Car hire in Bloemfontein without a credit card

Why hire a car in Bloemfontein?

Bloemfontein lies on the N8, the road to Maseru in Lesotho, and on the N1 between Johannesburg and the south. From the city you can drive south to the Gariep Dam, the largest body of inland water in the country, or east to the sandstone cliffs of the Golden Gate Highlands National Park. In the city itself, Naval Hill has a game reserve in the middle of town.

Bram Fischer International Airport, renamed in 2012, lies on the N8 east of the city, about ten kilometres from the centre; it appears in our search as Bloemfontein Airport. You can also collect your car in the city. For more destinations, see car hire in South Africa.

Exploring the Free State by car

In the city

Naval Hill is part of the Franklin Game Reserve, a game reserve in the middle of the city without predators, and an eight-metre statue of Nelson Mandela has stood on the hill since December 2012. The Free State National Botanical Garden, about 17 kilometres from the airport, is open every day. The War Museum of the Boer Republics is open again.

South to the Gariep Dam

The Gariep Dam, on the Orange River between the Free State and the Northern Cape, is about 225 kilometres from the airport, off the N1 via the R71. Its nature reserve has the largest herd of springbok in South Africa, as well as Cape mountain zebra, red hartebeest and black wildebeest, and the lake is used for sailing, canoeing, angling and waterskiing.

East to Golden Gate and Clarens

The Golden Gate Highlands National Park, about 310 kilometres from the airport, is known for its sandstone cliffs, such as the Brandwag buttress, and for rare bearded vultures. The road through the park is a public road, so its gates never close; you report at reception at the Golden Gate Hotel or Glen Reenen. A daily conservation fee per person applies. Clarens, just outside the park and about 285 kilometres from the airport, has an Artists Amble route past its galleries.

Driving around Bloemfontein

South Africa drives on the left. Your own licence is valid if it is in English and has your photo and signature; if not, bring an International Driving Permit. Heading north on the N1, you pass the Verkeerdevlei toll plaza; there is no toll plaza on the N1 south to the Gariep Dam.

Best time to hire a car in Bloemfontein

Bloemfontein lies at about 1,350 metres and has a dry, sunny climate with big differences between day and night. Summer highs average about 30°C, and most rain falls from October to April. In winter the days stay pleasant, at around 18°C in June and July, but the nights average below freezing, so pack warm clothes. The sun shines for eight to ten hours a day all year.

The longest South African school holiday runs from mid-December to mid-January, with shorter breaks around Easter, from late June to mid-July and in late September.