Along with my baked good’s addiction I have a small travel problem. If it weren’t for my sane and responsible husband I could easily spend every last cent travelling to new and exciting places. My last few trips were all out of South Africa and they were amazing, I will blog about them in elaborate detail in future post’s.
Lately, however I have an overwhelming need to take a good old fashioned road trip. South Africa is a beautiful country, from the coast’s to the Kruger park and the Karoo it really is breathtaking. In honor of my edginess to start driving I thought I’d revisit a weekend trip I took with husband to the Golden Gate National Park.
The Golden Gate National Park is situated about 320km from Johannesburg in the Free State at the foot of the Maluti mountains, it is run by SANParkS . It is also about 40km from the quaint town of Clarens, however Clarens deserves it’s own post. What made the Golden Gate National Park special for me was the overwhelming grandeur of the sandstone cliff formations that stand guard. The colors of the rock formations cross varying hues of reds and purples and the sheer beauty that it creates is wondrous. In addition to the magnificent landscape that lends to exhilarating hiking, the national park also has ample bird and wildlife. There are other activities on offer such as horse riding, abseiling and canoeing.
Accommodation options in the area are varied, in fact since Clarens is so close, the options are endless. The park itself however has numerous and varied accommodation options such as camping facilities, self catering lodges and a newly renovated luxury hotel. We chose to stay at the Highlands Mountain Retreat which is a small collection of log cabins that sit at 2200m above sea level, which from what I understand is unique in South Africa. The view from our cabin was serene and stretched for miles. The self catering log cabins cater to couples and families and were spacious and clean. The undoubted star being the view, when you look out from your balcony perch you can easily get lost in the overlapping mountain range. The romance factor is exponential! When the weather turned the clouds descended on our cabin, it felt like we were the only people around for miles!
We did a good amount of hiking, the various trails in the park range in difficulty but every option is beautiful.
While our cabin was self catering the hotel has a restaurant and bar. The nearby town of Clarens has a variety of restaurants on offer. Overall the Golden Gate has a lot to offer, if you need a short trip out of the city it’s the perfect spot to spend time in the quiet wonder that is South Africa’s landscape.
Life.Lights.Love 