Overview
Take a trip to Free State on your South Africa Vacation
The Free State is a province located in the very heart of South Africa. Sharing one international border with Lesotho in the southeast, the rest of the Free State is surrounded by six of South Africa’s nine provinces: KwaZulu-Natal, Eastern Cape, Northern Cape, the North West Province, Gauteng and Mpumalanga all to be experienced on South Africa tours.
Geographically the Free State is the heart of South Africa, but culturally, it was the heartland of the white Afrikaner population and to this day, many people still speak Afrikaans as their first language. Before joining the South African Union, the Free State was one of the first independent Boer states in southern Africa.
Central Free State is known as “The Golden Country” because of the corn fields and sunflowers that cover the landscape and also because of the gold deposits under the ground which are a great source of wealth for the province.
The pride and joy of the Free State are Thapo Mofutsanyana which is located in the eastern part of the province. This area is where the Maluti Mountains meet the Drakensberg Range forming a sandstone backdrop. The Golden Gate Highlands National Park (the Free State’s only national park) is found there. Known more for its beauty than wildlife, the park has numerous caves and shelters with San rock paintings which should be visited on a South African vacation.
The pride and joy of the Free State are Thapo Mofutsanyana which is located in the eastern part of the province. This area is where the Maluti Mountains meet the Drakensberg Range forming a sandstone backdrop. The Golden Gate Highlands National Park (the Free State’s only national park) is found there. Known more for its beauty than wildlife, the park has numerous caves and shelters with San rock paintings which should be visited on a South African vacation.
At a Glance
Languages
Zulu, Xhosa, Afrikaans, EnglishCurrency
South African Rand (ZAR)What do the experts say?
Skip the more commercial wineries and visit artisanal producers—you’ll find sparkling wines and small-batch reds that are absolutely world-class.
Djembe drumming at GOLD in Cape Town is an immersive African experience through their 14-dish food safari and unique live entertainment.
The game viewing in Kruger and Eastern Cape always draws me back—it’s truly superb.
South Africans are famously warm—when you’re new in town, you're often invited to a braai, our way of welcoming people through food.
South Africa is a wonderful starting point for Africa. It's got some of the top cities in the world, stunning food and wine, and exceptional value for money.
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ExcellentBased on 5,318 ReviewsThank you to Goway for a great and enjoyable 7 day tour in China, for our Canadian group of 14! Very special thanks to the local guides in Shanghai, Xi’an and Beijing ( Richard, Richard and James) who were second to none! Each was a knowledgeable ambassador for their home city, working hard to ensure our enjoyment and comfort, and to showcase the beauty of each area and its current and historical sites. They very kindly and patiently assisted everyone, and especially accommodated 2 of our group who encountered unexpected wellness challenges. The local bus drivers for our group were experts too, keeping us on time and safe on the roads and highways. Hotels were beautiful, welcoming, well located and appointed, quiet, comfortable and clean. Additional travel arrangements by air and high speed train went off without a hitch. KATHLEEN LLOYDThis was the first time we used Goway Travel and Brooke Theron was absolutely the best to deal with. Our safari in Africa was fabulous and we were able to have all four questions answered before we left. It was a trip to remember and we would recommend both Brooke and Goway to other who are looking for a great experience. Thanks Brooke and Goway.Joyce RobinsonWe decided to go to France for 3 weeks in September and knew we needed help planning the trip (we made this decision in August so a very short time frame. We had traveled with Goway a few years ago and were hoping they could help. Our specialist, Farnaz Bagheri, was fantastic, she listened to what we wanted to do and where we wanted to go. She literally arranged everything with her French partners. The guides and drivers were wonderful the accommodations were excellent. Communication was easy from the first discussion to the time we got home. Farnaz planned for us an exceptional trip in a very short time frame. Promise next trip we will contact Goway much earlier. Thanks againSue BlakeOur experience was amazing! The booking process went great. We just had to pack our clothes and everything else was taken care of thanks to Goway Travel… Lori Mezzomo!!! Lori was fantastic. Everything from flights to transfers to excursions was perfect! Can’t wait to go back and i would definitely use Goway Travel again!!!Marie IdolMaria Spitman provided exemplary service to us! Her expertise, attention to detail, timely replies and kindness were unmatched. We will definitely recommend her to others who we know are considering travel to Asia. Alice StaniforthMichael Keon and his crew did a fine job coordinating our trip to Turkey. His contact in Turkey, Mr. Omer was in contact with us almost daily reminding us of our schedule and pick up info. He was terrific. Very informative and insightful guides. And large comfortable vehicles on every trip. Awesome trip. Tom and Sharon Tom and Sharon, Toronto, Canada We loved the trip itinerary and everything was organized so well! Lori was always very responsive and answered our questions promptly. Thank you for an amazing trip!Jelena PoprzenAs a travel advisor, I recently booked a group of clients on a Goway tour in China following their paddleboat competition, and I couldn’t be happier with the experience.
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The feedback from my clients was overwhelmingly positive, with particular praise for the local tour guides, who helped make the trip so memorable. Everyone had a wonderful time.
Thank you, Christine, Tanya, and the Goway team, for taking such great care of my clients. I would happily recommend Goway and look forward to working with them again!customerI wanna start off by saying that Farnaz our agent was excellent!!! she planned the whole experience from start to finish. We did not have to worry about one thing the entire trip. All the hotels were great. Our transfers from hotels to fairies to airports were all available and always on time. The excursions she planned for us were all top-notch. I was a little skeptical, but just finding GOWAY online stumbling across it. But I’m so glad I made the choice to use them. I hope they definitely using the company again and especially our agent Farnaz!!! Thank you do mych for a wonderful experience! CatherineOur goal for this trip was a stress free honeymoon where we did not have to think about anything! Goway made that successful. Everything was planned and ready for us. We just had to show up. Brooke recommended fantastic accommodations that were in great locations, clean and comfortable. The tours were took with Thompson's Africa were incredible as well. Brooke was helpful throughout the entire booking process & we wouldn't have had such an incredible experience without her. We really loved our South African holiday and hope to travel there or other locations again with Goway.Taylor
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