Lesotho road trip
Posted: 08 May 2023 12:30
So next day we took off, cleared the SA border and crawled up Sani Pass in beautiful sunshine. After a few scenic stops The Hyundai gave a big poof and lots of steam from the engine bay. One of the radiator pipes had burst. Collectively, including a group of half-drunk, self-proclaimed Indian mechanics, we tried to fix the damn thing. But eventually we had to give up and the friendly mechanics had to move on to get more cold beers at the Sani Pass pub. On a Sunday afternoon no help could be organised and rain clouds moved in so we retreated to the beautiful log house. On Monday we located the highly recommended mechanic despite ESCOM power outages and no cell phone signal. However, he had no passport and wasn’t prepared to be illegally smuggled across the border to fix the car. The towing company we contacted insisted on us bringing the vehicle down to the border post from where they would tow it. We told them if we manage to bring the car down the Sani Pass they can put their money on us also moving it into Underberg. Eventually, the mechanic had a bright idea. He found a piece of metal pipe that fitted into the Hyundai’s hose and suggested to cut of the damaged part, split the remaining hose, fit in the metal pipe and see if it works. And it did. As soon as we were finished another friendly mechanic stopped to ask if he could help. We proudly showed him our work. He then progressed to check out if the pipe holds up by revving the car for 10 minutes. Afterwards he gave us a clean bill of health but urged us to get a pressure test done in town before trying to tackle the Lesotho highlands to make sure the cylinder head gasket was not blown. So, instead of going for a beer to the Sani Pass we went to the local Spar to buy some beers for the evening and got the Underburg mechanic to check the engine. Finally, on Tuesday morning we started our catch up game of our original schedule. We decided to stick to the old route and were confident that once reaching the top of Sani Pass it will be and easy 200kms to reach Motebong Lodge at Katse Dam. The road beyond Sani Pass (A14) was in perfect condition and the scenery was spectacular, including the highest point of the trip at 3240m. We stopped in Mokhotlong to stock up on Malutis for the night. The original plan was to stay just north of Mokhotlong. But decided to chase our schedule and immediately hit the A25, a gravel road. The alternative route would have been a 4x4 track further north of Mokhotlong on the A1, shortly after crossing the Khubelu river. We decided against it because the Fortuner lacked two driven wheels. Because of the heavy rain season the condition of the A25 was poor and we only made an average of 20-25kmh/h also because we thought it best not to push the Hyundai too hard. After several hours of rattling we hit tar again at the bridge over the Senqu/Orange river. We celebrated the end of the gravel and were convinced we will make it to Motebong although it was already 5pm. Imagine the disappointment when beyond the next corner the perfect tar gave way to gravel again. By 7pm or so we reached Thaba Tseka and decided to stay the night there. At the lodge where we stayed a local gentleman informed us that we took the long and bad road from Mokhotlong. Apparently the former 4x4 track is already half-way tarred because of the new water development scheme in the area and the remaining gravel road would be in better condition than the A25. Well, we didn’t come to Lesotho to enjoy perfect tar roads. Depsite the unexpected long day we were glad and also a little proud that we did it. Wednesday morning we hit the road again. From Katse Dam onwards the A25 turns into tar. We stopped at Motebong for lunch and eventually reached Maliba Lodge in the Tshalanyane National Park via the A1 and B27, which are both tarred and in good condition (compared to SA roads). Finally, we caught up with our old schedule. Thursday, we went on a hike in the park. It’s truly magnificent. It stretches from around 2000m above sea level to almost 3000m harbouring pockets of indigenous forest patches. On Friday, we continued to Golden Gate NP for another two days to acclimatise ourselves again to the local brew.
In total we did 1823kms on the trip.
On the way down to Underberg the Patrol took 10,7 l/100kms.
Going from Underberg repeatedly half-way up the pass it took 12,7 l/100kms.
Going through the highlands we compared consumption between the three vehicles:
Patrol: 13,8
Hyundai: 11,7 and
Fortuner: 10,7 l/100kms.
In the Patrols defence I have to point out that the other guys had automatic gearboxes. So, we usually rushed ahead to keep the revs up on the hills and then waited for the other guys while enjoying the view. I should also mention that one of the Hyundai crew members defected to us because the Patrol is soooo much more comfortable, even when being wedged in between a picnic basket and a potjie.