We will be covering this unique area of South Africa over the next few weeks highlighting interesting and novel details on the area and reviewing some of the places to visit in the area.
Are you looking for a difference experience away from the hustle and bustle of city life? A road trip to Clarens in the Free State is well worth the time. Approximately 3 hours 15 minutes from Johannesburg and 4 hours 30 minutes’ drive from Durban, it is time well spent.
Nestled at the foot of the Maluti Mountains there are a wide range of accommodation types to choose from and a myriad of activities to enjoy both in the town and in its surrounds. There are many outside activities from fly fishing, to mountain walks and serious mountaineering to horseback riding, quad biking, to even hot air ballooning or golf.
Established in 1912, the town of Clarens was a result of two farms being sold, after negotiations a decision was made to name the village after President Paul Kruger influence on the area after he as a voluntarily exile lived his last days in the town of Clarens in Switzerland. Following the Free State-Basotho War of 1865 – 1866, where five Transvaal burghers were murdered in the Eastern Free State, and as a result war was declared between the Transvaal and the Basotho leader, Moshoeshoe.
Clarens nickname is the jewel of the Free State. If you are an avid historian then a trip to the area will certainly offer up many tales and places of interest of the Anglo-Boer wars.
The Golden Gate National Park is some 20 km’s from the town and offers the visitor a unique experience of the flora and funa of the area. See www.sanparks.org/parks/golden_gate/tourism/history.php for more details.
Look out for our forthcoming articles.
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