South Africa’s seven UNESCO World Heritage Sites offer travelers a journey spanning billions of years, from ancient geology to modern history. One of these is Robben Island, an apartheid-era prison where Nelson Mandela was imprisoned. The iSimangaliso Wetland Park, meanwhile, combines beaches, coral reefs, and abundant wildlife, including hippos and nesting sea turtles. The Maloti-Drakensberg Park pairs dramatic mountain scenery with thousands of San rock art sites, while the Fossil Hominid Sites—including the Cradle of Humankind—preserve some of the world’s most significant clues to human evolution. The Mapungubwe Cultural Landscape reveals the history of a powerful African kingdom that flourished between the 11th and 14th centuries, while the Cape Floral Region showcases extraordinary plant biodiversity, including thousands of species found nowhere else. Finally, the Barberton Makhonjwa Mountains contain rock formations that date as far back as 3.6 billion years, offering a rare window into Earth’s earliest history.