Latest Mountain Passes added

This long tarred pass is located along the A3 route in Lesotho and forms part of a string of impressive passes, virtually running back to back fromm Thaba Tseka to Maseru. It starts at its eastern end where the Marakabei Pass ends and climbs steeply to its 2625m high summit within the first 4 kilometres. It then swings 90 degrees in direction into the north and follows the valley formed by one of the rivers that flow into the Mohale Dam. The pass provides access to the Mohale Dam and local lodges.

At 16.9 km it's a long pass but you won't get bored as there are no less than 96 bends, corners and curves to keep every driver on their toes. To add to that, the road markings on the road have all but faded away, so overtaking becomes an interesting exercise. The relatively low traffic volumes translate into low accident rates.

Together with the Makoabong, Cheches, Marakabei, Blue Mountain, God Help Me and Bushmens passes you can enjoy a massive non -stop mountain pass drive that will put a smile on your face for well over two hours.

The Marakabei Pass takes its name from the village at the middle point of the pass. Whilst it's not the longest or steepest pass in Lesotho, it offers enjoyable rural scenery on a good quality road. The pass is 8.4 km long and climbs a very respectable 657m producing an average gradient of 1:13. The steepest parts are at 1:9. The gradients are well engineered and the pass is suitable for all vehicles, except when its snowing, when a 4x4 will be required and sometimes even a 4x4 will not cope if the snow levels are deep.

The Mohale dam lies just 9 km to the north. There are 26 bends of which several exceed 90 degrees and one particularly tight semi hairpin of 160 degrees is located roughly halfway along the pass. This is one of five passes along the attractive A3 route between Thaba Tseka and Maseru, the others being (from east to west) the Mokhoabong, Likhalaneng, Blue Mountain, God Help Me and the Bushmans Pass. 

The pass is very close to the central geographical point of Lesotho. The two towns of Marakabei and Mantsonyane are fairly close to one another, with the Senqunyane (a main tributary of the Senqu River) flowing close by the village.

This impressive pass packs a huge amount of punch into a relatively short distance. It's located in the southern part of Lesotho on a minor road which itself is accessible from the A4 route, about 12 km north west of Qacha's Nek. The road connects a number of remote mountain villages, as well as providing access to the Matebeng Pass, one of the most difficult gravel passes in Lesotho.

If you enjoy multiple hairpin bends and canyon views, then do yourself a favour and drive this one. It sports 32 bends, corners and curves packed tightly into the overall length of 5.8 km producing an average gradient of 1:20 with the maximum gradient topping out at 1:6 on the northern side. Of those 32 bends, 10 are full hairpins. 

You will be rewarded with spectacular views of the Tsoelike River valley which looks more like a canyon than a valley and the old green pedestrian bridge, which dates back to 1930, was constructed by German missionaries. It is still in a remarkably good condition, with only a few floor boards missing.

There is a beautiful spot next to the river to have a picnic spot which is nicely grassed. 

The Tsoelike River is one of the most convoluted rivers you will find, following a tortuous route through the mountains, sourcing in the Sethlathebe National Park, some 25 km to the east as the crow flies, but if you trace its actual course that length extends to 130 km. The river forms a confluence with the Senqu (Orange) River six kilometres west of the pass.

Dangershoek Pass is a combination of a poort and a pass with the majority of the distance being a poort where the road hugs the contours of the Telle River, which forms the border between South Africa and Lesotho. The scenery is breath-taking as the road heads upstream alongside the river, darting in and out of side ravines. The landscape is massive with the Maluti range dominating the views to the left (north). There are countless streams and waterfalls as well as a special rock pool directly accessible from the road, but be careful where you park as the road is narrow. The water can only be described as "fresh" and not recommended for those that don't like ice cold water.

A few small farms are traversed before the road crosses one of the main tributaries of the Telle River near a small village where a church spite is visible from some distance away. Most of the stream crossings are via low level bridges or concrete causeways. If these are coming down in spate, discretion and caution should be exercised whether to continue or not. Remember the golden rule: If you're not prepared to walk it, then don't drive it.

Sections of the steep climb up to the summit are concreted, so normal vehicles can tackle this drive is the weather is fine. The final section is quite steep (1:5), but views from the summit are seriously impressive and impossible to describe in words. By continuing on this road, it will eventually get you to Telle Falls.

Mafika Lisiu Pass is without question one of the most dramatic and beautiful tarred passes in Lesotho. It was built ahead of the construction of the Katse Dam to provide an all-weather road suitable for the large trucks carrying fly-ash and cement from Ficksburg to the Katse construction site. It won an international engineering award for its design and engineering excellence.

The statistics of this pass are impressive. Firstly its a very long pass at 26.2 km with a summit height of 3091m and an altitude variance of 1104m. It snows regularly on the pass, making it dangerous for non 4WD vehicles. Black ice occurs on the pass too, rendering a highly dangerous situation; even for 4WD vehicles.

The scenery is breathtaking, especially on the western side, offering a smorgasbord of deep valleys, gullies, waterfalls and burbling streams, towering cliffs  and in winter it's a snowy wonderland.

It connects Hlotse and Pitseng in the west with Ha Lejone in the east. Allow an hour to drive the route and more if you want to stop for photos. There is a large, safe and well constructed viewing point at the summit (12 km mark) with magnificent views down the valley to the west, as well as the famous built-up hairpin bend near the summit.