Lesotho

[Cedric]

Our Lesotho trip took place in April 2007 as we were trying to avoid the rains of summer and the snows of winter. Our first night was at Clarens, the next morning at about 10 am we were thru Fouriesburg border post, no issues there. then on to Butha Buthe, turning right to Leribe, Pitseng and up that steep pass ( Mafika Lusiu 1;2 @ 3073m) the view is literally breath taking.
Looking down the otherside we could see the Katse dam. With a 4Y engine it was 4 WD all the time to shed the traction load. As time was against us we turned back to Batha Buthe to head for the overnight stop of Oxbow, arriving at 4;00pm. The drive upto Oxbow is something to remember, 'steep' does'nt describe it adequately. The next morning was the 'roof of Africa' at 3200 m, passed Afri ski onto Mothotlong, down into the valleys onto Sani pass for an overnight stop. This section of road is 'potholed' so much so that you spend most of your time watching the road & not the scenery. The morning we left to go down the Sani it was raining. The road is definately 4WD- low range and the old 1985 SFA D/C managed this trip with no problems. We spent two days fly fishing in the Underberg region. All in all a great trip.
The main reason for posting this report is as follows;
No much is written about Lesotho trips on the web, allow enough time, minimum 5 nights we did not allow enough time to go down to the Katse, there is no breakdown service in Lesotho, be prepared for unexpected stops, be prepared for the cold - cloths and sleeping bags, take emergency rations, water, etc & remember it is a foreign country & Hiluxes are in high demand there ( there are 100's of them - leftovers of the dam building days) oh! & a GPS and paper maps. Still a great trip & we would do it again.

[Family_Dog]

Great post, Cedric! Seemed you had lots of fun!

Do you perhaps have any photos of the trip?


-F_D

[Scooter]

Cedric, sounds like a trip to do sometime. As we discussed on Friday, I think you need to look at the brighter side of all the Hiluxs', they are there for you to get spares (we all know that spare aren't needed on a toy though)

F_D, I must say Cedric has a good looking Lux and perhaps if there are no photos of the trip, he can post a few of his toy in the members rides section. :D

[Knersus]

Cedric it is true that you do not find a lot of info in the net about Lesotho. We have done a 9 day trip in September this year and it was a trip laid out by info gathered on net only. We have done basically the best of Lesotho and it is a magical place to visit. I can say for real that Lesotho has offered me the best 4x4 oportunity so far. We have entered at Maseru visited 3 caves; waterfalls; Mohale and Katse dam; drove Sani down and up; had a drink at the highest pub; played in the snow and drove on so called roads that can only be driven by 4x4.

One thing Lesotho is not for sissies It is Hi Lux country. 8) Be prepaired to experience Africa. I will share my info with any person who wants to go there.

Gee my 'n PM of mail my ek sal jou alles gee wat ek het rondom Lesotho.

[Harold]

Great report Cedric.
Lesotho is a exciting place to visit, but I think many are put off by reports of stone throwing. It’s a case of bad news always prevails. Good news has no news value!

I have done a few trips to Lesotho and each was memorable.

'Shehlabathebe' nature reserve, the only national park they have in Lesotho, is a great place to visit. Went there a few years ago – see the photos on http://www.alib.co.za/lesotho.html

[Pora]

intresting