RIVER OF JOY - Bloemfontein, South Africa

A 30 km drive takes the visitor on a guided tour to the Florisbad Research Station, where the 259, 000 year old human skull fragment was found in 1932. The discovery of the Florisbad human skull supports the hypothesis that the well-known Neanderthal people of Europe and Asia were the descendants of a first fully modern people on earth who first appeared in sub-Saharan Africa. Also on the Florisbad route lies a lion predator park and the Soetdoring Nature Reserve, a haven for many game species associated with grassland plains. Also visit the salt pan where raw salt is extracted with the help of traditional windmills. Some 13 km east of the River of Joy Country Guest house is the Boyden Observatory which originally was located in Arequipa, Peru. In 1927 the entire observatory was moved to  

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its current location outside of Bloemfontein, known for its excellent weather and atmospheric stability. A number of Anglo-Boer battlefields are within easy reach of the River of Joy Country Guest House. The Glen Agricultural College (a 3km drive) has been a model farm for agricultural education in the Free State since 1913. It hosts a living farm museum which has regular demonstrations of traditional farming methods.