Being a tourist in your own country

Cathedral Cave, Clarens, Free State, South Africa

 

 

That feeling when you've conquered an hour long hike to get to this magnificent piece of nature!

 

Capturing that Golden Gate sunset.

 

 



The cover image of this post is a representation of a significant moment for me. It's a moment which opened my eyes to the endless beauty of my own home country (South Africa). This is a picture of Cathedral cave in Clarens, Free State. Clarens is a place whose existence I only heard of during a conversation with a former colleague of mine. At that time, I had never been on holiday in any part of the Free State. The way my colleagues described the place, I was sold on the idea of visiting Clarens. I rallied my 2 friends to join me on my first trip there and I was glad they didn't need much convincing. We went to Clarens as winter was about to set in. Just us girls. My daughter tagged along. We stayed in one of the guesthouses there. It was beautiful and was perfectly positioned to give us great views of the mountains in that area. This trip was pretty laid back because we didn't do much except stroll around the small town, exploring the stalls in the street markets. Apart from the mountains that were obvious and easy to spot, we were oblivious to the beauty that this place possesses. We didn't explore much of the town or the surrounding areas but it's amazing how impressed we were with just the beauty that was on the surface. You do not need to search for the beauty. I was so impressed with the place that I made a commitment to myself to come back again in the future. I didn't know at the time that I would be married just 2 years after this trip and I didn't know that Clarens would be the first holiday destination that I would undertake with the man who became my husband.

Again, my trip to Clarens with my husband was not exploratory. Just as it happened when I visited Clarens with my friends, my husband and I strolled the streets of the small town, ate at the local restaurants, drove out to see Golden gate, which was amazing but that was it. We were only scratching the surface. My husband fell in love with Clarens on his first visit, just as I did on my first too. Exactly 8 years later, we went back for our second visit to Clarens together. This particular visit was different. Very different.

First of all, we stayed on a different side of Clarens. Secondly, we did what tourists do. We enquired about the place, which is something we never really did before. We tried out activities we didn't consider on our previous visits. We took on some horse riding up the Maloti mountains and experienced a thrilling and beautiful side of Clarens. We also hiked up the side of the mountains which leads to Cathedral cave. Cathedral cave is a huge cave that lies among the mountains. Like most caves around the world, it's an amazing piece of nature which has been carved to perfection.

The hike to the cave is about an hour long. It's a  fairly easy hike which doesn't require extreme levels of fitness. At the end of the trail you will reach this beautiful cave with the most beautiful waterfall. I had never seen anything so beautiful in any part of South Africa. Perhaps the Blyde River canyon in Mpumalanga comes close but this cave is incredible in many ways. It even has a natural pool which, if you're brave enough to swim across it, will take you to the top of the cave, opening up to a higher level of the falls. My husband and a couple of other hikers swam across the pool. I was nervous for them because I wasn't sure how safe it was to swim to the other side. The view from where I was standing was incredible but when my husband and the others came back from the top of the cave the rest of us got to understand that the ultimate view was from the top. As tempting as it was, I couldn't bring myself to do that swim. The water was ice cold too, which was not encouraging. So, I settled for what I had been able to see from the bottom of the cave. Even though some may think that I limited my experience of the cave, I still count Cathedral cave as the most beautiful place I have seen in South Africa.

After this trip, I'm pretty sure we will still have many more visits to Clarens. It holds a special place in our hearts. I am also certain we will discover even more beauty on our future vsits. If you're ever in the Free State, be a tourist. Ask about the hiking trails and what each one of them has to offer. Take on the challenge. Ride on a horse back. Do something you've ever thought you would do. You'll be glad you did. The only disclaimer I will give you is to make sure you wear comfortable clothes and hiking shoes. Keep and open mind and expect anything because the return from the hike may surprise you.