Sani Pass

We knew this was going to be something special when the mist cleared around 9am to reveal the most beautiful panorama from the Sani Pass Hotel. It developed into a picture postcard perfect day with just a few splashes of cumulus cloud to make the sky a pastel blue and white contrast. Our 4x4 drivers arrived on schedule and we were underway by 9.30am and ready to climb the pass. The first section of 13kms to the South African border was rough but not particularly steep and as we wound our way into the mountains the lush green of the valley opened up before us and the higher we got, the more spectacular it was. Our guide was a Zulu lad by the name of Basumi and he told us a little about himself and his people including the initiation of teenage boys by cutting the face. In fact he was about to do that to his 15 year old in the coming weeks. He was also a mine of information about the Lesotho people.

Border procedures took about 15 minutes and we were on our way again for 8kms in no man's land until we reached the Lesotho border at the top. The hills with the southern aspect were a vivid green as the photos show and this was because Rangers had burnt off the old grass to regenerate new growth. Quite a few species of flora and fauna inhabit the mountain but the only animal we saw was a family of baboons. On the lower gradients of the road there was an orange/red tinge to the slopes with numerous stands of the native Watsonia and I have included them in the photos.

The Lesotho border was at the summit after we negotiated a series of hairpin bends with a steep gradient. The view at the top was breathtaking and you just felt you wanted to stay there and admire it in the sunshine, albeit a little cooler at 2874 metres a.s.l. Passport procedures here were quick and easy and we drove straight to the highest pub in Africa to order our lunch before continuing on to a village about 5 kms down the road. To say the Lesotho people do it tough is an understatement. Their houses were round and constructed of stone with a conical thatched roof. Floors were clay and they burned cow dung to cook and heat the building. Their primary source of income was from wool and young boys acted as shepherds as flocks roamed the hills. This was the most basic subsistence farming. They also kept some cattle for milk and meat. We were invited into one of their houses and the 23 year old girl who owned it served us bread cooked from the heat of the cow dung fire.it was delicious but we declined the offer of home brewed beer offered to everyone from the same cup. Weaving is another pastime for both practical needs and the tourist trade. Many of the people go to work in South Africa because of the poverty. This brings another problem in that many return with the HIV virus and in fact the girl we met had lost both parents from it.

It should be noted that the Lesotho section of the Pass is being developed for free by the Chinese. They have built bridges and will asphalt the road and the only trade-off is that they are allowed to develop and run a diamond mine. There are certainly some ethical questions here.

The journey down the Pass was just as spectacular and new colours and contrasts emerged because the sun was in a different postion in the afternoon. This was certainly up there with the best of mountain experiences and a stunning introduction to the South Drakensberg Mountains.