Memel, Eastern Free State
Memel is a tiny town in the very north of the Eastern Free State, in a beautiful and totally rural area on the ‘leading edge’ of the Drakensberg escarpment where majestic peaks lessen to become rocky ‘mesa-like’ hillocks.
One of these hillocks, Spitzkop, situated on a farm 37km from the town, is famous for having been the site of South Africa’s first commercial airline crash in 1948. There is nothing there to mark the tragic event that killed all 13 people on board, but the hamlet of Memel is so small and remote that not a lot goes on here – so ask anyone and they will tell you the story of the crash because its the biggest thing that has ever happened there.
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The area north of Memel is wetland, and known for great wetlands birding. The biggest wetland is the 37km Seekoievlei Nature Reserve, a RAMSAR Wetland where you can see Hippo as well as many species of Wetland bird. The entire area is rural and birding is good everywhere.
Other activities include bass fishing, hiking, mtb, 4X4 and adventure biking.
The scenery around Memel is spectacular. South and east of Memel, the terrain is mountaineous with deep incised valleys and pockets of cloud forest inbetween large open areas of grassland. On the other side it becomes a gentler, more typical farmland scene with the dams, vleis and wetlands.
The town itself is tiny, with lovely examples of old red-roofed and pillared Victorian Free State Architecture. These heritage buildings include the Memel Hotel – probably the ‘hub’ of life and tourism in Memel.
Getting there: Memel is situated north of Harrismith on the R722.
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