Mafube Mountain Retreat

Please Note
There is a 3km dirt road leading to the accommodation which is not suitable for low profile cars at the moment due to the excessive rain. As is usual with farm roads, the road is fairly rough and if you are coming in a low car, you will need to drive slowly on the higher parts of the road as there is a "middlemannetjie" in some places.

FROM BLOEMFONTEIN
At present, the route on the N8 via Ladybrand and Clocolan and Ficksburg is very slow due to multiple road works. Our guests have advised us that the following route is the best.

Take the N1 and travel towards Winburg. From Winburg take the N5 to Senekal, then Bethlehem. From Bethlehem travel to Clarens. Just after the main entrance to Clarens is a road to Fouriesburg called the R711. Turn right into this road and set the trip meter to zero. Continue along this road for 26.2km. You will pass Oranje Guest Farm and the turnoff to Queen Victoria. Look for the sign that says Fouriesburg 10km. Our entrance is about 2km further on, on the lfet hand side. It is not easy to see at night. If you cross the Little Caledon you have gone 1km too far.

* Turn up the farm road about 400 meters. Follow our signs to the right past a broken down schoolroom, then left between a shed and the schoolroom past a kraal and through a gate and follow the road over the dam wall and up to the curved roof chalets. It is about 3 km on the farm.

from Natal
Take the N3 to Harrismith, but instead of going round Harrismith to JHB, follow the signs to the N5 towards Bethlehem. After about 5 km on the N5, take the turnoff onto the R712 to Clarens / Phuthadithaba / Golden Gate National Park. Carry on along this road. Do not take the Bergville / Sterkfontein Dam turnoffs or the turnoff to Phuthadithaba, or the Kestell turnoff. You carry on straight to Golden Gate on the R712. You will be stopped at the entrance and exit of the park.

About 18km from the exit of Golden Gate, you will come to Clarens. Just before the main entrance to the town there is a turnoff to the left to Fouriesburg (R711). Travel on this road for about 26km. At 20km you will pass "Oranje" Guest House, then Queen Victoria turnoff on the left, then start looking out for a sign that says 'FOURIESBURG 10KM. ' At the sign, you will see a small dam on the left ... keep watching for a dam on the right (about 2km later) and as soon as you see it slow right down. Our turning is just after the dam on the left hand side. The sign says "Mafube Mountain Retreat”. Follow directions from * above.

from Johannesburg
From the OR Tambo Airport, you follow sign to Johannesburg which will take you onto the R21, which joins the N12 and then onto the N3 towards Durban. Continue along the N3 road through the first toll plaza, bypassing Heidelberg until you get to the huge grain silos close to the road on the right hand side at Villiers.

Just after these Silos take the off ramp Frankfort/ Vrede, and turn to the right over the flyover bridge across the freeway. Do not go through the second toll plaza. Continue on this road about 30km till you come to a “T” junction and turn right towards Frankfort. Pass the entrance to the town and over the Vaal River.

About 200 meters after the Vaal is a turnoff to the left to Bethlehem / Reitz. Continue on this road until you come into Bethlehem. It's a long way and you pass straight through a four way stop around the Reitz vicinity. Continue straight through Bethlehem, past the Wimpy and CTM, past a couple of big service stations towards Clarens /Kestell. You will pass a guesthouse called Lavender Hill.

About 8 kilometers from town there is a turnoff to the right to Clarens. Take this turnoff and about 30km later you will come to Clarens. Just after the main entrance to the town there is a turnoff to the right to Fouriesburg (R711) At this point set your trip meter to zero.

Travel on this road for about 26.2km. You will pass "Oranje" Guest House, then start looking out for a sign that says 'FOURIESBURG 10KM. ' Soon after this sign you will see a small dam (pond) on the left ... keep watching for a dam on the right (about 2km later) and as soon as you see it slow right down. Our turning is just after the dam on the left hand side. The sign is on the left and says "Mafube Mountain Retreat" (If you come to a bridge over the Little Caledon River you have gone 1 km too far and must turn back). Follow directions from * above.

note
If you use a GPS device it will usually take you another way around: Through Bethlehem and via Fouriesburg, onto the R711 to Clarens, over the Little Caledon River to our entrance. We like the route via Clarens because it is so very picturesque and is only a kilometer or two longer.