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 5,217 ReviewsOur 2-week trip to Normandy, Switzerland and Italy after we disembarked from the Queen Mary 2 in Southampton in mid-May was superb. Michael Keon did an amazing job of putting together highlights for us to see and visit with the short time we had. All the train reservations, private and small group tours and transportations were very well coordinated, on time, and usually exceeded our expectations. Drivers were courteous and knowledgeable. Mike did a wonderful job getting everything coordinated, in spite of our almost “last minute” booking. I booked a month-long trip through GOWAY back in 1989 for Australia, New Zealand and Fiji, and they were superb then. So I tried them again, and found the entire organization to be even better. Mike was quick to respond to any questions that came up regarding booksings and times, regardless of the 6-hour time difference. Just superb! Although we had a nasty experience in Milan, GOWAY was very responsive and saw to our requests and our needs. Again, Michael Keon is the person who coordinated our travel. I will ask for Mike when I travel again with GOWAY. I recommend GOWAY highly. PJ WheelerA BIG THANK YOU to Goway Travel, Brooke Theron and all of the partners onsite. Our trip to Africa was incredible, memories that will last forever.
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Thank you very much for helping us have a great experience in Peru.INEverything was planned perfectly. The excursions were so small and personal. ClaireGoway planned a custom 2 week safari trip for my wife and I which was beyond perfect. Extremely satisfied with the entire process from planning, booking and follow up. Special thanks to my Travel Specialists, Brooke Theron and Angela DonnellyNeil RWorking with Allan is absolutely a dream. He is one of the most responsive people I’ve had the pleasure of working with and his attention to detail is unmatched. I truly wish I could just use him for every single trip I need to book.Liz Poore
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