Picturesque Highland Village
Visit the picturesque highland village of Clarens on your South African holiday. It lies in a pastoral setting of spectacular sandstone outcrops and streams lined by willow and poplar trees.
Clarens owes its name to the Swiss town where President Paul Kruger died in exile on 14 July 1904. The Zuid-Afrikaansche Republiek (ZAR) President's historical links with the area date back to 1866, when five men of his Transvaal Commando were killed in a skirmish against the Basotho at Noupoortsnek. The name has also been given to the Clarens Formation, the distinctive cream or beige sandstones of the Little Berg.
Art Lover's Paradise
Established in 1912, Clarens was once a retirement village, holiday retreat and home of the Sotho, but has become popular with artists, whose work can be viewed at several art galleries, workshops and gift shops. It is such a picture-perfect town that it has long been an escape for artistic souls seeking respite from the more mercenary centres of the gold - and platinum - endowed Highveld.
The streets of the village are lined by fine sandstone dwellings, two beautiful sandstone churches and an old mill which is still in working order. Children delight in visiting Cinderella Castle, built from 37 000 beer bottles. There are several rock painting sites on farms in the area, and visitors can also undertake guided fossil-hunting trips. The route from Clarens to Ladybrand, via Ficksburg, is an art route of nature's rapture.
A popular self-drive route starts in Clarens and joins the R26 at Fouriesburg. This route connects all the lovely old frontier towns of the ...