Following a nightmare 55-hour journey to the High Veldt, due to two cancelled flights, there were serious concerns around how Danny Wilson’s men would adapt.
But they displayed an abundance of grit and determination as they came agonisingly close to victory at altitude.
They trailed by 16-points at the break after the Cheetahs claimed three tries through Sibhale Maxwane (2) and Francois Venter.
But the heroic Blues were to be undeterred as Owen Lane gave them real hope of a comeback.
They continued to threaten as the Cheetahs appeared to run out of steam and moment of magic from Willis Halaholo and a team effort finished by Rey Lee-Lo put them into the lead.
Following a series of close range scrums, which went minutes past the 80, the Cheetahs finally claimed the winner, and their bonus-point try, to leave spirited Cardiff Blues heartbroken.
Despite their arduous journey, the Blues made a bright start in Bloemfontein and could have scored a try inside the opening two minutes.
Some magical footwork from Matthew Morgan opened up the Cheetahs defence as he beat three men and threaded a kick to the corner with the outside of his boot.
After the Cheetahs failed to clean up, the ball fell to Morgan with the try-line at his mercy but he was unable to scoop up the awkward bounce.
Following TV replays, Cardiff Blues were awarded a penalty after replays showed Garyn Smith was tackled without the ball.
Anscombe stepped up to nudge the visitors into the lead but Niel Marias soon drew the hosts level following a fine counter-attack.
The Blues had the opportunity to respond after winning a scrum penalty on 10 minutes but they instead opted for the corner.
Willis Halaholo went close from a set-play after Seb Davies won the ball and soon after Owen Lane created space as he came off his wing.
His break almost released Cuthbert but his floated pass over the top went over the head of the wing at full stretch.
Minutes later the Cheetahs displayed their clinical edge as they punished the Blues for a pair of miss-firing lineouts.
They broke through with Sibhale Maxwane dotting down in the corner however, Marias was unable to add the extras.
Wales’ Capital Region were unfortunate not to claim a try of their own as the quarter mark approached. Olly Robinson cut a menacing line as he hit a flat pass from Anscombe.
Lloyd Williams did well to provide support on a typical scrum-half line but just as Robinson looked to put the scrum-half away, Clayton Blommetijes deliberately knocked on.
He was instantly show yellow but the referee adjudged that the indiscretion did not warrant a penalty try due to the Cheetahs’ covering defence.
Anscombe slotted the subsequent penalty to cut the deficit to just two points before the hosts claimed a second try in style.
Tian Meyer laid the foundations with an impressive break and a succession of offloads saw momentum maintained and the Cheetahs break into the 22.
And when the ball was spread left, they took advantage of a slip in midfield as Francois Venter finished in the corner.
This time Marias was on target, booting his side into a 15-6 lead.
With Smith already forced off due to a leg injury sustained in the opening 10 minutes, the Blues were dealt another blow after Gareth Anscombe departed following a heavy clash of heads when tackling Cheetahs second row Carl Wegner.
Mistakes began to creep into the Blues’ game and a loose pass saw Maxwane pounce again.
He hacked on twice before Lane saved the day as he dived on the ball but as play continued Mike Adamson came back to look at replays and sent the wing to the bin for a push.
The Cheetahs opted for a scrum and they turned the screw up front with a series of re-sets and the pressure eventually told as the hosts went wide and Marias put Maxwane away with a long pass. Marias converted the effort to bring the scores to 22-6 at the break.
Again the Blues made a bright start to the second half and went through a succession of phases as they looked for their opening try but they were unable to breakdown the Cheetahs’ stubborn defence.
But they were finally rewarded for their endeavours on 49 minutes.
Both Damian Welch and Morgan went close on the left, then right as they piled the pressure on a tiring Cheetahs’ defence and Lane took full advantage as he hit the ball at pace and beat two defenders to score.
Shingler knocked over the extras but the Cheetahs quickly rallied with Venter going close but losing the ball as he stretched for the whitewash, with a helping hand from the boot of Willis Halaholo.
The Blues survived as they exited effectively and on 59 minutes some individual brilliance from centre Halaholo unlocked the South African defence with a pair of sidesteps that left three Cheetahs for dead.
Shingler was once again on target as he brought the Blues within two points of the hosts, who once again responded with venom.
A rampaging driving lineout laid the foundations and another long whipped pass from Marias put AJ Coetzen into space.
The replacement centre then flicked an audacious offload to Fred Zeilinga but Lane clattered his opposite number into touch.
Lane’s tackle halted a certain try and from the lineout the Blues worked their way out of danger.
With just two points separating the sides, Cardiff Blues continued to press and they claimed a third try as Morgan, Cuthbert and Halaholo combined to release Lee-Lo.
Shingler nailed the simple conversion to give his side a five-point lead but there was to be a tense finale.
After 87-minutes of action, and a gruelling series of scrum penalties awarded to the home side,Mike Adamson eventually ran under the posts to award Cheetahs the penalty try and sealing a crucial win for the hosts.
Cardiff Blues' bonus point leaves them eight points clear of Ospreys, who have a game in-hand, but Cheetahs are now in control of the play-off spots, with a nine-point advantage over Wales' Capital Region.