Sanie Pass
It was icy and we were in the middle of summer. The temperatures were near freezing. The rain incessant. Luckily the campsite was closed. The only alternative was to sleep in the hotel which boasts the highest pub in Africa.
In the morning the weather was still thick mist and the visibility meters. I was concerned as the reputation of Sanie Pass as a 4 x 4 challenge is well known. We start badly and drive straight past Lesotho immigration, which was hidden in the thick mist and we turn back up the pass.
Note the Lesotho boarder post is at the top of the pass and the South African boarder post is at the bottom. You drive in no mans land for about 17 kilometres. The pass drops about 800 meters over the 17 kilometres.
The road is not mud but rock and boulders. The track is wide and can accommodate two cars a breast in most places. The switchbacks are not that tight and by going wide The Beast squeezes around with relatively ease. The last switchback going down or the first coming up is called 'Reverse corner.' The switchback is tight but you reverse into a view point and this allows you to easily navigated the corner. The rough boulders give good grip in the rain and mist, slipping and sliding was not a problem. The gradient was not excessive and we often used low gear second to descend. I think most 2 x 4's could make it, though the road is strictly 4 x 4 only.
In winter the road is likely to be treacherous when there is black ice and vehicles can easily slide off the road. Summer is the safest time to drive the route. The road, to me, is a grade 3/5 difficulty. The sad thing is the pass is currently being tarred to allow heavy transporters to carry materials for a new hydro-electric dam in Lesotho.
In the morning the weather was still thick mist and the visibility meters. I was concerned as the reputation of Sanie Pass as a 4 x 4 challenge is well known. We start badly and drive straight past Lesotho immigration, which was hidden in the thick mist and we turn back up the pass.
Note the Lesotho boarder post is at the top of the pass and the South African boarder post is at the bottom. You drive in no mans land for about 17 kilometres. The pass drops about 800 meters over the 17 kilometres.
The road is not mud but rock and boulders. The track is wide and can accommodate two cars a breast in most places. The switchbacks are not that tight and by going wide The Beast squeezes around with relatively ease. The last switchback going down or the first coming up is called 'Reverse corner.' The switchback is tight but you reverse into a view point and this allows you to easily navigated the corner. The rough boulders give good grip in the rain and mist, slipping and sliding was not a problem. The gradient was not excessive and we often used low gear second to descend. I think most 2 x 4's could make it, though the road is strictly 4 x 4 only.
In winter the road is likely to be treacherous when there is black ice and vehicles can easily slide off the road. Summer is the safest time to drive the route. The road, to me, is a grade 3/5 difficulty. The sad thing is the pass is currently being tarred to allow heavy transporters to carry materials for a new hydro-electric dam in Lesotho.