Aapravasi Ghat
Located on the bay of Trou Fanfaron, in the capital of Port-Louis, the Aapravasi Ghat is the remains of an immigration depot, the site from where modern indentured labour Diaspora emerged. The Depot was built in 1849 to receive indentured labourers from India, Eastern Africa, Madagascar, China and Southeast Asia to work on the island’s sugar estates as part of the 'Great Experiment’. This experiment was initiated by the British Government, after the abolition of slavery in the British Empire in 1834, to demonstrate the superiority of ‘free’ over slave labour in its plantation colonies. The success of the 'Great Experiment' in Mauritius led to its adoption by other colonial powers from the 1840s, resulting in a world-wide migration of more than two million indentured labourers, of which Mauritius received almost half a million.
The buildings of Aapravasi Ghat are among the earliest explicit manifestations of what would become a global economic system. The Aapravasi Ghat site stands as a major historic testimony of indenture in the 19th century and is the sole surviving example of this unique modern diaspora. It represents not only the development of the modern system of contractual labour, but also the memories, traditions and values that these men, women and children carried with them when they left their countries of origin to work in foreign lands and subsequently bequeathed to their millions of descendants for whom the site holds great symbolic meaning.
The Aapravasi Ghat was named a UNESCO World Heritage Site in 2006.
(Source UNESCO)
Aldabra Atoll
Located in the Indian Ocean, the Aldabra Atoll is an outstanding example of a raised coral atoll. Due to its remoteness and inaccessibility, the atoll has remained largely untouched by humans for the majority of its existence.
Aldabra is one of the largest atolls in the world, and contains one of the most important natural habitats for studying evolutionary and ecological processes. It is home to the largest giant tortoise population in the world. The richness and diversity of the ocean and landscapes result in an array of colours and formations that contribute to the atoll's scenic and aesthetic appeal.
Aldabra Atoll was named a UNESCO World Heritage Site in 1982.
(Source UNESCO)
Bwindi Impenetrable National Park
It is one of the largest places in East Africa with Afromontane lowland forest that extends well into the montane forest zone, covering 32,092 ha. The property, which is thought to be a Pleistocene refugium and is located on the eastern end of the Albertine Rift Valley, is a biodiversity hotspot with possibly the greatest number of tree species for its altitude in East Africa.
It also has a rich biodiversity, including several rare butterflies and one of Africa's most diverse mammalian assemblages. As an isolated forest of extraordinary biological richness surrounded by an agricultural landscape supporting one of the highest rural population densities in equatorial Africa, the property represents a conservation frontline as home to over half of the world's mountain gorilla population. Mountain gorilla and other ecotourism-related community benefits may be the sole hope for the continued protection of this unique environment.
The Bwindi Impenetrable National Park was named a UNESCO World Heritage Site in 1994.
(Source UNESCO)
Cape Floral Region
The property is located in the south-western corner of South Africa. It is one of the world's most important biodiversity hotspots on land. National parks, natural reserves, wilderness regions, State forests, and mountain catchment areas are also part of the expanded property. The Fynbos vegetation, a fine-leaved sclerophyllic shrubland adapted to both a Mediterranean temperature and periodic fires, is unique to the Cape Floral Region, and these elements add a considerable number of endemic species.
In terms of richness, density, and number of endemic species, the Cape Floral Region has been recognized as one of the world's most unique regions for plants. The property is a very unusual phytogeographic entity that is considered one of the world's six Floral Kingdoms and is by far the smallest and most diversified.
For its richness of endemic and vulnerable plants, it is known as one of the world's "hottest hotspots," and it offers remarkable instances of key ongoing ecological, biological, and evolutionary processes. A series of 13 protected area clusters totaling more than 1 million ha reflect this remarkable diversity of plant life and its related animals.
The excellent ecological, biological, and evolutionary processes connected with the gorgeous and distinctive Fynbos vegetation, which is unique to the Cape Floral Region, are also preserved in these protected areas.
The Cape Floral Region Protected Areas were named a UNESCO World Heritage Site in 2004.
(Source UNESCO)
Chongoni Rock-Art Area
The 127 sites of this property, which are located inside a cluster of forested granite hills and occupy an area of 126.4 km sqaured high up on the plateau of central Malawi, have the richest concentration of rock art in Central Africa.
They include drawings by BaTwa hunter-gatherers who lived in the area since the Late Stone Age, as well as the comparably rare tradition of farmer rock art. Chewa agriculturalists conducted rock painting until well into the twentieth century, and their predecessors had resided there since the Early Iron Age. The Chewa retain cultural value for the rock art symbols that are highly associated with women, and the sites are actively associated with ceremonies and rituals.
The rock art of the Chongoni sites depicts the peoples of the Malawi plateau's cultural history and traditions, including the change from foraging to food production, the subsequent Ngoni invasion of the Chewa people, and the arrival of the white man.
Symbols used in initiation rituals and ritual acts are also included in the artwork. The rock art area embodies existing cultural traditions as a center for traditional and religious ceremonies.
The area's terrain, which includes rock overhangs among wooded slopes and grassy clearings, provides a protective setting that contributes to the rock art sites' high universal significance.
The Chongoni Rock-Art Area was named a UNESCO World Heritage Site in 2006.
(Source UNESCO)
Fort Jesus
Fort Jesus, Mombasa, was built by the Portuguese at the end of the 16th century on the southern edge of Mombasa, over a spur of coral rock, and remained under their control for a century. It is the first successful attempt by Western civilization to rule the Indian ocean trade routes, which had remained under Eastern influence until then.
The fort's architecture, with its dimensions, towering walls, and five bastions, represents Renaissance military architectural doctrine.Fort Jesus, Mombasa, gives physical witness to the exchange of cultural values and influences between and among peoples of African, Arab, Turkish, Persian, and European heritage who strove to establish and maintain dominance over this key port through its architecture and subsequent alterations.
Fort Jesus was named a UNESCO World Heritage Site in 2011.
(Source UNESCO)
Great Zimbabwe National Monument
The Great Zimbabwe National Monument is around 30 kilometers from Masvingo and is situated in the lowveld at an elevation of 1100 meters in a sparsely populated Bantu/Shona region. Built between 1100 and 1450 AD, the site spans about 800 acres and is divided into three sections: the Hill Ruins, the Great Enclosure, and the Valley Ruins.
From the 11th to the 15th centuries, the Hill Ruins, which are a massive granite block atop a spur facing north-east/south-west, were continually occupied, and there are several layers of human settlement evidence. Rough granite rubble-stone blocks form discrete enclosures, with pathways that are narrow and partly covered. The west enclosure is assumed to have been the dwelling of succeeding chiefs, while the east enclosure, which contains six steatite upright poles topped with birds, is thought to have served a ritual role.
The Great Enclosure, which is shaped like an ellipse and dates from the 14th century, is located to the south of the hills. It consists of a series of daga-hut living quarters, a community area, and a small tunnel leading to a high conical tower made of cut granite pieces arranged in regular courses. A mixture of granitic sand and clay was used to make the bricks (daga). Within the stone enclosure walls, huts were built; inside each community area, other walls marked off each family's portion, which typically consisted of a kitchen, two living huts, and a court.
The Valley Ruins are a collection of 19th-century living ensembles spread around the valley. Many of the structures in each ensemble are made of brick (huts, inside flooring and benches, holders for receivers, basins, and so on), and each ensemble is insulated by dry stone masonry walls. The construction work was done to a high quality of skill, with a spectacular display of chevron and chequered wall designs, evoking later Stone Age advances.
Scientific evidence shows that Great Zimbabwe was built in the 11th century on a site that had been sparsely populated in the prehistoric period by the Shona, a Bantu group from the Iron Age. It was the capital of a large state that spanned the gold-rich plateaux in the 14th century, with a population of over 10,000 people. Because the hinterland could no longer provide food for the overcrowded metropolis and because of deforestation, the capital was abandoned around 1450. The resulting movement helped Khami, which became the region's most powerful city, but it also showed the region's political influence diminishing. When the Portuguese arrived in Sofala in 1505, the area was split between the competing kingdoms of Torwa and Mwene-Mutapa.
During archeological investigations, glass beads and porcelain from China and Persia, as well as gold and Arab coins from Kilwa, were uncovered, revealing the extent of long-standing trade with the outside world. Other artifacts, including as potsherds and ironware, reveal more about the property's socioeconomic complexity, as well as farming and pastoral activities. A massive stone cross depicts community engagement with missionaries and is positioned at a traditionally treasured and sacred spiritual spot.
The Great Zimbabwe National Monument was named a UNESCO World Heritage Site in 1986.
(Source UNESCO)
Harar Jugol
Harar is a fortified historic city in Ethiopia's eastern region, 525 kilometers from Addis Ababa, on a plateau with steep gorges surrounded by deserts and savannah. The walls that encircled this hallowed city, which is known as Islam's "fourth holy city," were constructed between the 13th and 16th centuries and acted as a protective barrier.
There used to be five historic gates that corresponded to the town's main highways and served to separate the city into five neighborhoods, but this division is no longer effective. The Harar gate, from which the main streets flow to the city center, is relatively new.
Harar Jugol is home to 82 mosques, three of which date back to the 10th century, 102 shrines, and a variety of conventional, Indian, and mixed townhouses with unique interior designs, all of which contribute to Harar's cultural legacy. African and Islamic traditions affected the formation of the city and its distinctive urban planning over a long period of time, contributing to its distinct character and originality.
The current urban arrangement is based on a 16th-century design for an Islamic town, with a central core of commercial and religious structures and a maze of small lanes with imposing facades. Although suggestive of coastal Arab architecture and with an amazing interior design, this is a typical domestic arrangement seen in Muslim countries.
Indian merchants erected new houses with wooden verandas at the end of the nineteenth century, which formed a separate urban scene and influenced the construction of integrated Indian/Harari residences. Harari's cultural legacy today includes their architectural and ornamental elements.
From 1520 to 1568, Harar served as the capital of the Harari Kingdom, then as an independent emirate in the 17th century before being absorbed into Ethiopia in 1887. Harar was a major commercial center between the coast and the interior highlands, as well as a center for Islamic study, from the late 16th century until the 19th century.
The Harari People National Regional State's administrative capital is Harar today (HPNRS). The historic town has a historically functioning community, constituting a complex social-environmental whole with symbolic and practical significance for each aspect. The Harari people are known for their continuing cultural traditions and high-quality handicrafts, such as weaving, basketry, and book binding. Traditional community organization has preserved the social and physical heritage of the Harari people, as well as the Harari language.
Harar Jugol was named a UNESCO World Heritage Site in 2006.
(Source UNESCO)
Island of Mozambique
Mozambique's fortified city, a former Portuguese trading port on the road to India, is located on this island. Its extraordinary architectural unity is owing to the usage of the same building techniques, building materials (stone or macuti), and decorative principles from the 16th century.
The Island of Mozambique is a calcareous coral reef located 4 kilometers from the mainland shore at the entrance to the Indian Ocean's Mossuril Bay in the Republic of Mozambique's Nampula Province. The island is connected to the mainland by a bridge erected in the 1960s. To the east, two small deserted islands, the Islands of Goa and Sena, create an archipelago.
Because the island played a unique role in transcontinental commerce linkages beginning in the 10th century, the island communities are inextricably linked to the history of sailing in the Indian Ocean. The development and creation of Portuguese maritime channels between Western Europe and the Indian subcontinent are of international historical significance.
Mozambique's island includes two distinct forms of housing and urban structures. In the north, a Swahili stone and lime town with Arab and European influences, and in the south, a macuti town (city of roofed palm leaves) with traditional African architecture. The administrative and economic holdings of the stone and lime town served as the first seat of the Portuguese colonial authority, which lasted from 1507 to 1898. Following that, the capital was moved to Lourenço Marques, presently Maputo. The urban fabric and fortifications of Mozambique Island are outstanding examples of architecture and construction techniques originating from cultural diversity and interactions between people of Bantu, Swahili, Arab, Persian, Indian, and European ancestry.
The island's extraordinary architectural coherence is the result of the continuous employment of the same building techniques, materials, and decorative concepts. The oldest intact fortification on the island (St. Sebastian, 1558-1620), as well as other defensive structures and countless ecclesiastical structures, are all part of the island's patrimony (including many from the 16th century).
The Island of Mozambique was named a UNESCO World Heritage Site in 1991.
(Source UNESCO)
Kenya Lake System
The Kenya Lake System in the Great Rift Valley is a natural wonder that consists of three interconnected small lakes (Lake Bogoria, Lake Nakuru, and Lake Elementaita) in Kenya's Rift Valley Province, with a total area of 32,034 hectares.
The site is home to 13 globally endangered bird species and has some of the world's highest bird diversity. It is a major nesting and breeding place for great white pelicans, as well as the single most important foraging site for lesser flamingos globally.
The land is rich in mammal populations, including black rhinos, Rothschild's giraffes, greater kudu, lions, cheetahs, and wild dogs, and is useful for studying important ecological processes.
The Kenya Lake System in the Great Rift Valley was named a UNESCO World Heritage Site in 2011.
(Source UNESCO)
Khami Ruins National Monument
This national monument lies 22 kilometers west of Bulawayo, on the banks of the Khami River. The property, which spans about 2 kilometers from the Passage Ruin to the North Ruin and is located on a 1300 m hilltop downstream from a dam built in 1928-1929, has an area of roughly 108 acres.
The Torwa dynasty developed from the collapse of the Great Zimbabwe Kingdom between 1450 and 1650, and was abandoned during the Ndebele raids of the nineteenth century. It is made up of a complicated succession of platforms with dry-stone walled constructions that resemble a later stage of Stone Age society. The chief's home (Mambo) was on the Hill Ruin site, with its associated farming terraces, to the north. The people lived in cobwork daga houses, which were encircled by granite walls.
These buildings have a high level of craftsmanship, numerous tiny corridors and perambulatory galleries, and remarkable chevron and chequered wall designs. In certain archaeological and architectural characteristics, Khami is similar to Great Zimbabwe, but it has elements unique to it and its successors, such as Danangombe and Zinjanja. Revetments or retaining walls found expression for the first time in the architectural history of the sub-region at Khami, and with it were elaborate decorations; it still has the longest decorated wall in the entire sub-region.
The site's architecture and archaeological artifacts provide evidence for a unique knowledge of early civilizations that were strong and cohesive. They also include information on the property's complicated socioeconomic, theological, and spiritual significance for local populations, as well as the wider chronological evolution of Zimbabwean tradition, beginning in Mapungubwe (South Africa), and continuing through the rise of later states.
The archaeological remains are also evidence of long-distance historic trade links with the Portuguese and the rest of the world, with a diverse range of imported artefacts demonstrating 15th and 17th century Spanish porcelain, Rhineland stoneware, and Ming porcelain, many of which are on display at Bulawayo's Museum of Natural History. There is also a massive granite cross that depicts missionary encounters at a historically treasured and sacred spiritual spot.
Khami is Zimbabwe's second-largest stone-built monument. Its historical significance stems from its location at the crossroads of Great Zimbabwe's and later Zimbabwe's histories. It is one of the few sites in Zimbabwe that has not been desecrated by treasure hunters, and its undisturbed stratigraphy is scientifically significant in offering a better understanding of the country's past. The climate encourages open woodland vegetation, which is dominated by Combretum and Terminalia trees.
Due to its proximity to the Kalahari Desert, the area is prone to droughts, and rainfall varies greatly. Variations in temperature, ground water, tourism, encroaching vegetation, and applied preservation measures have all contributed to partial destruction of the site.
The Khami Ruins National Monument was named a UNESCO World Heritage Site in 1986.
(Source UNESCO)
Kilimanjaro National Park
The largest free-standing volcanic mass in the world and Africa's highest mountain, rising 4877 meters above surrounding plains to 5895 meters at its peak, is protected by a 75,575-hectare park. The Kilimanjaro is a magnificent natural wonder, standing alone above the surrounding plains and overlooking the savannah with its snow-capped top.
The entire mountain, including the montane forest belt, is abundant with species, particularly animals, many of which are endangered. Mount Kilimanjaro is regarded as an outstanding example of a superlative natural phenomena because of its unique combination of characteristics, particularly its height, physical form, and snow crown, as well as its isolation from the surrounding plains.
The original boundaries of Kilimanjaro National Park, established in 1973, included the entire mountain above the tree line as well as six forest corridors that ran down through the montane forest zone. The primary stresses at the time of inscription in 1987 affected mostly the forest reserve, which served as a buffer zone for the park. The World Heritage Committee proposed that the national park be expanded to incorporate more montane forest areas.
The National Park now encompasses the entire mountain above the tree line, as well as the natural forest (montane forest) that was previously part of the Kilimanjaro Forest Reserve, and so meets the criterion for integrity. It is critical that the National Park's expansion be reflected in the property's limits.
Although the property is not inscribed in respect to biodiversity standards, the wildlife on the site is vital to the Kilimanjaro experience. At the time of inscription, elephant, buffalo and antelope pressures, as well as logging in the Forest Reserve region, were identified as integrity problems. The park is connected to Amboseli National Park, although wildlife migration has been hampered by encroachment on corridors to Arusha National Park and Tsavo National Park.
Human pressure on the land must be handled, as it may otherwise result in unlawful resource harvesting, park boundary encroachment, and restriction of migratory routes and dispersal regions.
Kilimanjaro National Park was named a UNESCO World Heritage Site in 1987.
(Source UNESCO)
Kondoa Rock-Art Sites
Natural rock shelters, overhanging slabs of sedimentary rocks broken by rift faults, have been used for rock painting for at least two millennia on the eastern slopes of the Masai escarpment bordering the Great Rift Valley.
The actual number of rock art sites in the Kondoa area is unknown, although between 150 and 450 decorated rock shelters, caves, and overhanging cliff walls are thought to exist. The locations are on the steep eastern slopes, in an area of beautiful, shattered geological formations that offered the needed cover for the exhibition.
Over millennia, the enormous and rich collection of rock drawings have represented and embodied the cultures of both hunter-gatherer and pastoralist tribes who have lived in the area.
They are distinct examples of hunter-gatherer rock art at its northernmost limit, with similarities to images from southern and central Africa, as well as a peculiar streaky style and uncommon depictions of domesticated animals.
Many of the images in the spectacular collection of images from over 150 shelters have high artistic value and display sequences that provide a unique testimony to the area's changing socio-economic base, from hunter-gatherer to agro-pastoralist societies, and the beliefs and ideas associated with them.
Some of the shelters have ceremonial ties with the people who live nearby, and are linked to the local population's strong living traditions.
The Kondoa Rock-Art Sites were named a UNESCO World Heritage Site in 2006.
(Source UNESCO)
Konso Cultural Landscape
Extensive dry stone terraces dot the Konso Cultural Landscape, testifying to humans' ongoing struggle to use and harness the harsh, dry, and rocky environment. The terraces protect the soil from erosion, collect the maximum amount of water, discharge the excess, and form terraced agricultural fields.
The hills are sculpted with dry stone walls that reach up to 5 meters in height, and the terraces are the prominent features of the Konso landscape. The Konso Cultural Landscape's walled cities and communities (paletas) are situated on high plains or hill summits chosen for their strategic and tactical advantages. Between one and six rounds of dry stone defensive walls made of locally accessible rock encircle these cities.
Moras, or cultural places within walled cities, continue to play an essential and central part in Konso culture. There are as many as 17 moras in some walled towns. The Konso are one of the last megalithic peoples, with a custom of erecting generation marking stones called daga-hela, which are mined, transported, and built through a ritual ceremony.
The traditional forests are used for ritual leaders' burials as well as medicinal uses. As grave markers, wooden humanoid figures (waka) fashioned from durable wood and resembling the deceased are built. Water reservoirs (harda) are erected and maintained communally in or near these forests, and, like the terraces, are maintained by extremely unique communal social and cultural practices.
The Konso Cultural Landscape was named a UNESCO World Heritage Site in 2011.
(Source UNESCO)
Lake Malawi National Park
The property, which is located at the southern end of Lake Malawi's vast breadth, is of global significance for biodiversity protection, particularly due to its fish diversity. Lake Malawi is one of the world's deepest lakes, located in the Western Rift Valley.
The property is surrounded by rough terrain that contrast with the lake's wonderfully clear waters, creating an area of remarkable natural beauty. Hundreds of cichlid fish, virtually all of which are native to Lake Malawi and are known locally as "mbuna," live on the property.
The mbuna fishes are a great illustration of biological evolution in action. Lake Malawi's fish have acquired exceptional adaptive radiation and speciation as a result of its isolation from other water bodies, and they represent an outstanding illustration of ecological processes.
Its significance in evolutionary research is comparable to that of the Galapagos finches.
The Lake Malawi National Park was named a UNESCO World Heritage Site in 1984.
(Source UNESCO)
Lake Turkana National Parks
Sibiloi National Park, the South Island, and the Central Island National Parks make up the Lake Turkana National Parks, which encompass a total area of 161,485 hectares inside the Lake Turkana basin, which has a total surface area of 7 million hectares. The Lake is East Africa's most saline lake and the world's largest desert lake, surrounded by a parched, almost alien landscape devoid of life.
The lengthy body of Lake Turkana, which stretches 249 kilometers from north to south and is 44 kilometers wide at its broadest point with a depth of 30 meters, dips down along the Rift Valley from the Ethiopian border. It is Africa's fourth largest lake, and it is known as the Jade Sea because because of its stunning color.
The property includes one hundred archaeological and paleontological sites, as well as distinctive geomorphological features such as fossil deposits on sedimentary formations. Numerous volcanic overflows with petrified trees can be found. The current ecological conditions give home for a varied range of plants and fauna.
Since the finding of Paranthropus boisei in 1969 at Kobi Fora, to the north of Allia Bay, extensive paleontological discoveries have been made. The discovery of Homo habilis two million years later confirms the existence of a relatively sophisticated hominid and reflects the climate transition from moist forest grassland when the now petrified forest was flourishing to the current hot desert.
The human and pre-human fossils include Austrolophithecus anamensis, Homo habilis/rudolfensis, Paranthropus boisei, Homo erectus, and Homo sapiens, all of which were discovered in the same location. These findings are crucial for comprehending the human species' evolutionary past.
The Nile crocodile, the hippopotamus, and various snake species all reproduce in the island parks. For palaearctic migrating birds, the lake is an important flyway passage and stopover.
The Lake Turkana National Parks were named a UNESCO World Heritage Site in 1997.
(Source UNESCO)
Lamu Old Town
On the same-named island off the coast of East Africa about 350 kilometers north of Mombasa, is the oldest and best-preserved Swahili village in the region.
Lamu has retained its social and cultural integrity, as well as its authentic building fabric, up to the present day, with a core consisting of a collection of buildings on 16 acres. Lamu, formerly the most important commercial center in East Africa, has had a significant religious, cultural, and technological influence throughout the region.
Lamu, a conservative and close-knit society, has maintained its importance as a major center for Islamic and Swahili cultural instruction, as seen by the yearly Maulidi and cultural festivals. Lamu, unlike other Swahili settlements along the East African coast that have been abandoned, has been continually inhabited for almost 700 years.
The development and collapse of East African seaports, as well as interactions between Bantu, Arabs, Persians, Indians, and Europeans, represent a key cultural and economic period in the region's history, which is best reflected in Lamu Old Town's architecture and town planning.
Narrow streets and majestic stone structures with amazing curved doors characterize the town, which is influenced by a unique blend of Swahili, Arabic, Persian, Indian, and European architecture styles. When entering the town from the sea, the buildings on the seashore, with their arcades and open verandas, create a coherent visual image of the town.
Internally, painted ceilings, big niches (madaka), small niches (zidaka), and pieces of Chinese porcelain adorn the vernacular structures. The structures are well-preserved and have a long history as examples of Swahili building technology based on coral, lime, and mangrove poles.
Lamu's architecture and urban layout graphically depict the cultural influences that have converged over 700 years from Europe, Arabia, and India, utilizing traditional Swahili skills to create a distinct culture. The property is distinguished by its distinctive Swahili architecture, which is marked by spatial order and twisting streets.
The origins of this labyrinth roadway arrangement can be traced back to Arab land distribution and urban construction practices. It is also characterised by clusters of homes separated into a number of small wards (mitaa), each of which is a collection of buildings inhabited by a number of closely linked lineages.
Lamu, dubbed the "cradle of Swahili civilization" by famous Swahili scholars, has grown in importance as a religious center in East and Central Africa since the 19th century, attracting professors of Islamic religion and Swahili culture. It is now a key repository of Swahili culture, with residents who have managed to preserve ancient values, as seen by a sense of social solidarity and coherence.
Lamu Old Town was named a UNESCO World Heritage Site in 2001.
(Source UNESCO)
Le Morne Cultural Landscape
Le Morne Cultural Landscape is an exceptional testimony to maroonage or resistance to slavery in terms of the mountain being used as a fortress to shelter escaped slaves, with physical and oral evidence to support that use. Le Morne represents maroonage and its impact, which existed in many places around the world, but which was demonstrated so effectively on Le Morne mountain.
It is a symbol of slaves’ fight for freedom, their suffering, and their sacrifice, all of which have relevance beyond its geographical location, to the countries from which the slaves came – in particular the African mainland, Madagascar, India, and South-east Asia- and represented by the Creole people of Mauritius and their shared memories and oral traditions.
The Le Morne Cultural Landscape was named a UNESCO World Heritage Site in 2008.
(Source UNESCO)
Makakatana Bay Lodge
Where in the world can you explore the magic and wonder of unspoiled beaches, vast wetlands, enjoy game drives and go on an unforgettable boat cruise on an estuary? Makakatana Bay Lodge is set on the banks of Lake St Lucia and the only privately-owned and owner-managed game lodge within the iSimangaliso Wetland Park World Heritage Site. Our goal is to show off this unique and pristine wilderness gem, the perfect addition to a typical safari holiday.
Your stay at Makakatana Bay Lodge is designed around exploring the amazing iSimangaliso sanctuary on an open game drive vehicle as well as on our private pontoon boat and by dipping your feet into the warm Indian Ocean. You get to experience all of this on our adventure filled beach, lake and park full-day safaris with our passionate and knowledgeable rangers.
Our Accommodation
The main lodge is the heart of Makakatana and is a communal area with personal service designed for relaxation and comfort. All game drives leave from here, and all meals are served on either the raised deck wrapping around the lodge or at the African Boma alongside. Our staff are always happy to make your stay magical, let us know if you have any special requests. The lodge also has a bar, a stunning “old crab” house which it is affectionately called, and a nearby private bush pool on the edge of Lake St Lucia.
Experience this magnificent area from the comfort of our spacious rooms, set on raised decks within the wilderness of this game park. Our 5 standard rooms are equipped with a private viewing deck, an en-suite bathroom, with a bath and a spacious outdoor shower, and modern conveniences. Set in the dune forest, the grounds surrounding these luxury suites are frequented by warthog, red duiker, nyala, bush babies and a variety of bird life. The two family rooms both sleep a maximum of 4 guests each. The main room has a king bed, and the interleading room has two twin beds. There is a spacious indoor bathroom with a shower that opens onto an outdoor bathroom with a bath and outside shower.
We also have a honeymoon room which is situated privately with views out onto the vlei. Romantic and intimate, this room is the perfect retreat after a day spent in the bush or exploring the magnificent area. It has a romantic outdoor shower as well as a bath fit for two. The private deck is also suitable for private dining, which can be arranged with our lodge manager.
Maloti-Drakensberg Park
The incredible scenic Maloti-Drakensberg Park is a transnational property that includes South Africa's uKhahlamba Drakensberg National Park and Lesotho's Sehlathebe National Park. The site's soaring basaltic buttresses, incisive dramatic cutbacks and golden sandstone walls, as well as aesthetically beautiful sculptured arches, caves, cliffs, pillars and rock pools, have extraordinary natural beauty. The site's diverse ecosystems help to safeguard a large number of indigenous and globally significant plants, it is also home to endangered animals like the Cape and Bearded Vultures.
The Maloti minnow, a highly endangered fish species found only in Sehlabathebe National Park in Lesotho lives here. This magnificent natural site has numerous caves and rock shelters, as well as Africa's largest and most concentrated collection of paintings south of the Sahara. They depict the San people's spiritual lives during their 4,000-year presence in this area.
The Maloti-Drakensberg Park range of mountains is Southern Africa's primary water-production area. The escarpment that forms the watershed for two of Southern Africa's main drainage basins has a drainage divide along the international border between the two countries. The Thukela River flows eastward into the Indian Ocean from the uKhahlamba Drakensberg Park. The southern Maloti-Drakensberg rivers, which include Sehlabathebe National Park, drain into the Senqu/Orange River, which flows westwards into the Atlantic Ocean. The extension of the uKhahlamba Drakensberg Park World Heritage Site to include Sehlabathebe National Park adds special hydrologic qualities to the area.
The property includes shelters housing an estimated 690 rock art sites, with the number of individual images in those sites likely exceeding 35,000. The pictures portray animals and humans and represent the San people's spiritual life, expressing an unusually unified tradition that spans millennia and embodies their beliefs as well as cosmology. There are additional rock art paintings attributed to Bantu speaking people dating from the nineteenth and twentieth century.
The property, which stretches along much of KwaZulu-south-western Natal's border with Lesotho, is a key sanctuary for more than 250 indigenous plant species and their related wildlife. It also contains almost all of the province's remaining subalpine and alpine vegetation, as well as significant high altitude wetlands over 2,750 m, and is a RAMSAR site. The uKhahlamba Drakensberg Park is a major element of the Lesotho Highlands Endemic Bird Area and has been designated as an Important Bird Area.
The Maloti-Drakensberg Park was named a UNESCO World Heritage Site in 2013. (Source UNESCO)
