Kevin Liddell
Pack Dog
Rory had gone on a ride with a group of guys who had recently got into Adventure Riding. They were keen to do a Lesotho trip as was I since my last decent Lesotho trip was in 2015. The group was going to be nine strong, which was a bit larger than I felt comfortable with even though it included three guys I ride with regularly. With the help of Losper (on this forum), I planned the journey as follows:
Day 1: PMB to Semonkong via Matatiele and Ongeluks Nek.
Day 2: Semonkong to Katse Lodge.
Day 3: Round trip back to Katse Lodge.
Day 4: Katse Lodge to PMB via Matabeng Pass and Ramatseliso.
Losper provided me with tracks and fuel stops for each day, including optional scenic and technical variants to them.
Two of the guys dropped out of the plans and another joined, making the final total eight. There were to be five Super Tenere's, an XT660, and two KTM Adventures.
On the morning of the 22nd, we all met at the Shell garage in Hilton. The Super Ten's all had brand new Anakee Wild rear tires fitted, and Kelvin had a brand new helmet which naturally, slipped off his Super Ten's mirror and took the tumble. This happens.
While we were filling up, another Adv rider, on a Triumph 800 pulled up and mentioned he was meeting three other guys at Crossways before heading for Semonkong via Ongeluks Nek. So we would not be alone.
We stopped at Matatiele for breakfast and fuel, and were at the Ongeluks SA border post by 11am. Having been up Ongeluks Nek before, I know what to expect. Fortunately the conditions were again dry, sunny and windy. Apart from a big "off" in a gully below the pipeline, and one other smaller "off" we all got to the top by 13:30 or so.
Day 1: https://youtu.be/WjwY6ZdnxzU
Rob on the 660 had shot up and found our friends at the top. They were on 2 x GS800, the Triump 800 and a KTM1090.
We opted to go directly to Semonkong, which involved a lot of black stuff. Next time I will do the optional route, around 40km extra, called "Mount Moorosi loop.
We made it to our accommodation in Semonkong, called "Serumula Lodge" by 3:30pm.
When I booked, the Semonkong Lodge was full so this was the only available option. It was clean and we shared rooms, what more do you need? The pricing was slightly more than backpacker options at the Lodge. Within an hour of reaching Serumula, the heavens opened and it rained down. That night we rode approx. 2km to the Lodge for Dinner which was a buffet braai, very nice but very expensive.
Our plan for day two was to view the Malutsunyane Falls near Semonkong after a breakfast at the Lodge, then to head on the A5 towards the start of Jockstrap pass with the intention of heading North to meet the A3. From there we were to ride east to Thaba Thseka, Village Chief South, Village Chief North and finally Katse Dam Lodge. As it turned out, after a small, expensive breakfast at Semonkong Lodge and a bit of a ride to the falls, the day was well on it’s way.
One of the Tenere’s picked up a front puncture on the gravel road from the falls, and I must say there is value in tubeless, we were back on the road in 20min. The puncture, I think, came from exposed wire reinforcing from one of the many disintegrating concrete divits along this section of gravel road.
We made it to the start of Jockstrap pass (Maluti Mountain Trail on T4A), and followed the track till we reached the point just before the rocky descent.
Sanity prevailed and the Super Ten’s baseplates breathed a sigh of relief. So we retraced our tracks back to the A5, a great little single track at any rate.
Part of the adventure is to explore, and the next gravel “road” to the right was taken, near Malebatsi Village, also called Maluti Mountain Trail on T4A, with the hope we would be able to avoid too much of the black stuff. This also ended up at a beautiful viewpoint across the valley where the gnarly point of Jock Strap Pass could be seen. So another dead end, but it was a great section of single track again.
Back to the A5, through Ramabanta till we reached Nyakosoba where we hit a 4WD trail heading east towards the Makhaleng River and then followed the river North towards the A3 black stuff. This 4wd section made great, if dusty, riding. The A3 from here to Thaba-Tseka, running past the Mohale Dam was an absolute delight and made the black stuff worthwhile for a change. The experience of countless corners on good tar with hardly any traffic (apart from sheep and crazy skate-boarders) has to be experienced to be believed. There can surely be nowhere in SA to rival this road for the cornering junkies.
By the time we got to Thaba-Tseka for fuel it was already 4:30pm. Racing against the clock, we rolled into Katse Lodge after dark. No chance of Village chief North or South on this trip. Our late starts were compromising the planned tracks, but I had resigned myself to take it as it came and just enjoy the ride on this trip. Next time it will be 6am starts like we usually do.
https://youtu.be/Xv6zMN9ZED4
Day three, the 24th, started with happy birthday celebrations for Leon. It was suggested that the Katse Dam Wall Tour be done, a worthwhile and affordable outing. From there we headed out at 11am for our round-trip which took us along the gravel road running northwards alongside the eastern bank of Katse Dam.
We then turned right onto the A25 black stuff for a bit before turning sharp left onto a gravel road running north-east along the Matsuko river for around 20km, after which it turn South East and headed towards the A1. This section of gravel was one of the highlights of the trip, offering stunning desolate scenery, switchbacks aplenty and almost no traffic whatsoever. Turns out this road is called “Village Chief North New” and has to be one of the best kept secrets in Lesotho.
The last little section went directly past the Village chief’s house.
Turning left onto the A1, we refueled at Mapholaneng and continued on past Letseng Village till we reached the Kao Mine road entrance on the left. The Kao road heads back towards Lejone and Katse Dam, another great gravel road with lots of variation in sights and altitude. One of the Super Ten’s went ‘farming” in a ditch just before the Malibamatsu River crossing. A sore kneecap and bent crashbar later, but nothing too serious. Our plans to go back to Katse via the west bank were fading along with the daylight. We rolled into Katse just as the GPS’s switched to night mode. A great day and everyone said later it was the best day of the trip.
https://youtu.be/crXO_Vc664c
After 3 days in the saddle, the guys were keen to take Sani Pass instead of the planned Matabeng Pass which I was hoping to do. It was Alan’s turn to have a birthday today. Losper had given me some very interesting routes and options going via Sehlabathebe and Ramatseliso / Quacha’s Nek, which would have to wait for the next trip. After a hearty breakfast at Katse, we were back on the awful road to Thaba-Tseka where Alan’s Super Ten got a puncture, this time the rear tyre. It proved to be quite a difficult on to fix and in the process Leon almost cut his finger off with his pocket knife. The blood was plenty but in the end some insulation tape won the day and off we went. From Thaba-Tseka we followed the A3 over the Menoaneng Pass which presented us with quite a nice gnarly climb at one point. A welcome lunch at Sani Pass lodge was in order and the obligatory photo’s in the pub were taken. The guys were in a buoyant mood and made short work of Sani Pass and the Pevensy road. We stopped when we got to the Underburg road and looked at our tires. The E07 on the 950 had not shown any wear to speak of. The E09 on my 990 was very worn, maybe 2mm of tread left, and the Super Ten’s which all had new Anakee Wilds fitted just before the trip, were going to need new tires. The Anakee’s lasted 1700km.
As I rolled into home, the heavens opened and it bucketed down, all night long. Am I glad we had a dry trip.
https://youtu.be/nD4aAw2WHFc
Day 1: PMB to Semonkong via Matatiele and Ongeluks Nek.
Day 2: Semonkong to Katse Lodge.
Day 3: Round trip back to Katse Lodge.
Day 4: Katse Lodge to PMB via Matabeng Pass and Ramatseliso.
Losper provided me with tracks and fuel stops for each day, including optional scenic and technical variants to them.
Two of the guys dropped out of the plans and another joined, making the final total eight. There were to be five Super Tenere's, an XT660, and two KTM Adventures.
On the morning of the 22nd, we all met at the Shell garage in Hilton. The Super Ten's all had brand new Anakee Wild rear tires fitted, and Kelvin had a brand new helmet which naturally, slipped off his Super Ten's mirror and took the tumble. This happens.While we were filling up, another Adv rider, on a Triumph 800 pulled up and mentioned he was meeting three other guys at Crossways before heading for Semonkong via Ongeluks Nek. So we would not be alone.
We stopped at Matatiele for breakfast and fuel, and were at the Ongeluks SA border post by 11am. Having been up Ongeluks Nek before, I know what to expect. Fortunately the conditions were again dry, sunny and windy. Apart from a big "off" in a gully below the pipeline, and one other smaller "off" we all got to the top by 13:30 or so.
Day 1: https://youtu.be/WjwY6ZdnxzU
Rob on the 660 had shot up and found our friends at the top. They were on 2 x GS800, the Triump 800 and a KTM1090.
We opted to go directly to Semonkong, which involved a lot of black stuff. Next time I will do the optional route, around 40km extra, called "Mount Moorosi loop.
We made it to our accommodation in Semonkong, called "Serumula Lodge" by 3:30pm.
When I booked, the Semonkong Lodge was full so this was the only available option. It was clean and we shared rooms, what more do you need? The pricing was slightly more than backpacker options at the Lodge. Within an hour of reaching Serumula, the heavens opened and it rained down. That night we rode approx. 2km to the Lodge for Dinner which was a buffet braai, very nice but very expensive.
Our plan for day two was to view the Malutsunyane Falls near Semonkong after a breakfast at the Lodge, then to head on the A5 towards the start of Jockstrap pass with the intention of heading North to meet the A3. From there we were to ride east to Thaba Thseka, Village Chief South, Village Chief North and finally Katse Dam Lodge. As it turned out, after a small, expensive breakfast at Semonkong Lodge and a bit of a ride to the falls, the day was well on it’s way.
One of the Tenere’s picked up a front puncture on the gravel road from the falls, and I must say there is value in tubeless, we were back on the road in 20min. The puncture, I think, came from exposed wire reinforcing from one of the many disintegrating concrete divits along this section of gravel road.
We made it to the start of Jockstrap pass (Maluti Mountain Trail on T4A), and followed the track till we reached the point just before the rocky descent.
Sanity prevailed and the Super Ten’s baseplates breathed a sigh of relief. So we retraced our tracks back to the A5, a great little single track at any rate.
Part of the adventure is to explore, and the next gravel “road” to the right was taken, near Malebatsi Village, also called Maluti Mountain Trail on T4A, with the hope we would be able to avoid too much of the black stuff. This also ended up at a beautiful viewpoint across the valley where the gnarly point of Jock Strap Pass could be seen. So another dead end, but it was a great section of single track again.
Back to the A5, through Ramabanta till we reached Nyakosoba where we hit a 4WD trail heading east towards the Makhaleng River and then followed the river North towards the A3 black stuff. This 4wd section made great, if dusty, riding. The A3 from here to Thaba-Tseka, running past the Mohale Dam was an absolute delight and made the black stuff worthwhile for a change. The experience of countless corners on good tar with hardly any traffic (apart from sheep and crazy skate-boarders) has to be experienced to be believed. There can surely be nowhere in SA to rival this road for the cornering junkies.
By the time we got to Thaba-Tseka for fuel it was already 4:30pm. Racing against the clock, we rolled into Katse Lodge after dark. No chance of Village chief North or South on this trip. Our late starts were compromising the planned tracks, but I had resigned myself to take it as it came and just enjoy the ride on this trip. Next time it will be 6am starts like we usually do.
https://youtu.be/Xv6zMN9ZED4
Day three, the 24th, started with happy birthday celebrations for Leon. It was suggested that the Katse Dam Wall Tour be done, a worthwhile and affordable outing. From there we headed out at 11am for our round-trip which took us along the gravel road running northwards alongside the eastern bank of Katse Dam.
We then turned right onto the A25 black stuff for a bit before turning sharp left onto a gravel road running north-east along the Matsuko river for around 20km, after which it turn South East and headed towards the A1. This section of gravel was one of the highlights of the trip, offering stunning desolate scenery, switchbacks aplenty and almost no traffic whatsoever. Turns out this road is called “Village Chief North New” and has to be one of the best kept secrets in Lesotho.
The last little section went directly past the Village chief’s house.
Turning left onto the A1, we refueled at Mapholaneng and continued on past Letseng Village till we reached the Kao Mine road entrance on the left. The Kao road heads back towards Lejone and Katse Dam, another great gravel road with lots of variation in sights and altitude. One of the Super Ten’s went ‘farming” in a ditch just before the Malibamatsu River crossing. A sore kneecap and bent crashbar later, but nothing too serious. Our plans to go back to Katse via the west bank were fading along with the daylight. We rolled into Katse just as the GPS’s switched to night mode. A great day and everyone said later it was the best day of the trip.
https://youtu.be/crXO_Vc664c
After 3 days in the saddle, the guys were keen to take Sani Pass instead of the planned Matabeng Pass which I was hoping to do. It was Alan’s turn to have a birthday today. Losper had given me some very interesting routes and options going via Sehlabathebe and Ramatseliso / Quacha’s Nek, which would have to wait for the next trip. After a hearty breakfast at Katse, we were back on the awful road to Thaba-Tseka where Alan’s Super Ten got a puncture, this time the rear tyre. It proved to be quite a difficult on to fix and in the process Leon almost cut his finger off with his pocket knife. The blood was plenty but in the end some insulation tape won the day and off we went. From Thaba-Tseka we followed the A3 over the Menoaneng Pass which presented us with quite a nice gnarly climb at one point. A welcome lunch at Sani Pass lodge was in order and the obligatory photo’s in the pub were taken. The guys were in a buoyant mood and made short work of Sani Pass and the Pevensy road. We stopped when we got to the Underburg road and looked at our tires. The E07 on the 950 had not shown any wear to speak of. The E09 on my 990 was very worn, maybe 2mm of tread left, and the Super Ten’s which all had new Anakee Wilds fitted just before the trip, were going to need new tires. The Anakee’s lasted 1700km.
As I rolled into home, the heavens opened and it bucketed down, all night long. Am I glad we had a dry trip.
https://youtu.be/nD4aAw2WHFc
