Ventersburg, Lejweleputswa

The typical little Free State town of Ventersburg lies between Bloemfontein and Kroonstad on the main national road in the north western part of the Free State. It is the only town in the Free State through which the N1 passes, and also serves as an agricultural centre for the surrounding farms.

This aside, Ventersburg also lies in one of the most beautiful parts of the Free State. Flat, boundless plains with rich soil and a heavenly climate may cater for a thriving farming community - the Free State accounts for over 70% of the country’s grain production and this part of the world is known as the ‘maize route’ - but it also conceals an incredible beauty hidden in shales, mudstones, sandstone, unique vegetation and the brooding omnipresence of the foothills of both the Drakensberg and the Maluti Mountains.

Possibly the biggest draw card to Ventersburg is the proximity of the Willem Pretorius Game Reserve, overlooking the Allemanskraal Dam, which is fed by the Sand River. A small game reserve, the Willem Pretorius Game Reserve nevertheless manages to boast the presence of three of the ‘Big Five’ and the dam attracts huge numbers of aquatic birds totaling some 220 different species. One is almost assured of seeing giraffe, buffalo, white rhino, gemsbok and impala, and the northern section of the reserve is home to the ruins of stone buildings that date back to prehistoric Sotho occupation.