Vryburg

Vryburg is the biggest town in the The Dr Ruth Segomotsi Mompati Region of the North West Province, comprised mainly of cattle studs, game farms and private hunting lodges. Vryburg is the centre of the cattle breeding industry in the North West, and hosts a number of annual cattle auctions and agricultural shows based on cattle such as the annual Vryburg show.

Vryburg is the biggest town in the The Dr Ruth Segomotsi Mompati Region of the North West Province, comprised mainly of cattle studs, game farms and private hunting lodges. Vryburg is the centre of the cattle breeding industry and hosts a number of annual cattle auctions and agricultural shows based on cattle such as the annual Vryburg Show – one  of the largest cattle auctions in the Southern Hemisphere.

Vryburg is surrounded by vast expanses of SavannaH bushveld and grasslands, home to the Big 5 on many game farms. Most game farms are hunting oriented, and offer camping through to luxurious lodge accommodation.

Vryburg means ‘Free Town’. Established in the late 1800’s, it was once the Capital of a very short-lived independant Republic called Stellaland (Star Land), which existed from 1882 to 1885, when Britain claimed it from the Boers. This history can be seen in a number of well maintained and restored old buildings in between the more modern architecture of a bustling centre with a population of around 50 000.

There is a small nature reserve just outside of Vryberg – the Riaan Taljaardt Nature Reserve allegedly offers hiking trails (according to 1996 info that also advised you watch out for the Buffalo – a species that has resulted in other trails being closed down around South Africa as they can be very aggressive), but attempts to get information from the Vryberg Municipality met with ‘I don’t know’ and fax machine numbers instead of phone numbers. We will keep you posted on that…

Getting there: Vryburg is situated on the N12, about 4 and a half hours’s drive from Johannesburg via Potchefstroom and Klerksdorp.