The happy reunion at Mamohase in Lesotho was lovely; even the rain couldn’t change our happy mood. We left the following day again via the very bumpy road and continued south. On the way, we drove through the lovely mountains of Lesotho and passed Afriski, a ski resort in Lesotho, offering a ski lift (Schlepplift, for all the Swiss here) with a 1.5km slope. But it was pretty impressive to see what they had built up here. Many chalets in a very Swiss style, even with Swiss names like “Davos” and “St. Moritz,” and a nice restaurant serving great food and coffee, also in the off-season we were in. Since February is a summer month in Lesotho, there was no snow up there, but nevertheless, it was a nice stop for lunch. We could only imagine what it looked like here in the Winter months.
After lunch, we continued further. Tom and I were in contact with Peter, a local guy who offers trips through Lesotho on a horse. Since all the locals usually move around on their horses, this seemed a great way to explore this country a bit more. Also, the weather was supposed to improve, so we were keen on a 2-day horseback riding trip. Barbara and Urs did not want to join us on a horse, but they were fine with spending a night in Lesotho’s mountains and “waiting for us” to return the next day. Peter offered them to stay for free at his home, so the two ended up camping in a wonderful and very remote place for a night, while Tom and I changed our mode of transport for two days. It was already 4 pm when we arrived at Peters, but he said it was still OK to leave, which was great because we didn’t want Barbara and Urs to have to wait for us and camp there for two nights. Eventhough it was a beautiful spot, there were no facilities, just a pit toilet behind the house and no shower or running water. Peter went to get the horses and when he still wasn’t back at 5 pm, we started to get slightly worried and question if we should still leave that day. Of course, we did not know how long it would take to reach the local village further up in the mountains, where the Tom and I together with Peter and the horses would spend the night. But then, Peter arrived with three horses, sattled and apparently ready for our adventure. Tom and I were very nervous. After all, we have no experience with horses. The last time on a horse, we had a guide with us walking in front of the horse, and when we went on a ride with Shane in Hogsback, we knew he had his horses under control. We weren’t sure what to expect here, and when Peter also seemed surprised when we told him that we weren’t experienced riders, we even got a bit more nervous… (as you can see by the look of our faces as we get on the horses! lol)
It turned out that the horses were very well-behaved. After the first hour or so, we got more and more relaxed. However, as we were going up the mountains, the sun was slowly going down, and Peter pointed out a few lights very far away on another hill, it seemed to us that it was impossible to reach this place anytime soon. Also, the trail was rather steep and slippery because of the rain they had in the past days, so eventually the trail became too slippery and Peter asked us to get off the horses so they could walk on their own, while we climbed up the very steep part of the trail. It got darker and darker as we were climbing up the mountain and just when it was almost impossible for us to see our feet, Peter told us to get back on the horses. I asked him if they could see in the dark, and Peter was very confident about their skills. Again, he was right. It was still another hour until we finally reached the village, I couldn’t see my hand in front of my face anymore, but the horses knew exactly where they were going. Probably, it was better for my nerves not to see the path we had to take; in the end, I even enjoyed looking up in the sky above us and seeing a million stars—a very special experience. When we finally arrived, we were welcomed warmly by the local family, who prepared a “rondavel” (Local hut) just for us, it was wonderful! We also got to taste a local dish for dinner and went to bed soon after, happy and tired.
Getting up the following day was spectacular; the view was breathtaking and a pleasant surprise since we couldn’t see anything the night before. Again, our host prepared a lovely breakfast for us, and after taking some pictures, we were ready to get back on our horses and ride back to Barbara, Urs, and our Defender.
This time, luck wasn’t on our side; after the first 30 minutes on the horse, it started raining. Actually, it was pouring down! Of course, we brought our rain jackets, but still, we were soaking wet. After a while, it stopped again, and the sun was back out, quite hot and intense, so everything dried quickly just before it began to pour again. We passed another very steep part of the trek, so we got off the horses for safety reasons again. Luckily, towards the end of the trip, the sun came out again, and our horses brought us safely back to Peter’s house, where Barbara and Urs were waiting for us. (As you might see, our faces looked much happier when we returned ;) )
Peter’s wife prepared some tea for us, and of course, we had lots to tell before we said our farewell to Peter and his family and continued to the famous Sani Pass together with Barbara and Urs. This pass is at the border of Lesotho and South Africa, and on top, there is the highest bar and restaurant in Africa. There is also a hotel with a campsite, so we thought it would be a great idea to spend the night up there and enjoy a few beers at the bar. When we arrived, we realized immediately that camping was not an option. The wind was blasting; I was even scarred it would swipe me off the cliff, let alone setting up our roof tent. We quickly decided to treat ourselves to a night in the hotel – it wasn’t a cheap option but t a very nice one. And, since it was my birthday the next day, it seemed ok to go in for a treat 😉 The rooms were very nice, we had our private rondavel with a fireplace inside, and of course, the hot shower was also much appreciated after our days in the more rural Lesotho. Dinner was included as well, and we had a lovely night on top of Sani Pass. When we returned to our rondavel after dinner, the fire was lit already, and they put two hot water bottles under the blanket – I slept like a baby even though the wind kept blasting all night.
Tom woke me with some tea the following day and sang “Happy Birthday.” We enjoyed Breakfast at the restaurant, even Urs and Barbara had a small present for me. I also received a clear sky and bright sunshine for my birthday, the perfect condition to drive down Sani Pass. We enjoyed the ride and stopped for a coffee at a farmstall before we arrived in Underberg, where we got to stock up on groceries.
We then continued to Khotso, a lodge, and backpackers, which was recommended to us. We planned to spend a few nights there before we went further into the Drakensberg. Barbara surprised me with a lovely Birthday Dinner, filet with a morel sauce and Tagliatelle, one of my favorite dishes. The next day, we all enjoyed being lazy. I accompanied Vera, a backpacker from the Netherlands who was staying at Khotso, on a hike around the area and got to catch up on the blog in the afternoon. Tom prepared a nice dinner and made friends with Stef, another overlander from South Africa, who had been on the road together with his wife for almost a year. However, they were taking refuge at Khotso because his wife was eight months pregnant, so they were taking a break from overlanding. Stef knew a lot about Defenders and helped us find some issues after we had heard a strange noise while driving. It turned out that our bushes were worn out again, after only 16’000km, but mostly on lousy gravel roads, especially in Namibia and Angola, we had to replace them again. A mechanic was in town, but unfortunately, he didn’t have the necessary parts. He referred us to another guy an hour’s drive away who could help us. Luckily, Kingsley, the mechanic, had all the parts required at his workshop and booked us in the next day. Before we left the next day, we decided to go tubing in the river close to the lodge. It was the perfect activity in the hot weather!
The next morning, Barbara and Urs continued already to our next planned stop in the Drakensberg, Lotheni, while Tom and I made the detour and drove to Kingsley in Boston. He was a very skilled mechanic, and after only 3 hours, our car was ready to hit the road again. We arrived in Lotheni in the early afternoon; the weather was fantastic; we enjoyed the sun and had a lovely braai with Barbara and Urs.
The following day, we were keen to do some hiking and, of course, to swim in the river. Tom and I decided on a longer route and planned with Barbara and Urs to meet later at a waterfall, where we could swim. Even though the weather seemed to change just when we left in the early morning, it stayed dry for the whole hike, and when we met Barbara and Urs at the falls, the sun was out again, and we even went for a swim in the ice cold water. We returned to the cars, ate a quick lunch, and then drove to some other pools, where Barbara wanted to try her luck with fly fishing. After a few minutes only, unfortunately, the weather changed drastically! Within minutes, thick clouds appeared, and it even started hailing. We quickly looked for shelter inside our cars and drove back to the campsite and ate dinner inside Barbara and Urs’ car, which has just enough space for the four of us. It is quite impressive how quickly the weather can change up here!
Of course, Barbara was disappointed about her fishing experience, so we wanted to give it another shot the next day. We decided to drive to Kamberg, the next valley in the Drakensberg, also famous for trout fishing. The weather, unfortunately, didn’t clear up. It was not pouring down, but it was still very wet, and thick layers of fog covered the Drakensberg. When we arrived at Kamberg, Barbara geared up in her rain clothes and tried her luck for a couple of hours while we stayed in the shelter cooking tea and coffee to keep warm. Eventually, we gave up on trout for dinner. Instead, we drove to Nottingham Road, where Tom was beyond excited to dine at the Bierfassl, an Austrian restaurant with great reviews. We tasted a Schnitzel, an Eisbein, and some Apfelstruddel, which was indeed delicious. The food and beer made up for all the rain, and after the second round of beers, we asked the restaurant manager if it was ok for us to camp in the parking lot. The camping site close by, which we called on the way, was under water. Therefore, it was impossible to camp there, and we couldn’t find another place to stay, even all the hotels we called were fully booked. Our night in the parking lot wasn’t too bad; at least, it eventually stopped raining during the night, and the following day we drove into town and had some great coffee while our cars got a car wash. After stocking up on groceries, we were ready to go back into another valley of the Drakensberg one more time.
We drove to the Royal Natal National Park and stayed at the Mahai Campsite, a beautiful camp with excellent facilities. On the way, Tom and I had to stop at a wheel alignment shop since our steering wheel was wobbly. Apparently, this is a well-known issueafter replacing the bushes, we had the same problem the last time when we changed the bushes in Namibia. This time, we knew what to do. We found a wheel alignment shop in Bergville, a town along the way, and they balanced our wheels. Unfortunately, they could not align them as well because their system only worked for right hand drives. So we decided to continued to the Mahai Campsite; unfortunately, our steering wheel was still wobbly. On the bright side, it wasn’t raining anymore when we arrived, and we had a delicious braai just in time before it got wet again. The following day, Tom and I wanted to hike to the famous Tugela falls, the world’s highest waterfall. After some other tourists had told us that this hike included some rock climbing, Barbara and Urs decided to go on a different trail. Tom and I left early in the morning, which was a wise decision. The hike was beautiful, and only the last part included some climbing. We enjoyed the views of the waterfall and some snacks in the beautiful Tugela Gorge and then started our way back to the car. On the way, we passed along many other tourists. Apparently, we were the first ones on this day who left for this hike. Halfway on our way back, we got surprised by a massive thunderstorm. It was pouring down, and even though we had brought our rain jackets, we were soaking wet. Furthermore, I didn’t like walking around with lighting and thunder just above us. Most people we crossed paths with turned around and came back with us to return to the car; it wasn’t safe to continue the hike. I was very happy when we finally saw the parking lot, and just a few meters before we reached our car, an older couple from Belgium was sitting on the side of the path in complete shock. When we asked them what happened, they told us that the woman slipped and fell down a small waterfall; she must have fallen at least 3 meters down. Luckily, she had no big visible injuries, but her shoulder hurt terribly, and she also lost her glasses. Tom stepped into the water below the waterfall; it didn't matter anymore after we were soaked already anyway. He found the glasses, which miraculously were not broken. We helped the couple back to the car, looked for the closest hospital on our phone, and gave the lady some painkillers. They drove straight there to have her checked. Hopefully, she’s doing fine. It was so hectic we completely forgot to exchange contacts.
When we returned to the campsite, Barbara and Urs were already there. They escaped the rain on their shorter hike. Luckily, it cleared up again. After a long hot shower, we prepared dinner and even got to eat outside.
The next day, we drove towards Piet Retief, the last town, before entering Eswatini. Tom and I took a slightly different route to check out another tire alignment place on the way. There, they were able to help us and align our wheels. It was much better driving around afterward. The steering wheel wasn’t wobbly anymore. We met again with Barbara and Urs at the Waterside Campsite, where we spent a quiet night before leaving for new adventures the next day.