30^th September 2017

Durban South Africa to Sani Pass, Lesotho

Before heading off to Lesotho we had to have a look at Durban harbour where all the troubles lie. Drove to a high point and looked down on the harbour. Couldn’t see many ships in harbour or out at anchor but huge numbers of containers all about and incoming roads clogged with trucks waiting to unload.

Durban is hilly and spread out city and there was fog/smog about so probably not seeing it at its best but the jacaranda trees are in bloom so quite colourful in places.

Took the road to Pietermaritzburg, passing slum huts on the outskirts. In contrast further on were large houses on what appeared to be new estates. We passed acres and acres of sugar cane crops and agricultural areas with large herds of cattle, then tree plantations, mainly pine and gum trees. There were a few logging and other trucks on the roads but they kept to the left so no major hold-ups. 

What surprised us was the large number of police vehicles about. Probably saw about 20 in the space of a few hours, also some speed cameras. Speed limit was 120 for a lot of the day and road wasn’t too bad. The toll roads are cheap, today we paid $1.10.

Stopping for a coffee at a highway truck stop there were large signs about warning motorists about “remote jamming” and to make sure they checked the locking. We double checked!

From Pietermaritzburg we turned south to Richmond and Donnybrook. Rondavels are very common now, these are round huts with thatched or iron sheet roofing (or sometimes both), often painted in bright green, pink or blue.

Through Underberg and Himeville we reached the South African border and had our passports stamped. The next 8 kilometres was a nightmarish drive over rough, rocky narrow road and it’s no wonder the authorities only allow 4WD to go through.

 Despite the road the scenery was spectacular as we drove over the Sani Pass.

After rocking and rolling about on this stretch and stopping to allow descending cars to pass we reached the Lesotho border and paid 60 rand entry fee. Despite paying $150 to take the car into Lesotho, no-one looked at the car or its papers.

Our mountain lodge was nearby and the accommodation was a stone rondavel with a thatched roof. Part of the lodge complex has a pub, the highest one, at 2,874 mts, in Africa with a great view back over the mountainous pass we came through.

Given the remoteness of this area, dinner was surprisingly good. Afterwards many congregated in the bar to watch the rugby, South Africa vs Australia which ended in a draw.