Sani Pass

Thursday 27th May and I'm on another tour with 1st Zulu Safaris. This time in a Landrover to get to the top of Sani Pass into Lesotho. This was an incredible journey that took me from Durban through Pietermaritzburg and into another country and another world.

The Drakenburg's are a 1000 mile long mountain range starting in Cape Town and finishing up the coast way north of Durban. Sani Pass is a rugged route only passable my walkers, moutain bikes and 4x4s. As I was saving my legs the 4x4 seemed the sensible option. It was also 300km from Durban and I needed something to get me there. Though there is a marathon on the pass in November - perhaps another year. The pass starts at around 1200m above sea level at about 1600m above sea level there is the South African border control with the Lesotho border control at 2864m. That's 9,000 ft for those that use old money.

The route is stunning. I've put pics on facebook and there are a couple below.

Up at the top there is very little. Sheep, snow rats, the highest pub in africa and a village were the locals scratch a living from the land. There is no employment (excepting the pub staff and border control), no currency, no running water, no electricity, no sanitation and no trees. The guide had made friends with one of the villagers and in exchange for sweets and some bread rolls we were welcomed into their hut and given a little of their home baked bread. a family of 6 living in a small room with a single bed and an open fire in the centre of the round room to cook on. Bags containing their few possesions doubled as chairs. I felt very humble. We have so much and we take it for granted. These people have very little worldly possesions, but despite freezing night time temparatures and winter snow seem happy. Have we in the western world lost sight of what is important?