10 UNESCO Places Around The World Where Heritage And Wildlife Meet

OT Staff & Waquar Habib

Ngorongoro Conservation Area, Tanzania

A volcanic caldera where Maasai pastoral traditions survive beside lions, elephants and abundant plains wildlife. Archaeological treasures at Olduvai Gorge deepen its layered story of human origins and ecological richness.

Ngorongoro Conservation Area, Tanzania | taketrip_zanzibar/instagram

Kakadu National Park, Australia

Kakadu’s ancient Aboriginal rock art sits within wetlands and escarpments supporting crocodiles, wallabies and vast birdlife. Its living cultural landscape preserves millennia of Indigenous knowledge tied directly to nature.

Kakadu National Park, Australia | kakadutourism/instagram

Machu Picchu Sanctuary, Peru

The Inca citadel stands within cloud forests sheltering spectacled bears, orchids and rare birds. Its terraces, temples and biodiversity form a unified cultural and ecological mountain sanctuary.

Machu Picchu | Depositphotos

Tikal National Park, Guatemala

Maya temples rise dramatically above dense rainforest inhabited by jaguars, toucans and howler monkeys. Archaeology and thriving tropical ecosystems intermingle seamlessly across this immense protected landscape.

Tikal National Park, Guatemala | lopezayerdi_legacy/instagram

Komodo National Park, Indonesia

A rugged island UNESCO site where Komodo dragons roam volcanic terrain and rich coral reefs thrive offshore. Traditional communities, terrestrial wildlife and marine biodiversity interact in harmony.

Inside Komodo National Park | samara.liveaboard/instagram

Sundarbans, India & Bangladesh

The world’s largest mangrove forest protects tigers, estuarine crocodiles and fishing communities. Its shifting deltaic environment unites cultural survival with one of the planet’s most resilient wildlife habitats.

Papilio polytes in Sundarbans National Park | Wikimedia Commons

Chitwan National Park, Nepal

A former royal hunting reserve transformed into a conservation success, protecting rhinos, tigers and gharials. Tharu cultural traditions remain closely tied to its forests and riverine landscapes.

An elephant at the Chitwan National Park | Shutterstock

Bwindi Impenetrable National Park, Uganda

An ancient rainforest where mountain gorillas survive alongside Batwa cultural heritage. Steep slopes, dense vegetation and community-focused conservation link biodiversity with long-standing human relationships.

At Bwindi Impenetrable National Park | Unsplash

Sigiriya Cultural Landscape & Minneriya Region, Sri Lanka

Sigiriya’s fifth-century rock fortress overlooks forests connected to Minneriya’s famed elephant gathering. The area blends hydraulic engineering, ancient art and one of Asia’s most spectacular wildlife events.

Sigiriya, an ancient rock fortress in Sri Lanka | earth/instagram

Angkor & Tonlé Sap Region, Cambodia

Khmer temples rise beside wetlands feeding Tonlé Sap’s fish-rich ecosystem. Communities, water systems, birdlife and Angkor’s monumental architecture coexist across a vast cultural-environmental landscape.

A view of the Tonlé Sap lake | destinationasia/instagram

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Monemvasia, a medieval walled city in the Peloponnese of Greece | unchartedbackpacker/instagram
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