Sani pass
- Aperture: f/8
- ISO: 200
- Shutter Speed: 1/60 s
- Focal Length: 20mm
- Camera: NIKON D7200
// Nikon D7200 | -29.58216 : 29.28429 | alt. 2875 m
Driving on the roof of Africa as they call it. Such a good name since this is the highest place in southern Africa.
A few very high passes on the way (one above 3300m !) which I had to climb in second gear, while keeping an eye on the engine temperature.
It is a now a daily routine to see how much water is left in the radiator :p Poor mister fox doesn’t like mountains and cold, it’s never easy to start his engine in the morning.
On the way is Afriski, the only ski resort in Africa, with snow most of the year, but not enough at the moment to try it. Too bad, it would have been a nice experience !
Once in Sani pass, there is not much here, just a very small village, the border post, and a lodge (with expensive prices). I still had time to cross the border, but this place is on the edge of the Lesotho plateau, sitting above 3000m, and South Africa down below. Many trails in the area but as usual, no map, no sign on trails, and they charge 50$ for guided hike….. I’ll try my luck alone, freely walking along the edge of the plateau, with stunning views all the way…… Down below is the Drakensberg national park, where I’m expecting to spend at least a week, hiking most of the famous trails.
I still hope to get a visa extension once in SA, but it won’t be easy.
Time to say goodbye to Lesotho, for the occasion, I paid for diner at the lodge (must be one of the most expensive meal of my life).
Surprising little country, with smiles over every faces, but such a poor country sees foreigners as a huge income and they charge us a very steep price for anything. Due to the geography of the country (basically high mountains everywhere), it’s not easy to bushcamp, and you also have to consider the safety factor : being a foreigner = lot of money, so people may attack you. It happened to others….. and every local told me to avoid bushcamping.
It was still a magical place !
Bokong pass
- Aperture: f/9
- ISO: 250
- Shutter Speed: 1/125 s
- Focal Length: 17mm
- Camera: NIKON D7200
// Nikon D7200 | -29.06433 : 28.40553 | alt. 3100m Back to the national park, I took a guide to hike in the area (yeah, no map, and barely no sign on the trail system). Fact is, you don’t need a guide to hike in Lesotho, it’s very easy to navigate and to find your…
Katse dam
- Aperture: f/9
- ISO: 200
- Shutter Speed: 1/60 s
- Focal Length: 12mm
- Camera: NIKON D7200
// Nikon D7200 | -29,34412 : 28,51311 | alt. 2125m this morning, I was expecting to wake up with the sunrise over the Katse dam, but instead, I had the visit of a security guy…… He ended up being very friendly, and he was just worried about me since this place is not so safe,…
Semonkong waterfall
- Aperture: f/6.3
- ISO: 1600
- Shutter Speed: 1/2000 s
- Focal Length: 16mm
- Camera: NIKON D7200
// Nikon D7200 | -29.84404 : 28.04383 | alt. 2191m Long and absolutely beautiful drive across the mountains of Lesotho to reach Semonkong. Only 150kms, but it took me a few hours with 50kms of gravel roads and some terrible sections, but even the tar part wasn’t a piece of cake. You can tell…
First steps in Lesotho
- Aperture: f/9
- ISO: 320
- Shutter Speed: 1/320 s
- Focal Length: 38mm
- Camera: NIKON D7200
// Nikon D7200 | -29.82772 : 27.5997 | alt. 1822m After a freezing night (it went to -2 inside the van), I had a lot of work before leaving South Africa. Winter is hard in Lesotho, which is mostly above 2000m, and there is a good chance of snow on the way. And since most…
Mountain Zebras park
- Aperture: f/9
- ISO: 250
- Shutter Speed: 1/400 s
- Focal Length: 44mm
- Camera: NIKON D7200
// Nikon D7200 | -32.13374 : 25.62377 |alt. 989m Away from the garden route and the main touristic destinations, the beautiful Mountain Zebra national park is a well hidden jewel. You can tell no one is going there when you get to the small village next door, pretty empty and desolated, with no backpacker, no…
Desolation valley
- Aperture: f/9
- ISO: 250
- Shutter Speed: 1/125 s
- Focal Length: 18mm
- Camera: NIKON D7200
// Nikon D7200 | -32.2685 : 24.52582 | alt. 798m Before jumping to Mountain Zebra national park, I saw some interesting pictures of desolation valley on the west side, and I had to check out this place. In the end, not much to do, the park is fairly small, the main trail being a 20min…
Addo elephant park
- Aperture: f/7.1
- ISO: 320
- Shutter Speed: 1/1000 s
- Focal Length: 300mm
- Camera: NIKON D7200
// Nikon D7200 | -33.51407 : 25.69348 | alt. 49m Short drive to reach the northern gate of Addo elephant park, which like the name suggests, is home of hundreds of elephants. It’s already past noon, but that’s enough time for a first trip inside the park. You can drive on a fairly huge network…
Garden route
- Aperture: f/9
- ISO: 200
- Shutter Speed: 1/500 s
- Focal Length: 29mm
- Camera: NIKON D7200
// Nikon D7200 | -33.9734 : 23.88234 | alt. 232m The problem with bush camping, it’s, well……. forbidden :p so the main rule is to park after sunset and leave before sunrise. It’s winter, so nights are pretty long, but since this is a bit stressful, you don’t really get the best sleep, and it’s never…
Cape Agulhas
// Nikon D7200 Bush camping where the 2 oceans meet, in Cape Agulhas. This is the most southern point in Africa, most southern point of my trip, and it’s now time to head back home, north !