Vredefort is a tiny farming town situated in the centre of the Vredefort Dome World Heritage Site in the Free State. With only a few thousand residents, from a tourism point of view, the town is only notable for its centrality in the Vredefort Dome site. It is otherwise dwarfed by its township, Mokwallo.
However Vredefort is also surrounded by nature and farmland. Local farmers grow maize and sunflowers, making for pretty scenery and open country that is hard to beat for those looking for ‘remote’ outdoors that is nevertheless still close to civilisation.
Apart from its unique geological features, the Vredefort district around the town (also called The Bergland, or the Bergland Meander) is known for its hiking trails, visiting many places of geological interest, several Anglo-Boer War battle sites and some of South Africa’s finest Bushman Rock Art. You can also taste South Africa’s most notorious local product (our local ‘Moonshine’) which we call ‘Witblits’, at a nearby distillery, or visit Africa’s largest wild olive forest and the Venterskroon and Parys Museums to learn about the Vredefort Dome and the history of Vredefort’s Gold Mining past.
The nearest main town is Parys, 13km away on the Vaal River, where you can play golf, and where you will find many adventure activity operators offering plenty of family activities, water sports, and adventure offerings for the sports and outdoor’s enthusiast.
Getting there: Vredefort is 13km south of Parys on the R59. Take the N1 south from Johannesburg to Parys.
Note, however, that the companies and operators that offer activities around Vredefort are for the most part situated in nearby Parys or Kroonstad.
