# Parks and zoos in Bloemfontein — Citylit

Discover parks & zoos in Bloemfontein: Free State National Botanical Garden. Find addresses, photographs and source links.

Canonical page: https://citylit.vercel.app/bloemfontein/parks-zoos

Source check dates describe our catalog research, not live confirmation by the venue. Opening hours, prices and accessibility can change. Unknown facts are not confirmed unavailable. City-reference coordinates and city photographs must not be treated as venue locations or venue photos.

Latest source check: 2026-10-12

## Places

### Free State National Botanical Garden

A valley garden with indigenous trees, koppies and walking trails.

- City: Bloemfontein, Free State, South Africa
- Category: Parks & zoos
- Address: Rayton Road, off Dan Pienaar Drive
- Citylit page: https://citylit.vercel.app/bloemfontein/parks-zoos/free-state-national-botanical-garden
- Official website: https://www.sanbi.org/gardens/free-state/
- Wikipedia: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Free_State_National_Botanical_Garden
- Sources checked: 2026-10-08
- Coordinates: longitude 26.2131544, latitude -29.0505745 (venue pin; entrance may be unverified)
- Coordinate source: https://www.openstreetmap.org/relation/16951965

The Free State National Botanical Garden, located just outside Bloemfontein covers 70 hectares, and is home to about 400 species of plants, largely native to Free State and Northern Cape Provinces and Lesotho. Near Bain's Vlei, the garden was established in 1965, around 10 km north of downtown between picturesque dolerite rocks. 140 bird species, 50 mammal species, and 50 reptile species live in the park. A wild olive tree (Olea europaea subsp.

About source: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Free_State_National_Botanical_Garden; checked 2026-10-12; license https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0/.

#### Practical facts
- admission: Unknown / unconfirmed (unknown)
- booking: Unknown / unconfirmed (unknown)
- stepFreeEntrance: Unknown / unconfirmed (unknown)
- accessibleToilets: Unknown / unconfirmed (unknown)
- parking: Unknown / unconfirmed (unknown)
- publicTransport: Unknown / unconfirmed (unknown)
- family: Unknown / unconfirmed (unknown)
- environment: outdoor (editorial-estimate); checked 2026-10-08; source: https://www.sanbi.org/gardens/free-state/
- durationMinutes: 60 (editorial-estimate); checked 2026-10-08; source: Citylit editorial planning estimate

#### Sources
- Free State - SANBI: https://www.sanbi.org/gardens/free-state/; fetched 2026-10-08; retrieved during research
- Free State National Botanical Garden: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Free_State_National_Botanical_Garden; fetched 2026-10-08; retrieved during research

#### Photographs and credits
- https://citylit.vercel.app/images/ff506cb48444.jpg — The beautiful gardens and walking routes are a must for relaxing and learning about nature in Bloemfontein.. Venue photograph. Author: Luzelle Nel; license: CC BY-SA 4.0 (https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0); source: https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Free_State_Botanical_Gardens.jpg
- https://citylit.vercel.app/images/b943a1412c62.jpg — In the Free State National Botanical Garden. Venue photograph. Author: Esther Westerveld; license: CC BY 2.0 (https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/2.0); source: https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Free_State_National_Botanical_Garden.jpg

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Original descriptions are Citylit editorial content. Wikipedia excerpts and photographs retain their separately linked licenses. No blanket license covers all third-party material.