Mountain retreat in Maluti Mountains

 
Renowned for its superlative scenery, invigorating climate the Golden Gate Highlands National Park has become a tremendous holiday drawcard. It nestles among the foothills of the Maluti Mountains in the north-eastern Free State where it preserves the unique landscape of sandstone formations, cliffs, highland vegetation, wooded ravines and gullies.




The park derives its name from the brilliant shades of gold cast by the sun on the park's sandstone cliffs, especially the imposing Brandwag rock. The landscape also encompasses wooded ravines, gulleys and grasslands.  Generaalskop, the highest point in the park, reveals a breathtaking tapestry of red, yellow and purple hues as its warm shades merge with the cool mountain shadows towards evening.




Places of interest include:

the Van Reenen family graveyard
the impressive Brandwag buttress rock formation
a bird hide at the Langtoon Dam
Interesting lookout points and viewpoints - Zuluhoek lookout point, Generaalskop viewpoint, the third highest point in the park; Oribi basin and Drakensberg view.



Facilities:

Picnic site for day visitors has ablution and barbecue facilities.
Glen Reenen Restcamp has a general dealer.


Climate:

Cool highveld summers with the possibility of thunderstorms in the afternoon and cold winters with occasional snow transforming the park into a white wonderland.


Fauna and flora:
 
Beautiful mountainous landscapes with green slopes and spectacular yellow and red rock faces are characteristic of this 10 710 ha park. The sour grassveld is known for its large variety of wild flowers in summer. Black wildebeest, eland, blesbok, springbok, Burchell's zebra, oribi, grey rhebok and mountain reedbok are only some of the animals that may be seen.  Some 140 bird species have been identified in the park such as the bearded vulture, the black eagle, jackal buzzard, the bald ibis, ground woodpecker and orange throated longelaw and a hide at the vulture restaurant enables bird lovers to observe these scavengers closely without being detected.