TRAVEL
Writer: Sam Bradley
Free State fun
for nature lovers F
rom wildlife in the
“Nothing, it’s free,” came the
out in Bloemfontein, you
middle of a capital
reply. All we needed to do
can.
city to a breathtaking
was fill in some details on a
hike, the Free State has many hidden gems waiting to be discovered.
One of the highlights of
form and off we drove. Not even 10 minutes into
Apart from Bloem, our idea of the Free State has always been cows and
the drive, we spotted two
corn fields... uninformed
meerkats affectionately
perhaps, but we had
our trip to the province was
grooming each other. Soon
never explored the north-
game viewing in the middle
after, a young giraffe made
eastern part of the prov-
of Bloemfontein, the judicial
an appearance from behind
ince. From Bloemfontein,
capital of South Africa. We
a tree, while a blue wilde-
we took the N8 towards
approached the Franklin
beest casually chewed on
Maseru, Lesotho’s capital
Game Reserve and I started
some grass. This was crazy!
city. We turned left on the
looking for my wallet to pay
I never imagined that one
R26 towards Ladybrand,
the entry fee. “How much
could go on a game drive in
Clocolan and Ficksburg,
does it cost?” we asked.
the middle of a city. It turns
and aimed to get to
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Public Sector Manager • May 2022
