Sunrise Sani Top

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PICS of Spectacular Sani Pass, Southern Africa

Take a scroll through spectacular Sani Pass – which connects KwaZulu-Natal and Lesotho – with these beautiful photographs, captured by LOUISE VAN DEN AARDWEG… Sunrise Day 1 at Sani Top Lesotho Lesotho is a landlocked kingdom, surrounded by South Africa. Rivers cross the hauntingly beautiful landscape, and mountain ranges rise as high as 3,500m. Basotho […]

Take a scroll through spectacular Sani Pass – which connects KwaZulu-Natal and Lesotho – with these beautiful photographs, captured by LOUISE VAN DEN AARDWEG…

Sunrise Day 1 at Sani Top

Sani Top

Lesotho

Lesotho is a landlocked kingdom, surrounded by South Africa. Rivers cross the hauntingly beautiful landscape, and mountain ranges rise as high as 3,500m.

Lesotho

Basotho pony

The Basotho Pony – or Basuto – breed originally comes from the Cape Horse and is quite a small but hardy animal – used for treks, and even exported in the 19th century to Europe to be used as war horses, according to the Equinest. A successful Irish-assisted breeding programme in the ’70s has ensured the breed no longer faces extinction.

Basotho pony

Sunrise Day 2 at Sani Top

Sunrise Sani Top

The Sani Pass 4×4 route

The legendary route connects South Africa’s KwaZulu-Natal with Lesotho. Tenders were invited this year for the upgrading of Main Road P318 from Troutbeck in Sani Top Phase 2. The closing date, for what’s expected to be a 36-month project, was two weeks ago (3 March).

Sani Pass 4x4 route

Looking down the valley with the river & road to the right

The route up the Sani Pass starts at 1544m and climbs 1332 metres to an altitude of 2876m.

Sani Pass valley

The majestic Drakensberg

Drakensberg

Goats do roam… on the Sani Pass 4×4 route (with a local taxi)

According to SA law only 4x4s are allowed on the steep gravel road, on which some fatalities have occurred.

Goats on dusty road Sani Pass

Derelict truck and home

Derelict truck and home

Lesotho Village

Lesotho village

“Loved the complementary blue in this image…” – Louise

Man in hut Lesotho

All photos © Louise van den Aardweg

For anyone interested in visiting Lesotho, there are some useful tips in this post on SAPeople’s Facebook page:

Hey guys. Q for anyone in South Africa who knows LESOTHO quite well…from Benjamin Gregory in Ireland: “I am moving to…

Posted by SA-People – for South Africans in South Africa and expats on Saturday, 19 March 2016