Maseru - Treacherous mountain passes, snow, ice, a massive dam and views as far as the eye can see… sounds like a European country, but it is in fact Lesotho, only a few hours drive away.
What started out as a casual conversation at a National Press Club function hosted by Orion Hotels, quickly turned into reality when PR officer Vishal Ramphal suggested I visit their two properties in Lesotho after hearing I visit the country at least once a year.
I contacted Ford to ask whether they would provide us with a 4x4 Ranger to head into the Mountain Kingdom and a few e-mails and calls later a date was set for our visit.
When I say I head off there at least once a year, it’s really an excuse to test man and machine with a regular group of us attempting to traverse some of the most difficult passes we can find or have heard about.
It’s extreme to be sure, and has to be done in winter because if it rains rocks become slippery and when you’re precariously balanced with a mountain face on one side and 300 metres of nothing on the other, you don’t want to be worrying about a wheel sliding.
Last year, temperatures plummeted to -17oC, the year before that to -14oC. On one day we managed only 1.2km due to road building, getting over rocks and vehicle repairs.
So this was going to be a whole new experience; a warm bed, served meals, a shower or bath and waking up next to my own wife rather than someone else’s unshaved husband and navigator in a tent.
We drove via Ladybrand and entered Lesotho without any hassle on either side via the Maseru Bridge border post. There are lots of trucks but they have their own lane, and officials are friendly enough considering the volume of people and traffic.
Once through the border your driving style needs to change drastically. Think Joburg CBD-type traffic with cars, taxis and buses cluttering the road and stopping without much warning.
But once you’re through the capital, it’s much like driving off the main highways in South Africa, except we didn’t have to cope with as many potholes.
Recently, there have been some political upheavals in Lesotho but driving through the country you wouldn’t think so. Maseru is like any capital, bustling with people trying to get to their daily chores while the rural areas in Lesotho are really rural and even more so once you get off the beaten track.
Traditional living as it has been for centuries carries on undisturbed and it amazes me every time I’m there how incredibly hardy its citizens must be.
Up in the mountains in freezing conditions I’ve seen men with nothing more than a pair of gumboots, overalls, blanket and balaclava. The women don’t seem to be too concerned about the cold either and after a few hours on the road my wife dubbed them the blanket people.
Our first destination was Mohale Lodge next to Mohale Dam, which is part of the greater Lesotho Highlands Water Project and, as with getting to most places in Lesotho, it’s a twisty road up and down mountains with spectacular views.
A fairly leisurely six-hour drive saw us at reception and allocated a well-appointed double room with a view over the back of the property.
It was a Thursday night and we were the only guests and, having seen The Shining by chance only a few days before, my wife mumbled something about Redrum as we headed down the passage for dinner.
The lodge was fully staffed, though, and hats off to the people on duty at night for which nothing was an effort.
Keeping in mind it’s fairly remote and there were only two of us, the food was first-class. Brilliant chicken livers and steak done to perfection rounded off with a decent red wine set us in the mood for the rest of our time in the mountains. In mid-August, there’s still a nip in the air at night and the electric blankets on low setting worked a treat.
Men are from Mars and women from Venus, apparently. So when I look at things I see something completely different to my wife, which is why she mentioned that moving the mirror above the bar fridge to above the table would make it much easier to do hair and make-up. Me? I’m just happy to still have some hair.
We headed to Mohale Dam’s visitors’ centre and were given a briefing about the Lesotho Highlands Water Project and the dam wall. Then we were taken to the wall for a closer peek.
It’s the second-largest dam in the development project and built as a back-up reserve to the Katse Dam.
The two dams are connected by a tunnel, and only use gravity to ensure there’s enough water to meet our demand. At 145m, Mohale is the highest concrete-faced rock-filled dam in Africa.
An entire mountain was crushed and moved to build the rock wall. The statistics are mind-boggling and the staff friendly and knowledgeable, also answering questions about Lesotho in general.
Ever keen to explore and take the road less travelled, we headed down the pass and took a right on a dirt track which Tracks4Africa on the GPS said looped close to the dam and back on to the tar. We had the Ranger so why not and it proved well worthwhile as we idled through villages and over rocky roads to relax next to a clear cold stream. On our return, a decent room-service sandwich and some shut-eye saw us join a group of conference delegates in the dining room and dinner served buffet-style.
I understand the need for this, particularly when it comes to breakfast but neither of us were in the mood and asked whether we could order off the menu.
A quick word with the chef allowed us to try out some of the other items on the menu and again they passed with flying colours.
Saturday morning and it was time to head off to the big daddy of dams at Katse and the lodge of the same name, but not before finding out that all the hot water had been used by the conference attendees.
The technician insisted he feel the water himself after which we were given one of the bathrooms in the self-catering facilities to use.
The drive from Mohale to Katse via Thaba-Tseka is a must-do. Along the way you get to see the real Lesotho, a mixture of traditional and modern buildings in villages dotted next to the road, men on sturdy Basotho ponies and donkies dragging what looked like branches and loaded with bags of maize.
As you round the last bend before the lodge you get a glimpse of the dam wall and you know that the edifice facing you was no mean feat.
Our arrival was met with a welcome juice as we signed the obligatory papers and moved in with a view of the dam. We updated loved ones with the free wi-fi, had another nap because we could (the beds at both lodges were superb), and I think the height above sea level takes a bit of getting used to.
A crackling fire in the lounge warmed the place up pleasantly, spoilt only by some rowdy and uncouth visitors watching the Blue Bulls take on Western Province. This is probably why I prefer to head into the hills with people I know, rather than face the lottery of fellow Gautengers (and other South Africans) who can’t behave in foreign countries.
Renowned for its trout, I gave it a chance and can highly recommend it while my wife’s steak was again made to perfection.
There’s much to do in and around Katse and it’s well advertised in the entrance so we decided to do a pony ride in the afternoon but not before a drive to the Katse Dam visitors’ centre. The same friendly demeanour greeted us and, not to bamboozle you with facts, suffice to say that to build something like the Katse Dam is off the scale when it comes to engineering and construction.
At least 687 000 tons of cement and fly-ash were hauled from Ficksburg by a fleet of 26 trucks, which covered in excess of 7.2 million kilometres. The double curvature, arch dam is 185m high (the highest in Africa and 50 percent higher than Kariba), with a crest length of 710m. The aggregate and fines used were crushed on site from the basalt rock. It’s 60m wide at the base and 10m wide at the crest.
Walking through the warren of tunnels inside the wall gives a better idea of the scale of the project.
On the way there I noticed a fairly rocky and winding road up the mountain and on our way back checked the GPS to see where it went. Again it was a loop which took us about 15km from the lodge, but it looked challenging and what’s the point of a 4x4 with low range and you don’t use it in a country seemingly made for 4x4 fun.
It was steep and rocky enough to use the diff lock and again allowed us to see areas that most visitors wouldn’t. Here kids play with bicycle rims, old tyres and sticks, not a Playstation and WI.
Back on the stoep overlooking the dam at the lodge, we enjoyed a Maluti beer (also their currency), before my wife on “No Mistake” and I on “Boesman”, with one of the locals guiding us, took an hour’s ride on the trusty steeds.
The evening gave us an impressive thunder and lightning show as we dined, again almost on our own, which suited us perfectly in preparation for the trip back home and the real world.
The route home to the Caledonspoort border post follows the road built to supply the dam while it was being constructed. It crosses three passes including the 3 090m-high Mafika Lisiu Pass and almost everywhere you look you can see the dam water. At the bottom of the pass, you’re basically done with the pretty bits and you leave vowing to come back.
Trusty Ranger does job
The Ford Ranger XLT 4x4 double cab is the ideal vehicle to explore places like Lesotho.
Its six-speed automatic gearbox was smooth, even in the extreme mountainous terrain. My wife, who drives a Hilux, was overheard saying that when the time comes to get a new vehicle, it would be difficult to ignore the Ranger.
Most of the roads, including the dirt ones, are in good condition considering the extremities of the weather. On dirt, the suspension handled the corrugated pieces with aplomb and around tight corners it’s more car than bakkie.
It wouldn’t have been Lesotho for me if the Ranger didn’t use low-range or diff lock, which is why we took it off the tar whenever we had a chance.
Nothing too extreme… However, we didn’t get stuck, we crossed rivers and did some tight turns on mountain tracks – all handled without too much fuss. Without any modification you have to drive with care, but we didn’t scrape or dent anything and handed the vehicle back as we received it.
Even 3 000m above sea level, the 3.2-litre turbo didn’t skip a beat and I’ve seen big normally aspirated engines wheeze for air at that altitude. We covered 1 418km at an average of 10.7l/km, which for a bakkie of this size is pretty impressive.
If you go
Basically just your passport, I’ve never been asked for vehicle ownership and registration papers, but there’s no harm in carrying a letter from the bank or proof of ownership.
A detailed map and GPS with Tracks4Africa are a must.
Willem van de Putte, Saturday Star