Both Sides Now: I'll Take a Pass

Lesotho is completely surrounded by South Africa and there are a number of border posts around the country to move between the two countries. In my opinion, the most beautiful (and adventurous) way to enter the country is via the Sani Pass.

For years, this pass was only used by locals on horses, mules, or donkeys. There was no road up this mountain, only a bridle path leading from the eastern mountain villages of Lesotho down the Drakensberg Mountains into the western part of the KwaZulu-Natal province of South Africa.

At the bottom of the path (on the South African side), a trading post, the Good Hope Store, was built in the early 1900’s. The Basotho people would make the trip (which could take up to 2 weeks), twice a year to trade their wool and mohair for clothing, food, blankets, and other essentials for life in a remote mountain village.

Remains of the Good Hope Store

In 1948, the pass was first successfully driven by a vehicle – a WWII surplus jeep. The British not wanting to be outdone, drove a Land Rover up the pass in 1952. By 1955, the first rough road was built. The road has improved today, but is still only accessible with a 4x4 vehicle. In fact, the South African border patrol (located 8km from the top), will not allow non 4x4 vehicles to attempt to drive the road.

View of the Road from Below

In total, the road to Sani Pass consists of a 4250 foot elevation gain over about 12 miles.

Although the road begins with a gentle climb through the mountains, the final five miles account for 3280 feet of the elevation change!

The road consists of 27 hairpin turns, most during this steep final 5 miles.

One of these turns, “Reverse Corner,” requires most larger vehicles to do a three-point turn – on the edge of a mountain!

To make this dangerous road even more challenging, the road conditions are less than ideal – at times it was tough to distinguish between the road and rock slides!