The Long way round Lesotho

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A 2 week journey that took us from Stellenbosch up and around Lesotho and back again.

1 Land Rover Defender 90, 3 passengers, 1 bike, a camping fridge and 20 bottles of red wine. Poor Simba was loaded, his roof rack was full of basic food provisions, cycling gear and a bag, inside was carefully packed, whoever was sitting in the back would be in a wonderful cocoon.

If you looked at the distances travelled each day you could be forgiven for thinking its not far but when your driving the back roads a 2 hour journey suddenly doubles and becomes ever so slightly uncomfortable.

Day 1 - George to Graaff Reinet - 344 KM

The first days driving was fine, all tar roads and everyone fresh. Bets were placed on the number of defenders we would pass on our trip, 12, 15 and 20. For those that don't know when a defender passes another defender they wave and/or flash their lights to one another.

We arrived at the Valley of Desolation and took a slow drive up to the top. I have to say it lives up to its name!! The views are amazing and we did the little walk on the peak to see the valleys below.

We were booked into the SAN parks Camdoo National Park camp site. No we were not camping but we were booked into their tented chalets. Nice little spot on the dam with a braai area by your tent or you can go to the main braai and bar area.

We were woken the next morning by the local monkeys jumping on our tents and cleaning up any food we had dropped the previous night!!! We had had our daily 'board meeting' the night before and we had decided to have breakfast at the Drostdy Hotel in town. Apparently the queen had stayed there when she came visiting the area and the town church.

Day 2 - Gariep Dam - 252KM

Fed and watered we headed off to our next destination via Nieu-Bethesda and the Owl House.

We stopped in the town of Nieu-Bethesda at their craft beer place to sample some of the local brew and chatted to the international travels who have taken a year out and come to work there. Then we headed down the road to the Owl House. The lady that used to live there, Helen, loved to collect things, she employed 2 local men who made sculptures out of cement. You can take a tour around the house, which is just as she had left it. All the rooms are named and brightly painted. Helen like to sort glass and objects out into sizes and colours and there are jars of pickled and stewed fruit which are unopened as she liked the colours.

Her back garden houses all of the sculptures including the nativity scene. It was a very strange place and the story behind its creation and creator made you feel sad for how these amazing pieces came about.

Our nights accommodation wasn't booked, but we all wanted to go and see the Gariep dam and so decided to stay at the holiday park there. No defenders were spotted that day until we saw 1 going through the accommodation gates, unfortunately we weren't all in the car, so it didn't count.

We eventually got to our rondable, it had a lovely view over the dam. Exercise was needed after the day in the car, the sun had already started to set, 1 went running and 2 walked.

Day 3 - Clarens & Golden Gate national Park - 472KM

An early start was in order as we had a fair distance to travel on minor roads. But there was just enough time to walk down to the dam to see the wonderful sun rise and colours illuminating the water. A little bit of camera practice and throwing stones into perfectly still water and we were off.

The chosen road was a dirt / farm road to start with. The driving was ok, however in parts there were sooooo many potholes it was impossible to go over with out hitting one!! Such fun. Several bush wee stops later we hit the tarmac and a lovely farm stall where we bought refreshments, book ends and 2 picture frames!!! Simba really was full.

Our aim was to get to Clarens, a small town, a little bit like a skiing village, to sample some of their famous micro brewery beers.

Clarens is a lovely little town, all based around a grass common. The sun was shining and the beers weren't bad either. Once we had had a little look around the shops and done a very basic shop we headed off to find our accommodation for the next couple of nights.

Golden gate national park, a small rhondable with 1 mezzanine bedroom, a kitchen, dinning and bedroom down stairs. At night you could hear the baboons calling.

We decided we would do the longer walk on our full day in the park and then go and see the vulture restaurant. We headed off in an icey wind. skiing gloves, beanies and water proofs all on. The path wasn't very clear and we came to a point where a fellow walker was returning from trying to find the path. His advice was to turn back as the wind and slippery ground made it very dangerous to traverse the cliff!! so turn around we did. We headed off on 2 of the other smaller walks. One took us to see the waterfall and the other past mushroom rock. When you were in the sun it was lovely and warm and layers came off but as soon as you hit the shade, bbbbrrrgggghhhh.

We headed back to the hut, had a little snack and then headed off on the 4x4 route to take in the sites. The views were very nice, plus we were on the other side of the valley from our walk earlier.

We then headed up to the vulture restaurant. No you don't eat vultures!!!

There's a brick built and glazed hide on the escarpment. From the shelter of the hide you can watch vultures come to feed on the carcases left out for them. Its part of a big program to encourage numbers vultures in the area and therefore increase the breeding. Unfortunately the 3 carcases that were there had been there long enough for them to be just bones. However in the 2 hours we sat there we did see a black backed jackal come in to try and get some food. We also had a glimpse of a vulture flying over to check if new meat was available.

That night we studied the map and picked our route to Thendele Camp. We had heard that there was a long 'stop go' on the main pass so we thought, with consultation from locals that we would drive to the camp through the park.

Day 5 - Thendele Camp - 80km

Not a long day, we had arranged to meet another friend at the camp by lunch time, this luckily was our only deadline.

We turned off the main road and travelled through the biggest township I had seen in South Africa. At least 30 km of huts and houses. We must have been an anomaly, everyone waved at us as we went through. Finally we found the gates to the park. Asked if we could drive to our camp only for the guard to laugh at us and say its only accessible from this side by 2 chain ladders. Not even Simba can manage that. So after he gave us directions to the 'stop go' pass we turned around.

The sign read 'expect up to 30 minutes wait'. This is when we were surrounded by guys selling clay animals. They had all the big five plus others. At r50 they were amazing. The attention to detail was amazing. 2 giraffes, 1 zebra and a rhino later the stop turned to go and we were off. We had 2 more 'stop go' to go through, but we were the head of the q so the dust didn't hit us.

We made it through and soon found ourselves at our next nights accommodation.

Thendele is set at the base of the amphitheatre. It is absolutely amazing.

On our first day there we headed off to walk to the crack. It had been decided that we would drive to the base and walk from there as we had to meet more friends at lunch time and the base car park was closer.

The walk took in the river and then the hill!!! It was a mammoth walk, is it better to go up a hill or down a hill? Boy this was steap, but we took it slow and steady and soon found ourselves at a suitable stopping point. From our camp you could walk to the tiger falls, which was on route to the crack. We only had the maps timings to go on, had we have know how quick we could have walked it we would have walked from our house.

We continued on with our walk. For now we just traced the contours of the mountains. You could hear the baboons as you walked and you really had to keep your eyes open just in case they wanted to cross your path.

After more climbing and traversing we made it to the crack. By our timings we had done this part of the walk in 45minutes less than suggested!!! If we did it quicker going up then going down will be quick quick!!

The walk itself was hard, purely for the steepness, but you were rewarded with amazing views and a great sense of achievement. We made it down the mountain and back to the car with enough time to sit and enjoy a drink by the dam. Not a bad reward.

Our next day saw us completing 2 walks. Our first was a morning walk to the policemans helmet. Then after lunch we headed off to find the waterfall. Its marked as a 16km hike but easy due to you following the contours of the mountains.

Once you reach the gorge it is beautiful and in parts you walk along the river bed. We chatted to a New Zealand couple at the fork or the gorge and they suggested we climb the peak to the side and we would be rewarded with amazing views.

It was really worth the extra effort. From the top you could see the plateau and the gorge which eventually would take you to the source of the river. A worth while walk for anyone.

We covered 25km on foot that day.

Day 6 - Giants Castle - 101km

A quick stop on route to buy provisions and beers and we headed off to find the camp. The road to the park isn't great and you'd be forgive for thinking you were going the wrong way. Eventually we found it, checked in to our lovely chalet, lunch in the sunshine and a beer.

We decided that we would walk along the river that day, a short walk but we all felt we needed to loosen the muscles off.

Absolutely gorgeous with peaks surrounding you and this lovely wide river. We sat and took in the winter sunshine and the peace and quiet!!

Unfortunately after that the weather closed in, our chosen route for a walk the next day couldn't happen, rain, rain and more rain. You can however go and see the cave paintings so when the rain stopped long enough for us to get outside we headed off to find the caves and meet the guide who explained each painting.

Even though it was a little wet I enjoyed being outside and taking in the fresh air.

Day 7 - Sani Pass - 200km

Through farm land, wet and slushy mud and cow poo, simba finally arrived all be at looking a little muddy and rugged!!

The weather wasn't great and so we decided that going up the pass was out of the question, why drive up there if you cant see anything!!!

So we headed straight for the famous Himeville Arms and their bar.

We were booked into the backpackers closer to the pass than town. We found ourselves a new friend and decided to go to the Sani Pass Hotel and have a drink there. I was expecting to be able to see the pass and watch people driving up. A little naïve of me given the next days adventure.

The weather the glorious. The cyclist set off first followed by samba 30 mins after it and then 30 minutes after that and a frantic phone call to say its a little further than we thought I headed on foot. Unfortunately I'm not allowed to leave South Africa on my visa so I was walking to the boarder post at the base of the pass.

I cant speak for the cyclist or samba but that 16km was the hardest most sole searching walk I think I've ever done. I kept thinking it would be just around the corner but it never arrived!!!

When the corner did finally arrived and I saw the roof of a house I ran!!! Good timing as my travel buddies had just arrived back and were attaching the bike to the rack for our onward journey!! We thought we had done our timings quiet well but unfortunately a broken egg set us back 1/2 hour.

Day 8 - Coffee Bay - 370km

Sani pass completed in the morning and now to drive through to Coffee bay.

East coast drivers are totally different to drivers in the Cape!! You really needed eyes everywhere. We had been told to keep an eye on the bike when driving through Mthatha. Unfortunately due to our trip up Sani Pass and the broken egg we hit Mthatha at rush hour!!! Bumper to bumper for over an hour to drive through this town!!

We made with our bike still attached to Simba! Now for the interesting drive. No real tarred roads, pot holes, animals, cattle and people walking all over the road & no street lights. Im sure in the daylight it would be quite a nice drive, you would still have to be careful but at least you'd be able to see.

Coffee bay, 3 night stay fully catered for!!

Our accommodation was right on the beach, beautiful. The local attraction is the 'hole in the wall'. We got a lift from the hotel to the hole and from there we were going to walk back. they had warned us it was very hilly and when we asked about cycling it they said they didn't see why not. So 1 cycled to the hole in the wall along the dirt road and 2 got a lift.

Then we started the walk back along the coast. No real path for us to follow and no signs to help!!! Its a hard walk purely for those reasons. Cycling the path was impossible, we carried the bike for a few hills and across a water feature!! Then the decision was made that she would find her way back to the road and cycle home rather. We carried on the walk, which became a little easier as we used the contour paths. the views were breath taking and seeing cows walking along the side of the hills that were steep steep!!

Coffee bay is delightful and worth a stop if you really want to get away from everything

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