It is about a 200 km, nearly three-hour journey from Alberton in Johannesburg to Bothaville in the Free State. This maize farming town near the Vaal River was established in 1891 by Voortrekker JP van Wyk on a farm known as Gladdedrift. One of the richest agricultural communities in South Africa, Bothaville is not only the star of the Free State Maize Route, but its main claim to fame is that NAMPO Park is on its outskirts, home to the largest agricultural expo in Africa.
You do not see anything of Bothaville itself, just seemingly endless mielie fields on either side of the road. The next surprise as you turn into the main entrance down a rutted dirt road is that a large space has been cleared for an impressive collection of
