About Ficksburg

Ficksburg offers visitors more than 30 experiences, including visits to cherry and asparagus farms; hiking and horse riding in magnificent sandstone mountains; a leisurely cruise through a private nature reserve aboard the White Mischief; and sampling decadent chocolates made in the village by an Alaskan chocolatier.

Ficksburg, in the Free State province, is an attraction-filled rural destination 400km from Johannesburg that offers a wide range of out-of-the-ordinary activities.

Gavin Boy, who runs a Ficksburg advertising agency, has put together an appealing visitor’s guide to the area, which includes chocolates, cherries and a riverboat ride.

'Our goal is to encourage people to come and explore this beautiful rural destination, and so we put together a list of exciting experiences that people of all ages and interests can enjoy,' says Boy, who is also coordinator of the annual Cherry Festival.

Ficksburg is the largest cherry-producing area in South Africa, and hosted its 1st Cherry Festival in 1968. At the festival, which takes place in November each year, visitors can indulge in fresh, succulent cherries.

While in town follow the Sandstone Way, and learn about the village’s historic sandstone buildings, built from the surrounding sandstone mountains, which glow golden in the early morning and late afternoon light.