Great drive: R712 through Golden Gates
Protea Corner lookout in the Golden Gate Highlands National Park offers great scenery, especially in summer after good rains.
The eastern Free State scenery begs you not to rush through. Set an extra day aside and enjoy the amazing landscape.
Clarens itself has a lot to offer. Have a meal at one of the lovely restaurants, browse in the shops or try some of the adventure sports offered in the region (such as white-water rafting on the Ash River with Clarens Xtreme ( www.clarensxtreme.co.za – R400 per person for a half-day outing).
The R712 winds through the most beautiful landscape; and as a bonus you drive through a national park.
It’s worth making time to splash around in the natural pool; it gets pretty hot out here in summer.
Also make a stop in Ficksburg, South Africa’s cherry capital. There’s a Lesotho border post in Ficksburg, so pack your passport if you want to turn your road trip into an international holiday.
Click here to make a printout of the map.
The nuts & bolts
Eat out and stay over
Clarens
• The Highlander.
Sink your teeth into Fiona’s Classic pizza (R48 for medium size).
Where? On the eastern side of the town square, on the corner.
Contact: 058 256 1912
• The Post House.
Delicious breakfast (but also light lunches and dinners). The salmon-and-scrambled egg breakfast for R45 is good value.
Where? Main Road.
Contact: 058 256 1534
• Clarens Brewery.
Buy some beer to drink on the rest of your holiday on the South Coast.
Where? In the Clarens Info Centre, just off the south-eastern corner of the square.
Contact: 082 901 4700;
www.clarensbrewery.co.za
• Red Mountain House.
A great place to stay over, with a lovely view of the mountains. From R350 per person per night.
Where? Down the road from The Highlander.
Contact: 058 256 1456
Golden Gate
A campsite with a power point costs R135 for two.
Where? On the R712, 17,3 km from Clarens on the road to Harrismith.
Contact: 058 255 1000;
http://www.sanparks.org/parks/golden_gate/
Sterkfontein Dam Nature Reserve
Fish or ski on the dam.
Where? 24 km from the Golden Gate entrance (direction Harrismith) on the R712.
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