The village has become known as the “Jewel of the Free State” – rich in beauty, with an aura of peace and tranquillity.  Clarens is endowed with more trees than most other Free State towns. The village of Clarens is situated in the foothills of the Maluti Mountains and is also an Artists haven with many well known artists either living in or frequenting the village on a regular basis with many art galleries scattered around the village square.

Clarens is part of the scenic Highlands Route and is surrounded by mountainous splendour. The Rooiberge is the range encompassing the village, whilst further on towards the southeast, the mighty Maluti’s stand proud in shades of purple and blue. All around are the sandstone cliffs with their multi-coloured layers – this horizontal strata is a unique geological feature of the area, and is known as the Clarens formation. Many homes in the Clarens Valley are made from Clarens Sandstone.

Find tranquillity in Clarens, as the crisp air fills your lungs and the vast mountainous beauty fills your horizons. This is a place where the rush of the commercial world disappears.

The relaxed village atmosphere and the spectacular views and mild climate makes Clarens a popular weekend getaway with visitors from both Johannesburg and Durban, both of which are about 3 – 3½ hours drive away.

THINGS TO DO

Basotho Cultural Village:

A visit to the Basotho Cultural Village which nestles at the foot of huge sandstone mountains, will give you a deeper insight into the lifestyle of the South Sotho from the 16th century to the picturesque present. On arrival at the Cultural Village, a friendly receptionist will show you an introductory video which illustrates the building process of the museum. Demonstrations of the decorations of huts, making of basket ware, crushing of maize and traditional dances are shown.

Golden Gate National Park:

The Golden Gate National Park is nestled in the rolling foothills of the Maluti Mountains of the north-eastern Free State.  The park derives its name from the brilliant shades of gold cast by the sun on the park’s sandstone cliffs, especially the imposing Brandwag rock, keeping vigil over the main rest camp. This 11 600 hectares of unique environment is true highland habitat, providing home to a variety of mammals including black wildebeest, eland, blesbok, oribi, springbok and Burchell’s zebra – and birds, including the rare bearded vulture (lammergeier) and the equally rare bald ibis, which breed on the ledges in the sandstone cliffs. Ribbokkop, the highest point in the park, reveals a breathtaking tapestry of red, yellow and purple hues as its warm shades merge with the cool mountain shadows towards evening.

Sterkfontein Dam Reserve:

The rugged, steep krantzes silhouetted against the skyline, mountain slopes snugly covered with a grass blanket, deep lushly vegetated kloofs and a crystal-clear lake are facets of the beauty of the Sterkfontein Dam Reserve which covers 18000 Ha.   A two-day hiking trail has been established in the Sterkfontein Dam Reserve. Those wanting to relax and savour the great outdoor sensation and the beauty of the mountain will not be disappointed.

Titanic Rock: Overlooking the entrance to Clarens

Clarens Museum: At the information centre on the square

The Ash River Outfall: This is one of the Highlands water scheme’s view points on the Bethlehem road about 8km from Clarens

Mushroom Rock: On Clifton Farms about 3km on the Fouriesburg road

Surrender Hill: A historic Anglo Boer War site about 10km on the Fouriesburg road.

Clarens is not short of arts, crafts, traditional curios and blankets, art galleries, gift shops, pottery studios, a huge variety of handmade items, antiques and much more.  Spend a day walking around Clarens visiting all these shops:

• Walk around President Square and visit the many arts & crafts shops.  These shops include : Gift shop & gallery, pottery, leatherwork, cat rocks, candles, ethnic art & upholstery
• The Artist Amble takes you to various artists who have opened their galleries to the public.
  These galleries include :
  Weaver Nest Gallery – Clarens scenery in pastels and oils
  The Enslin Vorster Studio – Landscape art & pottery
  Rooikat Gallery – Handmade knives & pottery
• Visit The Barbet, for Authentic local craft, Art Gallery, coffee shop and weekend braai. Horse rides for the children.
• Visit our country store, The Post House
• Buy traditional blankets at Di Mezza & De Jager, on Sias Oosthuizen street
• Bibliophile a special little book shop (& CD’s)

Clarens is truly a place of beauty to behold.

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This entry was posted on Thursday, May 12th, 2011 at 2:52 pm and is filed under Places of Interest. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. Both comments and pings are currently closed.