Edenburg, Xhariep Region
Edenburg, like its more southerly neighbour Trompsberg, lies alongside the N1 highway roughly 83 kilometres south west of Bloemfontein. Yet the average traveller using the freeway has never heard of it.
The N1 travels through few towns. Those that benefit tend to have retained their character, preserved their historical buildings and had to learn to shout loud and hard enough to attract those travelling through to stop a while. As a result, they've morphed over time and offer nearly everything that travellers expect when on holiday. Edenburg, in similar vein to other Free State 'dorps' like Rouxville who don't have the N1 passing through, has just about got lost in time. Only its main street is tarred, the others remain sand roads. And aside from its church on the main road, there doesn't seem to be much to write home about.
Its church is the foundation of its history, built on the farm Rietfontein in 1862 – its name probably derived from the Riet River that continues to form the foundation of the rather prosperous sheep and cattle farms in the area.
Towns like Edenburg, because of their authenticity, are often used by the film or television industry when needing an historical location or somewhere to base themselves for 'farm' type shoots.
And for travellers who want the unusual, and to retreat from the holiday crowd, Edenburg provides an overnight sanctuary with little of the hustle and bustle of more popular overnight towns on the N1.
Just outside town is the oldest mission station north of the Orange River, the Berlin Mission society.
In the vicinity
Hotels & other accommodation options
Spioenkop Eco Cabin
Spioenkop Eco Cabin is situated on a working cattle farm, just outside of Reddersburg, 20km from Edenburg, offering you a sense of calm and tranq...
Noteworthy attractions
Karoo Gariep Conservancy
Karoo is a “quenna” word meaning “dry and hard”. Gariep is also a “quenna” word meaning “big water”or river. The Karoo Gariep Concervancy is foun...
Tankwa Karoo National Park
The 80 000 hectare Tankwa Karoo National Park, proclaimed in 1986 and still in a development stage, is at present in a veld recovery phase and it...
Gariep Dam Nature Reserve
The Free State's largest nature reserve is a combination of the 36 487 ha Gariep Dam on the Orange River and an 11 237 ha game sanctuary on its n...
Kalkfontein Dam Nature Reserve
Lying just south east of Koffiefontein in the south western Free State, Kalkfontein Dam Nature Reserve on the Riet River is not usually visited e...
Tussen die Riviere Game Reserve
Tussen die Riviere Game Reserve is one of the most accessible game reserves in the Free State. Situated in Bethuli, you can get there from Bloemf...
Oviston Nature Reserve
The Oviston Nature reserve lies close to the little Karoo towns of Venterstad and Oviston roughly two hours’ drive from Bloemfontein. That it is ...
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