Bloemfontein
Free State
The heartland of South Africa — wide open skies over golden plains, sandstone mountains glowing at dusk and small towns where the pace of life still moves more slowly than in the country's big metros. The province links pastoral landscapes with major political history: Bloemfontein is the judicial capital and the site of the ANC's founding, while the eastern highlands around Clarens and Golden Gate provide some of the country's most underrated scenery.
Golden plains and highland light
Highlights
- •Golden Gate Highlands National Park
- •Clarens
- •Bloemfontein
- •Gariep Dam
- •Sterkfontein Dam Nature Reserve
- •Basotho Cultural Village
Best Time to Visit
September to April (summer wildflowers and warm days)
Places in Free State
Where to Eat in Free State
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History in Free State
1899
The Anglo-Boer War
The bloodiest conflict in South Africa's history. Britain and the Boer Republics (Transvaal and the Orange Free State) fought a brutal three-year war for control of the goldfields. The British introdu...
1912
The ANC is Founded
The South African Native National Congress — later renamed the African National Congress — was founded in Bloemfontein on 8 January 1912, making it the oldest liberation movement in Africa. Its foundi...