There are road trips that are about the destination, and then there are those where the road itself becomes part of the reason you went. The drive from Clarens to Golden Gate Highlands National Park falls perfectly into the second category.
sunrise in the highlands of clarens, free state province, south africa / Thomas Bennie / Unsplash
Just 20km separates the little Free State town from Golden Gate’s sandstone cliffs, but this is not a journey you want to rush through. Follow the R712 out of Clarens and the landscape begins to change almost dramatically, trading the town’s galleries, cafés and sandstone buildings for wide-open grasslands, rugged mountains and great walls of ochre rock.
It is one of those drives where you will probably find yourself pulling over, just because the view asked you to.
Start in Clarens
Also known as the “Jewel of the Free State”, Clarens is the obvious starting point for this adventure.
The town is surrounded by mountains and is known for its sandstone architecture, arts and crafts, galleries and restaurants. It also forms part of the eastern Free State’s famous sandstone route, where the colours of the rock shift fiercely throughout the day, more so in the early morning and late afternoon.
Before making your exit, give yourself enough time to actually enjoy Clarens. Have a wholesome breakfast, wander through the galleries, grab something interesting for the road and resist the urge to treat this town as nothing more than a comfortable place to sleep before heading into the rocky mountains.
Because once you leave, the scenery starts doing most of the talking.
Follow the R712 towards Golden Gate
From Clarens, the R712 takes you directly towards Golden Gate Highlands National Park. The drive to the park is only about 20km from the town, making this one of those rare escapes where you can go from coffee and croissants to dramatic mountain scenery in less than half an hour.
And then, suddenly, you are there. Golden Gate gets its name from the way the sun catches the park’s sandstone cliffs, turning them brilliant shades of gold, orange and red. The cliffs belong to the Clarens Formation, formed from sandstone deposited by ancient sand dunes.
Over millions of years, wind, water and erosion shaped the sandstone into the cliffs, caves and unusual formations you see today. Brandwag Buttress is perhaps the most recognisable of these formations, rising above the landscape like an ancient sentry.
This is where the road trip starts to feel less like a drive and more like an expedition into another version of the Free State.
Don’t just drive through Golden Gate
The temptation with any road is to keep moving. Don’t give into it this time around. Golden Gate Highlands National Park is a destination in its own right, with hiking trails, wildlife, birding, scenic drives and geological and cultural heritage to explore.
If you only have a few hours, choose one of the shorter walks rather than trying to see everything. The Mushroom Rock Trail takes about an hour and is rated as an easy walk, while the Echo Ravine Trail takes you towards a natural chamber carved into the sandstone by wind and water.
There is also the Brandwag Buttress Trail, which takes about an hour, and the longer Wodehouse Peak Trail for those wanting to spend more time on foot. And if hiking isn’t your thing, simply driving through the park is reason enough to visit. The public road runs through Golden Gate, with the sandstone formations rising effortlessly on either side.
Keep your eyes open, too. Golden Gate is home to 54 mammal species and 256 recorded bird species, so a scenic drive can easily turn into an unexpected wildlife-spotting session.
Make time for the dinosaurs
One of the newest reasons to linger in Golden Gate is the Kgodumodumo Dinosaur Interpretation Centre.
Opened in June 2025, the centre brings together the area’s palaeontological, archaeological and geological history with Basotho cultural traditions. Its exhibits include fossils, dinosaur eggs and displays about the region’s ancient past, including some remarkably old dinosaur material.
The centre takes its name from the Sesotho legend of Kgodumodumo, a mythical giant creature said to have roamed the mountains. It is an interesting reminder that this landscape has always held stories.
The centre is currently open daily from 08:00 to 16:00, although it is worth checking SANParks before travelling for the latest admission information.
Stay for sunset
If there is one thing you should plan your drive around, it’s definitely the light.
Golden Gate’s sandstone cliffs are stunning throughout the day, but towards sunset they seem to catch fire. The yellows deepen into orange and red, and the shadows begin stretching across the valleys. This is the moment the name Golden Gate suddenly makes perfect sense.
You don’t need to do much to take in this moment. Find somewhere safe to stop, get out of the car and watch the mountains change colour.
There is something wonderfully uncomplicated about it. No itinerary or tourist attraction to tick off your list, just the Maluti Mountains, sandstone cliffs and the slow disappearance of the sun.
Turn the drive into a weekend
The beauty of the Clarens-to-Golden-Gate route is that you don’t need a week to make it worthwhile. A weekend is enough time for you to explore the landscape and truly immerse yourself in all the beauty this adventure has to offer you.
Spend your first day exploring Clarens before heading towards Golden Gate the following morning. Spend the day driving through the park, stopping at viewpoints, walking one of the shorter trails and visiting the dinosaur centre. Stay overnight in or around the park or return to Clarens for another evening in town.
If you have more time, Golden Gate offers plenty of reasons to stay longer, including horse riding, birding, game viewing and longer hiking routes. There is also the Basotho Cultural Village, which offers insight into the heritage and traditions of the Basotho people. And, for those looking for something a little more audacious, Golden Gate’s newest attraction is a seven-cable zipline experience launched in August 2026.
But you don’t have to fill every hour. The freedom to do nothing or everything you choose is both liberating and wildly titillating.
Take the long way, even when it isn’t long
The drive from Clarens to Golden Gate may only be 20km, but it feels like a much bigger escape. And perhaps that’s exactly what makes it so extraordinary.
You don’t need to drive for hours to feel like you’ve gone somewhere. Sometimes all it takes is a quiet road, a full tank of petrol, a combination of curiosity and adventure, and endless mountains waiting to be explored and admired at the end of it.
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