Wild camping in the Maluti mountains

There is a sort of childish enthusiasm in me whenever I hear that we are travelling to Lesotho. It has the perfect combination of beauty - the mountains, the landscape, the sunsets. The best way to describe it would be picturesque. 

We were five friends that drove down in two cars and we spend the Friday night at Willowdene Guest Farm, just outside of Bethlehem. After driving in the rain for several hours from Gauteng I could think of no better way to fall asleep than with the electric blanket on. It was heaven sent.

We were awake at the break of dawn and enjoyed a hot cup of coffee with some melt in the mouth rusks. The perfect way to start a cold morning and to warm your soul before going outside in the cold. Although it was worth the spectacular sunrise we were fortunate enough to view. A misty morning greeted us, followed by cold clouds rolling in from the mountains ... 

... not to mention this cute calf who is too adorable for words. A couple of kilometres before Fouriesburg is a farm stall called "Affi Lande". If you have not made a pit stop here you are missing out. The food and hospitality is nothing but excellent. They have a gift shop and art gallery and the landscaping is just beautiful. We even spotted a bee on lavender foraging for some sweet nectar. Affi Lande definitely wants you to enjoy your time with them. They have seating available on the old stop, some couches on the lawn even a bed under the big tree with a beautiful chandelier hanging from it. These guys do it the right way. We decided to have breakfast with them and cake isn't really breakfast but it is still a food group. Always remember that a party without cake is just a meeting and I wasn't going to have any of that. What better combination would there be than hot plunger coffee with a (proper) side of carrot cake.

Next stop was Caledonspoort Border Control. We filled in the necessary forms, got the stamps and we were in the Mountain Kingdom. Or as some would like to describe it, the kingdom in the sky. There could not be a better description for Lesotho. Around every corner you find more and more mountains and view is more beautiful than the last.

Between the small towns of Pitseng and Lejone you find Mafika Lisiu pass with hairpin bends, steep inclines and declines as well as waterfalls pouring out of the mountains. The pass is 3090 metres above sea level and there is a view point when you reach the sign on the right. Taking the altitude in mind please be sure to put on your jacket before you get out of your vehicle as it is extremely cold. Standing on the ledge with the cold wind blowing against your face, the view is spectacular as you look into the valley and the stop was definitely worth our while. 

We made a few stops to appreciate the views, to stretch our legs and to enjoy some snacks on our way to Katse dam. 

As always we appreciated the view from the Katse Visitor Centre and then headed towards the hotel. Unfortunately the hotel was fully booked but fortunately for us we made sure we had all of our camping gear before we left Gauteng. In our infinite wisdom, we forgot to bring wood from South Africa and on our quest to be completely self efficient and happy campers we went around the small town near Katse looking for wood, but if you think long and hard about it, there would not be any. There are no trees, therefore no firewood. But we found a small shop that sold us charcoal for ... (wait for it) R85 per bag. It was hands down the most expensive bag of charcoal that any one of us has ever purchased. But we needed it, or so we thought ...

As I've mentioned in another Lesotho blog post, the sunsets are amazing like this fiery sky that lights up the horizon. It must have been a warning, because just to the left of the mountains the clouds did not appear so colourful but was rather dark and gloomy and bringing rain. Lots of it.

Although we had an ample supply of food and drinks we made the decision (just in the nick of time) to enjoy dinner at the hotel. There was a downpour as we got into the car. Decision well made. We enjoyed the hospitality and delicious food the hotel offered along with some warm cups of coffee. Tip of the day: If you ever visit the hotel order the almond coated trout. You will thank me for it and choose mash as your starch. I would go back every day just to eat it. It's that good.

We left the hotel and ended our first night in Lesotho with some night photography. The dam wall is lit up in the evening and it totally changed the view we had. The water pouring out of the dam looked like red hot lava, quite the opposite of the calm blue water we witnessed a couple of hours earlier. We got into our tents. Warm bed would have been so much better, but it was part of the experience and we embraced it. We took along enough blankets and clothing to keep warm throughout the night and with that said I have to admit that I didn't not put on thermals. We went to bed with the same clothes we had on. If we would have changed into different ones - excluding thermals - then it would have been a different ball game all together.

There's not a better way to feel more refreshed on a cold day than to take a freezing cold shower. This only happened with me and not with the males in our group who got to enjoy a warm and relaxing shower. The security guard failed to mention that there is a switch for the geyser in the ladies bathroom that we needed to switch on. The main reason for the switch to be off is because not many women travel to Lesotho. It's mostly men to visit the country. That is about to change...  Women can enjoy off-roading with as much passion and enthusiasm as men do. It's all about the mindset and it is fun and not to mention adventurous and let me let you in a little secret - women love adventure. 

Today was the day we abandoned the tar road and replaced it with a rough and rugged dirt road. We were off the beaten track and the time to explore was now. The next stop was Semonkong and the Maletsunyane waterfalls. We past several small towns, streams, Basuto ponies and children asking for money, chocolates or sweets. The one girl told me that she loved me and I could not resist to say that I loved her too (missing the children back in SA). They don't speak English or Afrikaans and the only way to communicate is to try and play charades. Three words. First word ... The official language of Lesotho is Sotho or Sesotho and is spoken by most Basotho. Although English is their second language the school children only gets educated in English after four years at school. I have always wanted to learn a third language and Sotho will definitely help on our travels. Waving your arms around and pointing in a direction will only get you as far as nowhere as GPS's do fail and you are at a disadvantage not being so speak a third language that only sounds like rhythmic sounds to the untrained ear. 

Lesotho is a poverty stricken country that has a lot of beauty and scenic routes to offer to their loyal tourists. You see it everywhere. In every small town, the children wearing over sized hand me downs. It humbling to say the least. And they always smile and greet. How do they get it right so easily having so little. As opposed to South Africans or to be more specific people who live in Johannesburg who owns and has more than what some of them would EVER have are voted the most unfriendly city in 2014. Really ... 

On one of our snack stops we saw a vehicle approaching from a distance. It was none other than Kingsley Holgate. OMW! The moment was made. He stopped, greeted, and asked we were heading to and then left us with smiles on our faces. None of us thought to even ask for a quick photograph. It was special none the less. To see the man who started the malaria prevention programme was a big moment of my life. It must sound like such a cliche but that is what I (husband, kids and dog included) want to do. Travelling with a cause. Forget the degree and fancy house and over-expensive cars and everything that tie you down. There is people in need of desperate help and I know what some of you might think - charity begins at home. Remember that home is where the heart is ... 

Due to an over-enthusiastic decision we chose the "bad road" according to our GPS. Parts of it wasn't so "bad" but as it was time for the sun to say goodbye to yet another glorious day of off-roading, we hit the "really bad road" part. After a bit of struggling we made the wise decision to rather call it a night before someone got injured or one of the cars got damaged. Tired and stressed, we enjoyed a snack or two before carrying our tents and bedding down the mountain to level ground. We left the tent open for a while and I gazed into the starry sky, thinking how lucky I am to be able to spend it with my husband who is now fast asleep. I connected the dots, looking for the Southern Cross and Three sisters. One thing I can promise you is that the darkest night provides the brightest stars.

We were wild camping in the Maluti mountains. My first time and I loved it. Throughout the night we had some passersby who greeted politely before they disappeared into the darkness of night again. 

It was morning. The sun was up and in the valley you could hear the cow bells' soft melody. We looked up at the Range Rover who spent the night on an incline. The obstacle was as close to a 5 grade obstacle that you could find. We needed to pack rocks to get the vehicles to safety and 100m was all that was needed to safely clear the obstacled road. And so we did.

Two hours into our journey we stopped at Maletsunyane Waterfalls. The view was breathtaking and it was well worth the grade 5 obstacle and wild camping and having no make up on ... 

Maletsunyane Falls is a single drop waterfall reaching a height of 192 m. It is located near the town of Semonkong, meaning site of smoke which is named after the falls. To the left of the waterfall is the longest commercially operated single-drop abseil in the world. Finish it and you receive a Guiness book of Records certificate. Although we didn't have time on our trip, I would definitely consider doing it. I walked Tugela Falls remember. I can do anything I put my mind to. 

Would I do the rough and rugged trip again, considering that the car broke down in Bethlehem at 18:00pm just before we enjoyed a Wimpy burger. My husband and I had to spend the night at Lavender Hill Country Estate to wait for the insurance company and the car to be towed to Gauteng the next day. The answer is yes. 

I am a wander woman and I married an adventurer!