The Kingdom in the Sky: Day 11 - 17

Potholed roads leading to Lesotho.

We drove from Hogsback to Cathcart on a great gravel road through the mountains, and continued north towards Lesotho. We were on the N6 to Aliwal North (which is in fantastic condition by the way), passed Jamestown, when we stumbled upon a gem of place to stay: a farm called Valschfontein set in the wide plains of the north of the Eastern Cape. We spotted the lake on their front lawn from the road and when we saw the B&B and camping sign, decided it was the perfect over-night stop. Oom Pieter Jordaan, a 5^th generation family farmer of the land, welcomed us and showed us around. We snapped some great photos of the setting sun over the lake and the golden plains and windmills, set up camp, started a braai and were given frequent updates of the rugby score by Oom Pieter. We made delicious beef stew on the fire, listened to music and drank lots of red wine to keep warm! By the time we had to leave in the morning, we were still buzzing with delight at our great discovery…beautiful setting, perfect facilities and a great host.

Valschfontein: 110 km south of Aliwal North, 60 km north of Queenstown.
GPS coordinates: South:31’ 29. 396’, East: 026’ 42.167’
Contact Oom Pieter Jordaan at 045 966 9157 or 082 928 0442

Early the next day we packed up camp and on we headed, dodging potholes as the roads turned into swiss cheese the closer we got to Lesotho. We were racing time to get to the Makhaleng Bridge border before it closed…it was a Sunday and we only had until 4pm. Arriving in a nick of time to smiling faces and warm greetings from the Basotho, our first border crossing took a total of 5 minutes.

Then the climbing began. I was told that this was the scenic route, but none of us were prepared for what came next. The sun was setting like a fire over the Kingdom in the Sky, and as we climbed higher and higher we began to see more and more peaks rising and diving in the distance. Each peak we’d summit would give way to more blue skies and mammoth mountains. It was a view for the gods. Maybe it was intended to stay that way, for it sure was a treacherous path to get there. Being the highest country in the world, with all of it exceeding 1000m above sea level, Lesotho has an abundance of water…which carves massive crevices in the roads as it rushes off the steep slopes into the valleys beneath – the reason why the road was so dangerous. We wound our way up and over the bumps, passed friendly waves and mud huts always with a stream of smoke coming out the chimney, passed full and rushing rivers, and broke our rule of not driving in the dark. We were too taken by the beautiful view to mind too much, and eventually found our way to Malealea Lodge…4 hours after we crossed the border, and only 100km into Lesotho.


Taking on the Kingdom in the Sky.



After a freezing night, we woke up to see where we actually were…in the middle of a wide valley surrounded by mountains aptly called The Gateway to Paradise. We decided to take a walk, and were guided by Lucky – a Basotho man, our age, who works at Malealea. We walked through the dry fields of yellow grass, with the purple mountains around us, to the local village, down the cliff to ancient bushman rock paintings, with Lucky’s commentary guiding us every step of the way. He told us all sorts of interest stories about the traditions and rituals of the Basotho people, and that Malealea gets the most lightning in Lesotho (he has been struck twice!) but that sometimes it is not natural lightning, but is caused by the witch people. We were glad to get back to camp and out of the nippy winter air – we were all out of breath because of the altitude!

Malealea is a really rustic and organised place, with 100 beds in little huts and rooms, and camping facilities. There are great activities, such as hikes, pony-treks and a local choir and band that comes to entertain you. They are a member of Open Africa, and so you can find all the information you need on http://www.openafrica.org/ or http://www.malealealodge.com/.

Walking with the locals.


After a second night at Malealea, where we had the whole place to ourselves and spent most of the evening in front of the fire, we headed off in the direction of Mount Moorosi in the south. We took all day challenging the roads, and stayed over in this totally secluded spot called Mount Moorosi Chalets, enjoying the full moon rising over the valley and casting shadows in the night.



Our third day was another one of climbing hills, bumping around, and wearing out the brakes on the downhills. It was also another day of breathtaking landscapes. We were headed to Sethlaba Thebe National Park in the far South East corner of Lesotho, which we were told (by the only other traveller we saw – an Oom and his Tannie who were towing a caravan and were “only taking the rough roads”) is a must-see. The journey had to be split into two days, as a 100km stretch took us 4 hours! We stayed over at Qacha’s Nek, camping at Lepoetle Lodge.



Directions in Lesotho.



Finally we arrived at Sethlaba Thebe National Park…a day later than expected, but in one piece nonetheless. This was definitely the highlight of Lesotho for all of us. Again, we were the only people, and the reserve truly lived up to its World Heritage Site status. Desolate, with snow on the distant mountains and views of the Drakensberg to the north, and with panoramic expanses of barren but beautiful rolling fields and sharp peaks…we felt like we were the only people in the world.



After a night at the park lodge, in front of a raging fire and in huge beds with heavy blankets, we woke up to go exploring amongst the rock formations out in front of the lodge. Old cattle posts were built with stones into these arching rocks and had survived the freezing winters for us to see them. We were reluctant to leave such a surreal place, but slowly made our way back to Ramatseliso’s Gate, where we crossed back into South Africa, and gradually made our way back down to where the air fills your lungs.

Our experience in Lesotho was one of complete isolation and spectacular beauty. We definitely took the road less travelled – we saw only one other traveller in the whole 5 days we were there! No signal, no electricity, no computers…just the pastoral people and peaks of the Kingdom in the Sky.