As of January 2023 there were a total of 1,157 UNESCO World Heritage Sites in the world, including 218 that were recognized specifically for their Natural Heritage.

Trying to narrow that overwhelming array of options down to a list of the 20 Top UNESCO World Heritage Sites would be impossible, not to mention highly subjective.

But here’s a look at 20 of our favorite protected UNESCO Sites for nature and wildlife lovers, including national parks and reserves in the USA and Canada, Africa, Asia, Australia, Central and South America, and beyond. 

In our experience all of them offer extraordinary travel experiences, so they’re listed alphabetically rather than in any of sort ranked order of excellence. 

TOP UNESCO WORLD HERITAGE SITES LIST

1. Bwindi Impenetrable Forest National Park (Uganda)
2. Canadian Rocky Mountain Parks (Canada)
3. Central Amazon Conservation Complex (Brazil)
4. Darién National Park (Panama)
5. Galapagos Islands (Ecuador)
6. Great Barrier Reef (Australia)
7. Iguazú National Park (Argentina)
8. Kenya Lake System In The Great Rift Valley (Kenya)
9. Kluane/ Wrangell-St Elias/ Glacier Bay/ Tatshenshini-Alsek (Canada/Usa)
10. La Amistad International Park (Costa Rica/Panama)
11. Manú National Park (Peru)
12. Mosi-Oa-Tunya/ Victoria Falls (Zambia/Zimbabwe)
13. Nanda Devi & Valley Of Flowers National Parks (India)
14. Ngorongoro Conservation Area (Tanzania)
15. Okavango Delta (Botswana)
16. Pantanal (Brazil)
17. Sichuan Giant Panda Sanctuaries (China)
18. Sundarbans National Park (India/Bangladesh)
19. Valdés Peninsula (Argentina)
20. Yellowstone National Park (USA)