Lesotho Mountain Passes

Bloumans Pass is a rough 4x4 track located in the southern quartile of Lesotho that connects the Ha Blouman village with the border town of Qachas Nek. You will need a high clearance 4WD vehicle with low range to traverse the pass. The route is rated as Grade 2 to 3 which can worsen if there is heavy rain or snow.

The pass is only 6.4 km long and gains 389 vertical metres to summit at 2363m ASL, producing an average gradient of 1:16 with the steepest parts being at 1:4. 

There are 32 bends, corners and curves to help you stay wide awake. Two of those are hairpin bends. Allow an hour to complete the traverse. There are several places where the track is invisible, so make sure you have the route properly plotted, otherwise you're going to get lost.

Although it's a fairly short pass, you will be rewarded with gorgeous scenery, friendly locals and some challenging driving, but it's not a vehicle breaker.

The official name is Lekhalo La Blouman, but most references refer to it simply as Bloumans Pass.

The Botsoela Pass is named after the river and village through which it traverses. Scenically it is stunning and the twin waterfalls at the bottom of the pass make this one worth driving. It's located to the north west of the Malealea Lodge in south western Lesotho.

The pass is 8.9 km long and gains 204 vertical metres to summit at 1880m ASL, producing an average gradient of 1:46 with the steepest parts being at 1:5. 

The pass is not suitable for normal vehicles. Only high clearance 4x4 vehicles with low range will manage this route. For those willing to spend the extra time that this convoluted road takes, you will be rewarded with wonderful mountainous scenery, swiftly flowing streams, tranquil villages, a mission station and the twin waterfalls of Botsoela.

For travellers heading south from Roma, this route is slower, but infinitely more attractive than the faster road around the north-western side of the Matile mountain to reach Malealea.

This is a major pass covering 14.9 km and includes a huge number of bends, corners and curves - 122 of them in total. The altitude variance is a whopping 728 metres which produces and average gradient of 1:26 with the steepest parts reaching 1:7. The pass is tarred which assists with traction issues in wet weather, but when ice forms on the road things can quickly become dangerous. The pass has a classic profile with a central summit point, but the steeper and more attractive section is on the western side.

With a summit altitude of 2553m ASL this pass is regularly under snow for many months of the year. It connects Maseru with Thaba-Tseka on the A3 route, together with a string of other passes.

The Marakabei Lodge lies at the western end of the pass at the bridge crossing of the Senqunyane River.

This brand new (2025) road was built by a Chinese construction company and forms part of the new Makhola-Lerotholi Highway between Qacha's Nek and the Sehlabathebe National Park, labelled the B45. With its silky smooth surface and sweeping bends, it will be an immediate favourite amongst the motorcycle groups.

Prior to this the road to Lesotho's prime national park was something of an ordeal to drive, but now with the new road, tourism to the park should flourish.

The pass itself is 7.1 km long and starts at the Ramatselitso border control post (accessed from Matatiele in the Eastern Cape) and ends at a large quarry at an altitude of 2410m, having gained 155m in altitude. That is, by Lesotho standards, a very small pass, but what adds to the allure that it mimics the South African/Lesotho border in very close proximity - at times being right on it, but there are no fences there, so you would be none the wiser.

The usual cautionaries apply of livestock on the road, mountain mists, snow and ice.

This lovely gravel pass with its alluring name connects Malealea in the east with Matelile in the west and offers beautiful rural scenery in the western corner of the Mountain Kingdom. At 4.3 km it's a fairly short pass by Lesotho standards and only displays an altitude variance of 122m. All the corners are gentle but the gradients reach 1:5 near the summit and immediately after it. Expect a rough, slow and bumpy drive.

As the summit is crested a beautiful view is presented and which is where the pass got its name from. The pass is popular more by its name than any sort of driving challenge, so if you want to drive this pass, don't expect the usual Lesotho type statistics - just enjoy the easy drive and beautiful scenery.

The main destination on the eastern end of the pass is the lovely Malealea Lodge, where accommodation is available in individual thatched rondavels, set in immaculate gardens.

This is an extremely high altitude pass. It's lowest point is higher than the highest pass in South Africa. You will start at 3012m ASL and climb streadily to summit at 3246m ASL. Despite the extreme altitudes, the pass itself only contains 16 bends corners and curves and only two have an arc greater than 90 degrees.

Assuming fine weather, the pass should present no problems other than a lack of power in your vehicle due to the oxygen starved air and the very real possibility of experiencing headaches and nose bleeds. Many visitors to Lesotho experience altitude sickness and especially those that have travelled up from the coast. If you normally suffer from AS, please vsit your pharmacist for advice before setting off on your journey.

In the colder months, this pass will have snow and ice on it. If you're not in a 4WD vehicle it's best to choose an alternative route or wait a day or two for conditions to improve. Snow is less of a problem than ice. Ice creates extremely dangerous conditions on tar (much worse than gravel) which can quickly cause a total loss of control.

The pass connects Mokhotlong in the east with the northern villages, as well as the Afriski Resort via the main route - the A1.

This is a mega pass by any standards. It's very long at 32 km and displays an altitude variance of 1066m. With a summit height of 3242m ASL, headaches and nose bleeds might be experienced by travellers from the coast who have not had time to acclimatise. It is the second highest pass in Lesotho and is also commonly referred to as the Black Mountain Pass.

Packed into that length is a total of 139 bends, corners and curves of which 8 have angles in excess of 90 degrees and of those, 6 are hairpin bends, all of which occur on the south-eastern side of the pass. The pass is subject to lots of snow in winter and ice on the roadway will make things highly dangerous, even for 4WD vehicles.

The pass is virtually and extension of the Sani Pass, separated only by a short 6 km plateau. It connects South Africa (KZN specifically) with the main southern town of Mokhotlong. It was recently tarred which makes this a relatively comfortable drive compared to the rough two spoor track prior to 2004.

Cautionaries: Snow, Ice, Livestock, Herdsmen, Altitude sickness.

The A25 route is home to a number of spectacular passes. Although the Laitsoka Pass is not the highest, if offers magnificent scenery and includes the crossing of the high level bridge over the upper reaches of the Katse Dam. The pass is long at 14.7 km and contains 75 bends, corners and curves, of which 16 exceed 90 degrees, but there are no hairpins.

The average gradient of 1:25 is moderated by a central summit point of 2649m ASL but the gradients do reach 1:5 on several sections of the pass, so it's steep by any standards. The pass is tarred and forms one of the main routes through the central part of Lesotho and has become busier since the completion of the Katse Dam and the ongoing Lesotho Highlands Water Project.

There are at least two good lodges in the Lejone area for travellers to overnight at.

Lancer's Gap is a short, steep tarred pass on the eastern outskirts of Maseru. At 1.9 km it's the shortest of the official passes documented in Lesotho. Other than the chicane section of a set of very tight double hairpin bends, the drive is straight-forward and is suitable for all vehicles.

The average gradient on this pass is a stiff 1:12 but there are several sections that get as steep as 1:5. For vehicles approaching from the east in the descending mode, it is best to run against engine compression.

You will be treated to some gnarled and spectacular sandstone formations in the middle section of the pass.

This is another major pass in Lesotho located on the A4 main route in the south-western corner of the Mountain Kingdom. It's long at 13.4 km and climbs 576 vertical metres producing some stiff gradients of 1:6. It connects Mount Moorosi with Qacha's Nek and a string of smaller villages along the way.

The pass has 61 bends, corners and curves to contend with of which only 2 are greater than 90 degrees and one of those is a 160 degree hairpin at the 4.3 km mark (measured from the western start). With a summit height of 2464m you can expect snow and ice on this pass on a regular basis.

The pass is tarred and under normal conditions is quite safe for any vehicle.