Free State

The Free State Province in South Africa is situated in the heartland of the Karoo semi-desert.

Regions

• Eastern Free State
• Northern Free State
• Transgariep

Cities

• Bloemfontein
• Harrismith

Other destinations

• Gariep Dam
• Golden Gate Highlands Park

Understand

The former Oranje-Vreistaat (Orange-Freestate) was the heartland of the white Afrikaaner population and therefore most people in this region still speak Afrikaans as their first language. It was one of the first independent states, before joining the South African Union and the people here still live up to the voortrekker traditions of braaing and the Afrikaaner lifestyle. The economy in the Free State is not very strong and there is only little farming due to the Karoo vegetation.

Bloemfontein is the judicial capital of South Africa, mainly because the founders of the South African Union wanted to unite all people, including the Afrikaaner population.

Talk

Also Afrikaans is still the first language of many people, most will definitely understand and speak English, although they might have a bit of an accent.

Get in

By car

• The N1 highway runs through the Free State. It comes from Cape Town and goes further to Johannesburg and Pretoria and from there to Harare in Zimbabwe. Use this route when coming from/going to Mozambique, too.
• The N3 runs in the east of the Free State through Harrismith. Use it to go to Durban or the Gauteng area.
• The N8 goes from Bloemfontein to Kimberley and further to Upington.
• The N6 goes south to the Eastern Cape

The N5 only serves as a connection between the N1 and the N3.

By plane

Bloemfontein Airport has flights to Johannesburg and Cape Town and some other cities in South Africa. Flights are operated by the South African Airways family.

Get around

Best by car, as there are little means of public transport and great distances between each of the towns and cities.

See

• Bloemfontein
• The Gariep Dam -- one of the biggest dams in South Africa
• Golden Gate Highlands Park -- Famous park in the north of the Drakensberg Mountains

Stay safe

Always have enough water with you, in case your car has a break down. Tell your last hotel where you are going to and which route you use, especially when going into a less populated and rural area.

Get out

• North-west are Kimberley with its diamond museum and Upington near the Kgalagadi Transfontier Park.
• South-west lies Cape Town, the Cape Winelands and the Garden Route.
• North-east is Johannesburg and the Kruger National Park.
• South-east is Durban and the Sunshine Coast.

External links

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