Sani Pass and the Roof of Lesotho

Southern Drakensberg and Lesotho highlands · South Africa / Lesotho

Moderate5 daysAfrica~£700 est.

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Overview

From the trout town of Underberg, an infamous gravel track climbs 1,300 vertical metres of hairpins up the Drakensberg escarpment to the 2,876 m Sani Pass summit and the Lesotho border — one of Africa's great 4x4 rites of passage. At the top, a toast at Sani Mountain Lodge, the highest pub in Africa, with the KwaZulu-Natal lowlands smoking far below. Then the trip most people never take: onward across the roof of Lesotho. The tar road past Black Mountain runs above 3,000 m for hour after hour, Basotho shepherds in blankets and balaclavas watching from horseback, before dropping to Mokhotlong and winding west to the engineering spectacle of Katse Dam. Exit through the northern lowlands and finish among the golden sandstone ramparts of Golden Gate Highlands back in South Africa. The variables: South African border officials enforce 4x4-only on the pass, and the border posts keep daylight hours, so start early; winter snow closes the pass at short notice; and fuel stations in highland Lesotho are scarce, so brim the tank at every chance. Five days from Durban, about £700 per person in lodges and mountain guesthouses.