Clarens gets a thumbs up

Well, all I can say is that Clarens, and the Golden Gate area is definitely worth visiting, and deserves much of the fuss that we have heard about. Although we only spent a couple of hours in the town of Clarens (of which most of the excitement takes place in a 4 block area called 'the square'), the entire region is full of rolling hills, green grasses and mountainous peaks and valleys.

We stayed on a game farm called "Rebellie Game Farm", which is between Clarens and the Golden Gate National Park (a part of which is pictured here). Although the dirt road was quite challenging, and at times a little unpleasant, the farm and accomodation more than made up for it. We stayed in a 7 sleeper thatched cottage, which was more than comfortable. It was equipped with a separate jacuzzi room, which proved very useful after the 3,5 hour drive down on Friday afternoon.

Saturday saw us climb to one of the peaks behind our cottage - a climb that definitely raised the heart rate somewhat. Upon reaching the summit (which had a fence running across the entire range), we were treated to magnificent views of the neighbouring Lesotho.

We took the mountain bikes with us, and Frank and I got some good mileage out of them on the rocky dirt roads. We also spent a bit of time hiking through the valleys, and looking for bushman paintings, after Dave, the owner of the place pointed some out to us.

All in all, another great weekend, in the great South African outdoors. I can definitely recommend a trip to Clarens, and if you're looking for a place to stay, Rebellie Game Farm is a gem of a spot (if you can put up with the gravel road that is).