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We were in our element as we cruised along towards the
resort, our excitement mounting by the kilometre. Just a word
of advice though to first time visitors to Lesotho; ensure you
obey all the road signs and speed limits because if you don't
and get caught by the local authorities, you will pay for even the
smallest of misdemeanours.
The 75 km road to Afriski takes you over an amazing and
seriously high pass called Mauteng Pass. There are a few tight
corners to contend with, so you need to take great care and be
very alert, especially on the way down. En route, you will notice
a few cars lying in some very unpleasant locations, and
you definitely do not want to add yours to the statistics.
Once you reach the top, it’s only a few more kilometres
to Afriski.
We arrived at Afriski and were welcomed by Martin
Schultz, our terrain guide, who took us through his
plans for us. He has a vast amount of tracks marked
on his GPS and without his knowledge we wouldn’t
have experienced half of what we did in our two days at
the resort. After our briefing, we checked into our very
luxurious log cabins, changed into our riding gear, and
were ready to ramble.
Martin first took us on an ‘easier’ ride to make sure the
bikes functioned well at 3,500 m because at this height
two stroke bikes normally have an issue, and without the
correct jetting it can end your trip right there and then.
Heading to the south of Afriski, towards Oxbow, it soon
became apparent that the rocky terrain would make up
most of the sections we would be riding. Picking your
line on the uphills was important because getting it
wrong could make life a whole lot trickier. Once we were
comfortable in the technical terrain, Martin took us on a
track labelled the Tower Route, to give us a taste of what
we would be dealing with the next day. The track was
nice and flowing, and I really started to appreciate the
power of the two stroke Husqvarna WR250 I was test
driving. With its plush suspension and responsive power,
it made easy work of the jeep tracks. The bike was also
easy to handle and I was impressed by how effortless it
was to control over the rocky ground.
We completed the loop in about two hours and then
headed to the Sky Restaurant, to discuss the ride over
some local Maluti Beers. After a fantastic dinner, we turned
in to get some rest before tackling the Amphitheatre
the next morning. this trAck is sAid to be
one of the best rides AvAilAble to
the intermediAte rider who likes A
chAllenge.
The route kicked off with some nice flowing jeep track
and we soon settled into a good, steady rhythm. Martin
set a fast pace and it was exhilarating to try and keep
up with him as he wound his way through the mountains
towards Mont-Aux-Sources. With mist cascading down
the mountain and visibility becoming an issue, Martin
decided to push on. We traversed the top section of the
legendary Drakensberg Amphitheatre, riding into more
technical sections as we went along. After a few river
crossings, Martin stopped at the bottom of a hill with
a bit of a smirk on his face. “Right boys, this is Panino
Hill. Choose your line carefully as there's 1,000 points
for anyone that makes it up the hill first time!" At first
glance the hill didn’t look intimidating at all, but that was
a bad judgement call from my side because as I began
to climb, I quickly had to divert to an unplanned route
that had me holding on for all I'm worth. But I made it
and happily collected my 1,000 points. Standing atop
the hill and looking down afterwards, I was very relieved
to have made it the first time and not still be fighting my
way up.�
www.doitnow.co.za | Adventure • 31