We spent a day in Maseru, Lesotho’s capital and largest city, on the border with South Africa. The city lies along the Caledon River, which forms part of the western border between Lesotho and South Africa’s Free State. Its name is believed to derive from the Sesotho word for...
We arrived at the Maseru Bridge Border Post in the late afternoon, a major 24-hour land crossing connecting Maseru, Lesotho’s capital, with Ladybrand in South Africa’s Free State province. After our recent quick, easy border crossings, we assumed this one would be just as...
We finally received approval to visit Sandstone Estates, a working commercial farm in South Africa’s Eastern Free State and home to one of the world’s largest private collections of vintage agricultural machinery, railways, military vehicles, and transport history. Upon our...
We had a lovely day in Clarens, a picturesque mountain village in the Free State province, nestled at the foothills of the Maluti Mountains near Golden Gate Highlands National Park. Known as the “Jewel of the Free State,” the town features sandstone architecture, numerous art...
Today we drove from Champagne Valley to Clarens via Sterkfontein Dam and Golden Gate Highlands National Park. It was a scenic 204-kilometre journey that took about half a day, with plenty of stops to enjoy the views and take photographs. We left the Central Drakensberg foothills and...
Since we were already driving through the area, we stopped briefly at the Basotho Cultural Village, a living museum nestled beneath the spectacular sandstone mountains of Golden Gate Highlands National Park in South Africa’s Free State province. The village features an 18th-century-style...
On our way out of Monks Cowl, we made a delicious stop at Drakensberg Chocolate, also known as Drakensberg Chocolate Memories, an artisanal chocolate factory, shop, and café nestled in the Champagne Valley of the Central Drakensberg. Founded in 2009 by Edi and Tammy Ernst, the chocolate...
We had another beautiful day at Monks Cowl, one of the most scenic areas of the central Drakensberg and a popular gateway into the mountains of KwaZulu-Natal. Located at the head of the Champagne Valley near Winterton, Monks Cowl forms part of the Maloti-Drakensberg Park World Heritage...
We were lucky to drive through the Champagne Valley on a Wednesday, when the world-renowned Drakensberg Boys Choir was performing its weekly concert in the 600-seat Ken MacKenzie Auditorium. We met Hendrik Bekker, the Executive Headmaster, who shared the background and history of this...
A beautiful scenic drive brought us to the Kamberg Rock Art Centre and Kamberg Nature Reserve, tucked into the foothills of the uKhahlamba-Drakensberg Park in South Africa. The area is home to the famous Game Pass Shelter, often described as the “Rosetta Stone” of southern African rock...