The whole city spread before the eyes, and there are nature and thousands of roses all around. There is an amazing place in Bloemfontein that will be your most vivid memory of this trip. Both locals and tourists adore Naval hill.

There used to be guns, cannons, and other attributes of the naval base here, but everything was removed over time. Only two cannons, a statue of a White Horse, a scenic view of the city, and the stunning Franklin Nature Reserve remain. It was named after the mayor of Bloemfontein, John Stewart Franklin.

This is the only nature reserve in the world that is located in the center of the city. In the 20s of the 20th century, locals lost the opportunity to build a house in the center. Usually, you expect to see offices, cultural centers, museums in the city center, but there is an incredible African nature instead. Giraffes, wildebeest, zebras – it's hard to imagine that all these animals live peacefully in the heart of Bloemfontein. The entrance to the territory of the Franklin reserve is free, so you can often find fans of an active lifestyle here. A park is a great place not only to find out what the nature of Africa is really like, to see wild animals almost in their natural habitat but also to have a break from the hustle and bustle of city life.

If you want to get to know the flora and fauna of Africa represented in the Park, it is better to go there as part of an organized group. Guides will tell you a lot of interesting things about the species of animals and the history of the Park.

Local advice is to organize the day so that you can walk in the Park during the day, and meet the sunset on the very top of the hill in the evening. Climb up on a wooden viewing platform and wait, remembering everything that happened during the day. Here you want time to stop, you want to watch the sun go down without taking your eyes off it, and everything turns pink and purple.