Sani Pass
Once, the Sani Pass was a rough mule trail
descending the Eastern Highlands of old Basutoland
into Natal. Tough drovers brought wool and mohair
down the Pass on donkeys and mules to be exchanged
for blankets, clothing and maize meal, the essentials
for life in a remote, impoverished country.
And a young man had a dream ? of operating a
motor vehicle service up this fantastic Pass,
using the 4-wheel drive vehicles he had seen
on service in World War II. His name was David
Alexander and he founded this Company in 1955.
It has operated on the Sani Pass ever since.
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Today the Sani Pass is the only road link between
KwaZulu-Natal and the mountain kingdom of Lesotho.
A 4x4 adventure into a different world - the
land of the People of the Blanket. Starting
at 1540m above sea level you will follow the
deep valley incised by the Mkhomazana River
to breast the summit at 2873m - with almost
1000m climbed in the last 8km of your trip in
our 4x4 vehicles.
In summer waterfalls cascade and tumble into
the river below. The green slopes that sweep
upward to the base of towering basalt cliffs
are dotted with the colour of our great variety
of flowers and the roadside is lined with flowers.
Our vast floral variety, in number of species
and their traditional uses, will earn this region
the coveted world herritage site status.
In winter under a cloudless sky iced falls
sparkle next to the hairpin bends. This is our
dry season when the early afternoon sun burnishes
the dry veld to a rich gold. And there is the
ever-present promise of snow.
Tours up the Sani Pass
A trip Sani Pass into Lesotho to visit the
highest pub in Southern Africa is a must! It
is a dramatic 4x4 trip climbing 1330 metres
in 6,5 kilmoetres.
The Sani Pass is a very steep and twisting
road pass that can only be driven in a four-wheel
drive vehicle, quad bike, off-road motor bike
- or walked, if you up to it! The pass drops
(or climbs, if you are heading into Lesotho)
over 800m in just under eight kilometres of
length - which is an average slope of 1:10.
The pass is jointly administered by the governments
of Lesotho
and the Republic of South
Africa. It has the Lesotho border post at
its topmost point and the South African border
post at its lower end and passports
are required.
For visitors without a 4x4 vehicle, organised
tours are taken daily from Underberg
by accredited Tour operators.
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