Nissan Patrol 4x4 (Africa)

Hi all

We are planning a camping trip (7-10 days) to Lesotho in Apr 12.

Looks like we will have have most of the the following vehicles in the group:

1x Patrol 4.5E (4 Persons) Ex Pretoria.
1 x Lancruiser 80 (2 Persons) Ex Pretoria.
1 X Landcruiser 76 (2 Persons) Ex Port Elizabeth.
1 X Land Rover Disco 3 (2 Persons) Ex Vryheid.
1 x Land Rover disco 3 (3 Persons) Ex Pretoria.
1 x Suzuki Jimny (2 Persons) Ex East London.

Somehow not too much info available and the maps are suspect.

Have read Wilfred Moore's, Peter Connan's and a few other accounts of trips and found it very useful.

Idea is to do the following:

Ficksburg.
Teyateyaneng.
Roma.
Ramabanta.
Semongkong.
Back to Boinyatso.
Mohale Dam.
Marakabei.
Thaba-Tseka.
Katse.
Thaba-Tseka.
Mokhotlong.
Sani Top.
Underberg.
Matatielle.
Mount Moorosi.
Mohale's Hoek.
Matelile.
Morija.
Maseru.
Golden Gate.

Are we too optimistic?

We are conderned about the weather, fueling, daily distances, camping and water crossings.

How good is T4A in this environment?

We are fairly well read, but also fairly new to the 4x4 world.

Any advice on offer? Will be much appreciated.

Jorrie I have only been there once, and am certainly not the world's greatest expert on Lesotho, but your trip does seem a bit ambitious to me.

I found T4A to be a bit lacking in Lesotho. There seems to be quite a lot of accomodation that is not on T4A. In fact the most difficult part for me was finding information on accomodation.

You need to budget very low travelling speeds for Lesotho. On the dirt roads you probably won't average more than 30-40km/h, and if it's raining, even less. Even on the tar roads we probably didn't average more than 50-70km/h. Water crossings are a real problem too, although I am not sure how it will be in April.

I think the best thing in Lesotho is to be as flexible as possible, but with a large group like this that may present it's own challenge.

Do you intend camping, or lodging? If you camp, I would geuss a large group like this presents enough security that you can just stop anywhere and negotiate a camping spot with the local headman using some clothes or mielie meal as currency, but if you do not have rooftop tents you may struggle finding enough flat ground to pitch a tent on, so use stretchers rather than sponge mattrases to sleep on? If however you want to stay in lodges, I guess you would have to book, in which case I would recomend mostly staying on the more major roads, which would be a pity in serious 4x4s like that? I am trying very hard not to say anything about the Landies here

Jorri

We will be travelling Lesotho in Dec for 3 days, going up Sani, sleeping over at St James, then Katse Dam and sleeping there and then possible another day of moosing around, we will be tackling some off road road that is on T4A between our places of sleep and not travel to much on the highways( not that there are many ). Currently two vehicles Patrol and LC 79 4.5i . Not sure if you are a member of 4X4 Community but there is quite a bit of info under the LESOTHO topic. What I have read is that travelling time can be affected quite a lot by road and weather conditions as Peter C has mentioned.

Shalom
Jules

Hi Jorri,

Driving in Lesotho is slow and you stop a lot to take photos. This eats up a lot of time as wel. Traveling from Sani to Katse is 1 day and believe wat the GPS says regarding arrival time.

Unfortunately I like the dotted roads (Only see them on T4A) as short cuts, but they definately not short cuts, ie 70 Km in 2 days.

People are friendly in some parts, but other places very unfriendly. They always ask for something (Sweets) and if they don't get, they will throw something at your vehicle even stones. (This was unfortunately created by people giving them loads of sweets by thowing it through the window) Please don't do it. If you want to give something, hand out some pens and books. Better even to hand out something is to do it through a lodge where the Lodge will control it, like Semonkong Lodge)

Fuel can be found at bigger places like Katse and bigger towns, not easily at smaller villages. Fuel at Katse is from drums, ask at the Katse Lodge where it is. (Up the hill from the Lodge)

April is wet and rivers are in flood, ask the locals before you enter a remote road and how the crossings are. Katse dam is nearing the stage where they will open the gates and then you will find flooded rivers down stream from Katse. Please do the Katse Dam wall tour, definately worth it. Accomodation at Katse are very good if you stay in the Katse Lodge. (Get a house for R1000 plus a day and it sleeps 6 people easily with everything you need)

April is cold !!!!! and windy, I don't think camping is an option!!
Enjoy the trip, Lesotho is beautiful !!!

Wilfred

Peter, Jules and Wilfred,

Thanks for your advice. We will take it to heart in our planning.
Sounds like we'll have to reduce our itinerary and make some bookings.
It is clear that we will have to do much more planning and possibly change our intended dates to a time when there is less rain. Don't fancy getting stuck there in terrible conditions.

Peter,

If we do go there should be enough recovery vehicles to cover your concern about the LRs.

Guys, thanks again for all the advice. We'll do much more research before April.

Regards

Jorrie in Lesotho you stand a chance of either freezing or getting wet, or both.

Personally I prefer getting wet, which is why I went in summer.

I guess this is a large part of what makes Lesotho worth going to: you never know what you are going to encounter, but you know there will be some adventure (which is off course just another word for trouble), because the conditions change so quickly.

Don't worry too much about getting stuck, as you said you have a lot of recovery vehicles handy and there is usually another road. Now off course I am not saying take stupid chances, but don't stress too much either. In a lot of ways the water brings a lot of the available beauty to the scene, as does the snow.

Kaokoland is darem self ook nie te versmaaie nie ... sneeu in Lesotho, sonskyn in Kaoko???

Mac jy moet eerder stil le in daai klein karavaantjie

Peter

Thanks for your words or re-assurance. After the all advice received we have been thinking more broadly about our concept.
I might add that we are considering doing the Richtersveld as an alternative in April 2012 and then Lesotho later in a drier period. Seems that the driest season in Lesotho is in mid-winter (snowing season), that is if we can go be the climatic info that we have found so far.
Over the next three months or so we will do much more research and then make a final desicion and stick with it.

The real point is that we (with exception of one couple who are seasoned overlanders) are relatively new to this environment and we would like it to be an enjoyable experience. We are therefore trying to make sure that we are proprely prepared, hence the early planning and my questions to this forum.

Much of the fun lies in the preparation, research, discussions and studying of the maps, books and other resources. We are already having a lot of fun and we have not even made the final desicion where we will end up going. In the meantime I am also working on the design of a drawer system, which must be completed and installed before April.

Regards

Oom Mac

Ek vestaan nou hoekom jy daai wiele wou verkoop. Oops.

Ek hoop die skade was nie te groot nie.