FREE STATE HUNTING
The open, grassy plains of the eastern Free State boast a wide variety of plains game species.
The fertile soils of South Africa’s Free State province have ensured that much of this area is devoted to a thriving agricultural industry. However, these high-lying flat plains also provide the ideal conditions for a variety of plains game species, which has seen a rise in reserves, national parks and game concessions.
Herds of springbok and black wildebeest particularly enjoy the wide, open areas, while kudu and red hartebeest frequent the koppies and ridges. If hunting plains game does not get your heart racing, four of the Big Five (buffalo, elephant, lion and white rhino) are also available for hunting in the Free State.
GETTING THERE
The camps we utilize in the Free State are located between three and a half and four and a half hours from OR Tambo International Airport in Johannesburg. If you have booked a package to the Free State and your flight arrives before 11:00 am, the hunting camp will be traveled to on the same day. If, however, the flight arrives, later a connecting night will be spent in Pretoria.
BEST TIMES OF YEAR
The Free State is the best of the South African hunting areas during the summer months (from October to the end of March). April and September, though slightly chilly, are also great months for a hunting safari in the Free State. June and July can be very cold, but if you are well prepared the experience should be rewarding.
ACTIVITIES FOR NON-HUNTERS
Horse trails, quad bike trails, fly fishing, game drives in the Golden Gate National Park as well as visiting a Basotho cultural village and the artistic town of Clarens are amongst the activities available to non-hunting members of the party. Activities that fall outside the normal hunting safari activities are charged at an additional rate that varies depending on the specific activity.
TERRAIN & VEGETATION
Vast grassland plains with scattered hills and distant mountains typify the terrain in this central part of South Africa.