NEW !!!

UNDER CONSTRUCTION

Day 1:

We depart with 4 x 4 wheel drives via Underberg to the famous Sani Pass.

Experience the magig of the highest mountain Pass in Africa - The famous Sani.

The life of the Basuto in the Mountain Kingdom of Lesotho and the magnificent Drakensberg Mountains with their unique montane flora, unique bird life and San Rock Art.

SANI PASS

The internationally renowned Sani Pass is the gateway between KwaZulu Natal province of South Africa and Lesotho. Reaching 2345m above sea level and climbing ? metres through the rugged uKhahlamba Drakensberg Mountains. It was first opened in 1933 as a bridle pass for pack horses, mules and donkeys hauling goods between South Africa and Lesotho.

This is a spectacular mountain road that is a well-known entry point into Lesotho from South Africa’s Natal Drakensberg Park. It is the gateway to the ‘Roof of Africa’ scenic route that links the spectacular scenery of the Drakensberg with the mountains of northern Lesotho. A 4X4 vehicle is necessary for this road especially if the weather is bad. Never underestimate the changeability of the weather in Lesotho. A common truth is that you can have four seasons in one day, so be prepared.

The Sani Pass is the backdoor to Lesotho, a hair-raising pass that twists its way up to the Roof of Africa. There are four state forests in the Southern Berg (Highmoor, Mkhomazi, Cobham and Garden Castle) as well as yellowwood forests, montane heath scrub and evergreen and seasonal grasslands.
Birds include the black and martial eagle, jackal buzzard, lammergeyer (bearded vulture) and the Cape vulture.

History of the Sani-Pass
The Sani Pass was converted (blasted!) from a game path to a simple bridle path in the famine / depression of 1933 when the government had put the local population onto relief work. This opened up a much needed transport route to the isolated communities in Lesotho. In the 1940s it was estimated that up to 300 transport riders and 5000 pack animals operated through the pass! The pass was very rocky and so dusty at times that transport riders looked as grey as mill workers. With hundreds of tons of wool, mohair and supplies being hauled up and down the pass it was inevitable that motorised transport would someday need to replace horses, mules and donkeys. The first vehicle up the pass was a Jeep driven by Godfrey Edmonds in 1948

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.

Sani Top Chalets

Sani Pass Pass Hotel

The Hotel is situated 220km from Durban. Visitors from Gauteng and Durban take Exit 99 from the N3 to the Southern Drakensberg on the R617. Visitors from the Cape turn off the N2 onto the R617 in Kokstad. In Underberg, turn off to Himeville and continue on this road past the village. Take the turnoff left to Sani Pass. The hotel lies at 1566 metres above sea level.

Weather
Sani Pass Hotel and Leisure Resort enjoys its fair share of South Africa's sunny weather. Our summers (December-February) are hot, often with a short thunderstorm in the afternoon to cool things down. Summertime is a season of lush green grassy slopes, multitudes of wild flowers and gushing streams and waterfalls. As Easter approaches, nature slips gently into its autumn colours- the avenues of Oak, Maple and Plane trees turning rich tones of red and yellow, and the roadsides a mass of the beloved pink and white cosmos.

Winter is a season of exciting contrast and the days are stable and sunny, however, at night the temperatures can drop to well below freezing. Snow may typically fall in June-August, providing a day or two of snowballing and sledging fun. Guests should remember that weather at the base of such mighty mountains is unpredictable, and temperatures and weather at the Hotel might vary greatly from that at the top of the Pass so always bring warm clothing and sun protection with you. This year we had a snowfall on New Year's Eve! Average daily sunshine is 5,5 hours in summer and 8,3 hours during winter.