Discovering Free State

At first glance, the Free State may not seem like the ideal choice of hol­i­day des­tin­a­tion. For one it is land­locked and has an eco­nomy based on agri­cul­ture and large-scale min­ing — which can lead to some pretty bland scenery. The Free State is, how­ever, start­ing to emerge as a hol­i­day des­tin­a­tion with towns like Clarens patric­u­larly gain­ing in popularity.

Free State Landscape

This small town, situ­ated in the foot­hills of the Maluti Mountains in the East of the province, has firmly estab­lished itself as a trendy des­tin­a­tion and offers fine din­ing, arts and crafts, trout fish­ing, and out­door activ­it­ies. This, together with its small town charm, friendly loc­als and mag­ni­fi­cent scenery has made it into a prime artistic des­tin­a­tion the town has become a haven for artists with a grow­ing com­munity of fam­ous residents.

Close to Clarens is the Golden Gate National Park offer­ing a wide range of out­door activ­it­ies includ­ing hik­ing and horse rid­ing all amongst the mag­ni­fi­cent golden sand­stone cliffs. Other small towns gain­ing in pop­ular­ity are Ficksburg, with its annual cherry fest­ival that draws traders from around the coun­try, and Parys, a sleepy little town with a strong cof­fee shop cul­ture as well as many arts and crafts shops to browse.

The Free State province bor­ders on Lesotho and there are many Basotho in the province with the Basotho Cultural Village strad­dling the bor­der between the Free State and the king­dom of Lesotho. The vil­lage is is a worth­while stop on the itin­er­ary, for any­one in learn­ing more about indi­gen­ous cul­ture in the area. If dis­cov­er­ing ancient his­toric sites are your thing then a visit to the Vredefort Dome, site of a giant met­eor impact over two mil­lion years ago, should be on your agenda.

Despite being land­locked, the Free State offers much in the way of water sports, from the trout fish­ing in the Eastern high­lands to the much less sed­ate white water raft­ing on the Ash River, which offers depend­able, year-round enjoyment.

Bloemfontein

Bloemfontein, the cap­ital of the province, is a small and pleas­ant city, offer­ing all of the amen­it­ies of mod­ern liv­ing, but at a pace that is a little slower than its coun­ter­parts in the other provinces are.

The Free State's bor­ders are defined on two sides by rivers — the fam­ous Vaal, sep­ar­at­ing it from the bust­ling province of Gauteng, and the Orange River to the South, start­ing in Lesotho. Locals used to call the area Gariep, and it is this area that is home to the enorm­ous Gariep Dam, a mag­net for water sports enthu­si­asts from around the country.

If a relaxed, laid-back atmo­sphere, sur­roun­ded by nat­ural beauty and friendly people is what you want, then the Free State may be just the place for you to find it.

Useful Links
For fur­ther inform­a­tion or to make book­ings, please visit:

• Free State Attractions
• Things to Do in the Free State
• Free State Accommodation
• Free State Hotels