Flying to Bloemfontein
The Bloemfontein Airport is located in the Free State province in the city of Bloemfontein. The airport shares it runways with AFB Bloemspruit. This is one of South Africa’s smaller airports and it only serves domestic flights and not international flights. International visitors should take a connecting flight from one of the international airports like Johannesburg’s OR Tambo Airport. In 2004 the airport only served 225 636 passengers annually.
Only South African Airways, South African Airlink, South African Express and Mango Airlines have domestic flights to and from Bloemfontein. No international airlines have flights to the Bloemfontein Airport at this stage.
Bloemfontein's Tourism
Bloemfontein accentuates the vibrant, dynamic and energetic character of the tourism industry in the “City on the move” with various tourist attractions like:
The Bloemfontein Zoo
The thing that makes Bloemfontein zoo so spectacular, except for the fact that it has the largest collection of apes in South Africa, is the zoos interesting collections of animals and birds kept in almost natural surroundings.
Bloemfontein Botanical Garden
This peaceful and well-maintained botanical garden is the only one of its kind in the Free State.
Boyden Observatory
The Boyden Observatory is a unique astronomy research centre outside Bloemfontein. The observatory can be visited by groups on public open evenings or for exclusive evenings on appointment..
Reserves in the area include:
Maria Moroka Game Reserve
A large variety of indigenous game and bird species can be viewed at the Maria Moroko Game Reserve, situated at the foot of the Thaba Nchu Mountain.
Soetdoring Nature Reserve and Predator Park
This reserve is situated only 45km from Bloemfontein on the banks of the Modder River. The Soetdoring Reserve not only offers their visitors excellent angling oppurtunities, but also the opportunity to see the feeding rituals of wild animals like lions and Cape Wild Dogs at their predator park.
Franklin Game Reserve
Situated on Naval Hill in the Bloemfontein inner city, this reserve offers a glimpse of several species of game and an expansive view of the city and surrounding countryside.
The city of Bloemfontein
Bloemfontein is South Africa’s judicial capital and the capital city of the Free State Province. The city is located in the grassland and home to almost 400 000 residents. Bloemfontein is popularly known as “the city of roses” because of its reputation for its flowers. The city is home to various National, Provincial and Local Government Buildings such as:
- Appeal Court - the highest court in South Africa.
- Supreme Court – this building with its magnificent interior was built in 1909.
- Fourth Raadsaal – an impressive and well-designed classical structure, built in the early 1800's.
- Lebohang Building – building with extraordinary stained glass and concrete panels
- Bram Fischer Building – a modern glass construction, inaugurated in 1992 and serves as the headquarters of the MANGAUNG Local Municipality.
- The City Hall - an impressive sandstone building, designed by Sir Gordon Leith and was declared a national conservation area in its entirety.
Bloemfontein's climate
Bloemfontein has a oceanic climate, meaning a climate characterized by a narrower annual range of temperatures. Summers are mild with average maximum temperatures of 26C and frequent afternoon thunderstorms. Winters have an average maximum temperature of 17C and this season is cool and dry.