A stay in the Drakensberg calls for a trip to Lesotho, a kingdom surrounded by South Africa.
From Durban you climb towards the Drakensberg; we took the turning near Howick. Howick has a fine waterfall with some pleasant little shops beside it. Outside the village is a memorial to Nelson Mandela; this is where he was arrested on 5 August 1962, after which he spent 27 years in prison.
There is a small museum and a beautiful memorial made of 50 steel columns. At first glance you wonder what it is; as you walk towards it, the face of Nelson Mandela appears in it — a truly finely made work. You can walk through it.
We carried on to the hotel at the foot of the Sani Pass. Just as we arrived an enormous thunderstorm broke, a magnificent sight in the mountains, though it also knocked out the electricity — quite normal in Africa during a storm.
You can drive the Sani Pass yourself in a 4x4, but that is only for very experienced 4x4 drivers; I would advise booking an excursion so that you can all enjoy the route, and you will notice that in places it is very demanding if you were driving yourself.
Along the way you make several stops with a magnificent view over the mountains, and once at the top you enter the Kingdom of Lesotho. You stop at a number of houses where people live and herd their animals. Conditions are hard, partly because of the altitude of over 2872 metres. There is no natural shelter at all and the wind almost always blows hard. It is fascinating to see. The other stop is at the border, where the highest pub in Africa stands. On an excursion you have lunch here too. It is a very special experience to do this trip, because of the people you meet and the landscape.
There are also various lovely places in the Drakensberg where you can enjoy plenty of outdoor sport.
