We departed from Umhlanga outside of Durban with my clients and headed to UnderBerg where we would meet the 4×4 vehicle to begin our Durban Day Tour which would take us over into the Drakensberg/Lesotho via the Sani Pass. Sani Pass is a massive 2874 meters above sea level and has the Highest Pub in Africa at the top. Lesotho in the Drakensberg is on average over the country the Highest country in the world! This is mostly due to it being one of only a few countries which is land locked by one country(South Africa).
The Zulu Name for this amazing mountain range is Ukhahlamba which in English mean Barrier of Spears due to the nature of the difficulty to cross these majestic mountains.
This eastern side of Lesotho is the most baron part of Lesotho and only a handful of Hardy people live here. The Sani Pass has been used for years as a trading point for the Basotho(people of Lesotho) to Shear their sheep and goats and sell it to the South Africans.
The Drakensberg Day Tour from Durban is only 2.5 – 3 hours away from the city of Durban and is spectacular. If you are in the Durban are you need to take this Durban day tour with Tim Brown Tours.
Tim Brown Tours is fortunate to have won the certificate of Excellence from TripAdvisor for the second year in a row and is rated very highly on TripAdvisor. If in Durban and wishing to do either a Durban Day Safari/Durban overnight Safari or Durban Day Tour/Durban Overnight Tour you need to contact us! We will make sure your experience is special.
We begun this amazing Durban Day Tour at 08:30 from Underberg and on route had some spectacular views of the Drakensberg mountains.
We first stopped at the old Ticket station where if you are moving between Lesotho and South Africa you need to stop and put your name on the list so that the taxi knows who was there first before traversing the Sani pass into Lesotho via the Drakensberg or into South Africa.
Ticket office at base of Sani Pass on our Durban Day Tour to Sani Pass Drakensberg 18th June 2014
Ticket office at base of Sani Pass on our Durban Day Tour to Sani Pass Drakensberg 18th June 2014
The next stop apart from the great views of the Drakensberg mountain was this lovely little waterfall on our Durban Day Tour.
Waterfall when heading up Sani Pass on our Durban Day Tour to Sani Pass Drakensberg 18th June 2014
Waterfall when heading up Sani Pass on our Durban Day Tour to Sani Pass Drakensberg 18th June 2014
We continued up Sani Pass in the Drakensberg and stopped to look at the views in the mountain range the next stop being the border post into “No mans land” – the 8 Kilometers between the South African Border post and the Lesotho Border post.
Border post on South African side of Sani Pass on our Durban Day Tour to Sani Pass Drakensberg 18th June 2014
Border post on South African side of Sani Pass on our Durban Day Tour to Sani Pass Drakensberg 18th June 2014
We continued up the Drakensberg and Sani Pass and reached ice corner which is so named because it is always got ice at that bend, when it snows that is a very difficult corner to traverse; even with a 4×4!
Ice corner on our way up the Sani Pass on our Durban Day Tour to Sani Pass Drakensberg 18th June 2014
Ice corner on our way up the Sani Pass on our Durban Day Tour to Sani Pass Drakensberg 18th June 2014
After getting up Sani Pass and finally through the border post into Lesotho our Drakensberg Day Tour from Durban continued! We drove off to a Basotho village where we met with Me-Ilena and she was busy making the traditional Sotho pot bread. She was very welcoming and invited her into her home and we learned more on the Sotho Culture.
Basotho Hut where we visit on our Durban Day Tour to Sani Pass Drakensberg 18th June 2014
Basotho Hut where we visit on our Durban Day Tour to Sani Pass Drakensberg 18th June 2014
Basotho Women prepares home made pot bread on our Durban Day Tour to Sani Pass Drakensberg 18th June 2014
Basotho Women prepares home made pot bread on our Durban Day Tour to Sani Pass Drakensberg 18th June 2014
After we said goodbye to Me-Ilena and her lovely children we made our way back to Sani Top Pub the Highest pub in Africa at 2874 meters above sea level.
We met some Basotho boys who played some music for us but it was so cold up there with a gale force wind blowing that we couldnt enjoy it for very long before heading inside to have a coffee and some warm food. This Durban Day Tour was warming up.
Basotho Boys playing home made instruments at the Top of Sani Pass on our Durban Day Tour to Sani Pass Drakensberg 18th June 2014
Basotho Boys playing home made instruments at the Top of Sani Pass on our Durban Day Tour to Sani Pass Drakensberg 18th June 2014
Lunch at the highest Pub in Africa was amazing and at that altitude I must say I got a headache the wind chill factor didnt help as it reduced the temperature close to zero.
Highest Pub in Africa at the Top of Sani Pass on our Durban Day Tour to Sani Pass Drakensberg 18th June 2014
Highest Pub in Africa at the Top of Sani Pass on our Durban Day Tour to Sani Pass Drakensberg 18th June 2014
We left the Highest Pub in Africa in the Drakensberg/Lesotho and made our way back down the mountain the views were amazing and we were all very content with how the Durban Day Tour to the Drakensberg had panned out.
View of highest Pub in Africa heading back out of Lesotho down Sani Pass on our Durban Day Tour to Sani Pass Drakensberg 18th June 2014
View of highest Pub in Africa heading back out of Lesotho down Sani Pass on our Durban Day Tour to Sani Pass Drakensberg 18th June 2014
View down the pass from the Top of Sani Pass on our Durban Day Tour to Sani Pass Drakensberg 18th June 2014
View down the pass from the Top of Sani Pass on our Durban Day Tour to Sani Pass Drakensberg 18th June 2014Sani Pass Tour from Durban into the Drakensberg are so special and you have to experience it to believe it! I do my best thinking in the mountains and even had my fathers ashes scattered in the Drakensberg in 2009. It is a truly special place.
I would like to dedicate this blog post to my clients who did 3 Durban Day Tours with me but also to my Brother and his wife who had there first child this morning – To you “Jonah Lex Maber” may your life be as blessed and for-filled as mine!
