Van Reenen is a small village situated along the N3 National Route on the border between the Free State and KwaZulu-Natal in the uThukela region of South Africa, at the top of Van Reenen’s Pass on the Great Escarpment of the Drakensberg.
The village is named after Frans van Reenen, the original owner of the farm where Van Reenen was established and planner of the route of the Van Reenen’s Pass.
Van Reenen is situated in the Alfred Duma Local Municipality, approximately 32.5 km south-east of Harrismith in the Thabo Mofutsanyana District of the Free State and 54 km north-west of uMnambithi (formerly Ladysmith).
The Moorddraai (‘Murder corner’ in Afrikaans) memorial a few kilometres to the south-east of the town marks the place where nine people transporting goods from Durban were killed by Basotho tribesmen in 1865.
Van Reenen is home to the smallest Roman Catholic Church in the world, named the Llandaff Oratory. The Church seats only 8, and was built by a father in honour of his son who died in a mining accident. Today this church is a Heritage Landmark.
Visitors and tourists to the village will be able to stop at Windy Corner, a superb viewing place which overlooks the whole area.
The Sandspruit Conservancy near to Van Reenen, offers great opportunities for the avid hiker. The reserve has many different wildlife species, including the largest herd of black Wildebeest found in any private reserve. Trails can vary in length and endurance, during which you will see Zebra, Kudu, Impala, as well as Leopard and other large cats.
This area is ideal for bird watching, including an amazing number of Raptors.
The Golden Gate National Park along with the Sterkfontein Dam Reserve, are just two of the many nearby attractions.
