Pictures, Travel

Clarens Is a Small Town With a View

I was in South Africa last week visiting Cassandra’s family. Because there’s only so much to do in Kimberley (yes, I’ve seen the Big Hole), we decided to take a road trip to see some new scenery. I had been looking at the map of South Africa and noticed that Lesotho, the small nation enclave surrounded entirely by South Africa, was fairly close. Cassandra’s dad suggested that we drive to Clarens to get a good view of the Maluti Mountains.

Panorama of the Maluti Mountains from Clarens, South Africa
Panorama of the Maluti Mountains from Clarens, South Africa

Clarens was a pleasant surprise. It kinda reminded me of little towns I’d been to in Northern California (especially Calistoga) — quaint, quiet, clean, and safe. The town is situated around one or two main streets and a small square, with cute restaurants, pubs, antique shops, and bed and breakfasts dotted along the way.

We arrived at around five o’clock so we still had a good hour or two of sun. We spent a few minutes searching for a suitable bed and breakfast, and then we went to scope out the town and check out possible dinner joints. You can see the mountains from almost anywhere in Clarens…

Other than the beauty of Clarens and its environs, a few other things stood out to me as being different than what I had experienced in other parts of South Africa I’ve visited:

  • I heard very little Afrikaans being spoken (and not one printed sign that I can remember).
  • I didn’t see any electric fences, high walls, or crushed glass around any homes.
  • While I did see police officers, I didn’t see any private security guards. I’m used to seeing private security like G4S everywhere in East Africa!

If you ever get a chance to go to Clarens I’d highly recommend it. Here are a few more pictures:

9 Comments to “Clarens Is a Small Town With a View”

  1. Rebecca

    Alan! you were so close to my ‘hood! Clarens is super cute. And it’s true, the Afrikaans didn’t get into Lesotho/surrounding area too much, I think because King Moshoeshoe I threw rocks at them a hundred years ago, or something. You should visit Lesotho sometime! I can give you the info of some awesome people to stay with :)

Comments are closed.