs in Africa for a multi-coloured dream.
The Cape Floral Region
When it comes to plant kingdoms, they don’t come richer than the Cape Floral Kingdom - the smallest and richest of the 6 plant kingdoms in the world.
Nowhere else on Earth
The Cape Floral Kingdom has 9 600 plant species – more than in the whole of the northern hemisphere – of which 70% occurs nowhere else on Earth.
Global biodiversity hotspot
Little wonder it is internationally recognised as a global biodiversity hotspot.
Characteristic fynbos plants are the proteas, restios (Cape reeds), geophytes (bulbous plants) and ericas (heathers). The region has over 600 species of heather. Step aside Scotland!
The Cape Floral Kingdom spans 90 000 square kilometres - extending from the Cederberg (200 kilometres north of Cape Town) to Port Elizabeth on South Africa’s southeastern coast.
Eight unique areas to visit
It is divided into 8 unique areas: Table Mountain, Groot Winterhoek, Cederberg, Boland, De Hoop, Boosmansbos, Swartberg and Baviaanskloof.
An ideal way to explore the Western and Eastern Cape is to follow the Cape Floral Kingdom.
Along the way it will lead you to many a wine estate as all the Western Cape vineyards are situated in the Cape Floral Kingdom.
Wine and flowers
In the past two years over 30 000 hectares of the 100 000 hectare footprint of vineyards in the Western Cape have been dedicated to conservation.
It’s a giant floral step. Now follow the footprint.
For more information get the Southbound Pocket Guides on South Africa’s World Heritage Sites, available countrywide or on www.30degreessouth.co.za.
Links:
Photos courtesy and copyright of South African Tourism
Vredefort Dome photo courtesy and copyright of UNESCO