Having visited Johannesburg, Pretoria, and Bloemfontein, I decided to enter the Kingdom of the Sky – Lesotho. I took the long-distance bus to the city of Ladybrand. Still far away from the point of entry. Luckily enough, a local trade woman gave me a lift to the border, or actually, we crossed the border together, as she was doing her routine business in Maseru.
Now, how I left the country seemed to be the opposite of what most adventures do. They go from Underberg, South Africa, and make their way up the Sani Pass to the Border Post at the top of the mountain – 2873m. The wonderful time I had in Lesotho, the lovely people I met, and the places I had the privilege to visit are another story. Here I am approaching the top of Sani Pass.
Border control was smooth and trouble-free. The office opened at 8 am. What concerned me more was the adverse weather conditions.
A newly met Lesotho friend’s family offered me a unique experience no one could refuse. Being driven in the truck with six more people sitting together at the front added to the thrill. Did I mention the worsening weather forecast?
This adventurous ride has been done by many but it all started as a mule track and was pioneered for motor vehicles by David Alexander and his company, Mokhotlong Mountain Transport in the late 1950’s.
Our perilous journey was characterized by extremely rough sections, some corners were so tight that it took many attempts to get around. The 8 km between the two border posts felt quite tortuous, and hair-raising, which gives a taste of what the pioneers might have faced.
For a true feeling of this ride watch the video
Finally reaching the border control post on the South African side. From there we continued our journey to Pietermaritzburg. Once there, I swapped to a local bus and headed to Durban.
Frog on the border 