My friend Molly Krans has been interning in Johannesburg for 6 weeks this summer, which was a really nice surprise! Because we were both busy with work or school, we didn’t get to see each other as much as we would have liked. The last weekend in August, we (along with Adriann) planned a trip to go hiking in the Drakensberg Mountain range that runs down the east coast of South Africa and through the entirety of The Kingdom of Lesotho, which is a country encompassed by South Africa’s land mass. Unfortunately, Molly got very ill the day we were supposed to leave, so she had to stay in Jo’burg.
Having already rented a car, and as we had been wanting to do this trip before we left S.A., Adriann and I decided to press on with our travel plans. We drove through the night and arrived at our backpackers, Sani Lodge, which lies in the foothills. It was a very pleasant backpackers, with a cute common room and a cozy fire. Unfortunately, there is no heating in any of the dorms, so when we left the common room, we had to sleep in multiple layers, hats, and gloves.
Our first day, we took a guided hiking tour up the Sani Pass into Lesotho. Sani pass is the road that runs up the mountains between the border of S.A. and Lesotho. It is only accessible by 4x4 vehicle, and is still quite treacherous even with the right type of car. It is a dirt road with a 25% gradient incline, filled with potholes, rocks, and narrow passes. In the winter, there is also ice to battle with. This 8k (5mi) stretch of road took 2 hours to drive. The drive went by quickly, though, thanks to the outstanding scenery and our engaging tour guide. When we arrived at the top of the pass, we went through the Lesotho border control (which was quite small and informal) and began our hike. We hiked for a few hours and ate lunch at the top of one of the peaks, which had a stunning view. After lunch, we hiked for a few more hours, and by the end we were pretty tired due to the extreme altitude. The hike ended with a stop at the highest pub in Africa, where people can enjoy a cool drink.
The next day, Adriann and I awoke to the sound of rain. We were pretty bummed, but refused to let the weather ruin our time in the mountains. We decided to go hiking anyway, hoping that the rain would let up in the afternoon. We went hiking in Garden Castle National Park, which was very beautiful. The rain never stopped, though. Instead, the weather just got worse and worse, and after awhile we had to turn around and head back, as the hiking paths were flooding and becoming slippery. We went home and tried to warm up by the fire for the rest of the evening, making friends with other travelers.
The next day we headed home to conclude our weekend trip to the Drakensberg. It was short and cold – but fun!
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