FREE STATE Attractions, South Africa

Attractions, Places of Interest & Popular Destinations

Embraced by several of South Africa's provinces and sharing a border with the mountain Kingdom of Lesotho, the Free State lies in the heart of the country, between the Vaal River in the north and the Orange River in the south.

Did you know? The Free State's major appeal is its natural beauty, open farmlands, and uninterrupted sky, quirky, idiosyncratic towns and villages, interesting road routes, and the vast rocky mountain area of the East Highlands.

The Free State is a rural province of wide horizons and blue skies, with farmland, mountains, goldfields and widely dispersed towns. This tranquil land of the windmill is famous for its warm South African hospitality and a mix of culture which is clearly evident in street names, public buildings, monuments and museums. Dressed sandstone buildings abound the highlands, while beautifully decorated Sotho houses dot the grasslands. Some of South Africa's most valued San (Bushman) rock art is found in the Free State.

The Free State is divided into 5 distinct regions and offers many 'must-see' attractions. Select a region from the brief descriptions below to view in-depth information about each region and to see popular attractions and destinations in these areas.

Top Attractions

National Parks

Golden Gate National Park

Nestled in the rolling foothills of the Maluti Mountains of the north-eastern Free State lies the Golden Gate Highlands National Park. The park d...

Botanical Gardens

Free State National Botanical Garden

On the north western fringes of Bloemfontein lie 70 hectares of botanical garden, in a valley peppered with dolerite koppies, tall grassland and ...

Museums

National Museum Bloemfontein

Notable for its large collection of fossils, cultural historical exhibits and archaeological displays, including the Florisbad skull which was di...

World Heritage Sites

Vredefort Dome

The Vredefort dome is the oldest and largest meteorite impact site (Asrobleme) in the world. Formed an estimated 2000 million years ago when a gi...

Cultural

Basotho Cultural Village

A visit to the Basotho Cultural Village which nestles at the foot of huge sandstone mountains, will give you a deeper insight into the lifestyle ...

Bloemfontein

Overnight? Accommodation in Bloemfontein
Bloemfontein is perched near the centre of South Africa, on the road between Cape Town in the Western Cape and Johannesburg in Gauteng. It is one of the largest cities in the country, but is known for its natural prettiness and warm hospitality....

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Motheo Region

Overnight? Accommodation in Motheo Region
Motheo is one of five districts of the Free State in South Africa. The term ‘Motheo' comes from the Sesotho for “foundation” or “cornerstone” and was consciously chosen to represent the heartbeat of the province, regarded as an area of entrepren...

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Thabo Mofutsanyana

Overnight? Accommodation in Thabo Mofutsanyana
Resting between the Orange River in the south and the Vaal River in the north, the Thabo Mofutsanyana (Eatern Free State) boasts a rugged and mountainous area in the east that is completely contrary to the Free State image of endless maize field...

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Northern Free State

Overnight? Accommodation in Northern Free State
The Northern Free State is at once rural and far enough from the major tourist routes to offer a hint of true ‘platteland' living to newcomers and locals alike. It is not only the most accessible part of the Free State to Gauteng - it lies not e...

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Xhariep Region

Overnight? Accommodation in Xhariep Region
Lying in the south western Free State, the Xhariep Region, named after the Gariep Dam, is typically dry and probably the region most likely to fulfil the picture held by many of the Free State as a place of endless space, vast tracts of sheep an...

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Lejweleputswa

Overnight? Accommodation in Lejweleputswa
The name Lejweleputswa, meaning ‘gray rock', replaces the rather mundane former ‘Free State Goldfields' that lacked the imagination of the African name that now describes the area in the Free State with a history rich in gold prospecting and min...

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