Amazing motorcycle adventures in Southern Africa

Wednesday, 08 June 2011

Day 17 - Leg 3 - Planning the day at the Restaurant

This continues the series of my Motorcycle Adventure travels from Durban to Lesotho which was the third goal, over a week. Details of the "http://africa4adventure-motorbiketours.blogspot.com/2011/04/planning-lesotho-expidition.html" whole trip here.

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That morning over breakfast we spent some time trying to decide where we would go and who would do what. Our main goal was to head down to this magnificent 200m waterfall which was not too far away called the Maletsunyane falls. Claire was not feeling too well and Alan had already seen the waterfall before so they decided to stay at the Lodge and chill out for the day.

Since it was only half an hour away by bike, we decided to leave a bit later once it had warmed up a little more. We thought we would take a half hour ride therre, spend half an hour there and then return.

The days outride planning on the map up in the restaurant

View of the Restaurant

Alan & Claire check previous routes they've taken into Lesotho

Outside the front of the Restaurant

Everyone sitting out front planning their mornings Abseiling activities

More motorcycle adventure tours on our list of tour route summaries are available, where we explore these sorts of motorcycle adventure tour routes. Just choose one of our events and reserve yourself a place on one of the future motorcycle adventure safari events.

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Tuesday, 07 June 2011

Day 17 - Leg 2 - Some of the local Lesotho colour

This continues the series of my Motorcycle Adventure travels from Durban to Lesotho which was the third goal, over a week. Details of the "http://africa4adventure-motorbiketours.blogspot.com/2011/04/planning-lesotho-expidition.html" whole trip here.

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One thing that people from outside Lesotho always notice is the wonderfully colourful blankets that the locals use to keep warm in winter. Bear in mind that because the 80% of the country averages 1800m above sea level, so it gets extremely cold in winter. Winters can be cold with the lowlands getting down to −7 °C (19.4 °F) and the highlands to −18 °C (−0 °F) at times. Snow is common in the highlands between May and September; the higher peaks can experience snowfalls year-round.

So they all have colourful blankets they wear all the time in the cold months. The lodge also happens to have a road that comes in from the surrounding villages which goes right through the middle of the resort, so many of the locals pass through the lodge on their way across the bridge into the Semonkong village on the other side of the river.

Coming down from the local area through the Lodge

Past the Restaurant and into town

An easy going people who always greet you

On the bridge

Lodge 4x4 going off somewhere

Two chaps waiting to take some walkers off to the waterfall

Hearding some donkeys through the Lodge to town

More motorcycle adventure tours on our list of tour route summaries are available, where we explore these sorts of motorcycle adventure tour routes. Just choose one of our events and reserve yourself a place on one of the future motorcycle adventure safari events.
http://www.africa4adventure.com/index.php/tour-routes/all-summaries
http://www.africa4adventure.com/index.php/reserve-menu-item
http://www.africa4adventure.com/index.php/events

Monday, 06 June 2011

Day 17 - Leg 1 - The Semonkong Lodge

This continues the series of my Motorcycle Adventure travels from Durban to Lesotho which was the third goal, over a week. Details of the "http://africa4adventure-motorbiketours.blogspot.com/2011/04/planning-lesotho-expidition.html" whole trip here.

Check out and "like" our Facebook site: http://www.facebook.com/Africa4Adventure.MotorbikeTours
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Follow us on twitter @Africa4Adventur

Here are pictures of the desitnation we woke up to in the morning, remember we arrived after dark the day before. It called the Semonkong Lodge and is located here on the map. A lovely destination in the middle of Lesotho. It is situated in a valley right next to the Maletsunyane river between two cliffs. From here the lodge offers Abseiling and other adventure sports. It is also close to one of the most awesome waterfalls in Southern africa, some 204m high. More to come on this later.

Single lane bridge over the Maletsunyane river

View from half way up the cliff behind the lodge

River pumping down constantly

Moira chilling out watchig the water around breakfast time

Lodge details showing off their 204m abseil down the waterfall

View form the bridge looking up at the lodge restaurant area

Looking downstream - another 15km odd further on is the 204m drop waterfall

Saturday, 04 June 2011

Day 16 - leg 7 - Arrive in Semongkong after dark

This continues the series of my Motorcycle Adventure travels from Durban to Lesotho which was the third goal, over a week. Details of the "http://africa4adventure-motorbiketours.blogspot.com/2011/04/planning-lesotho-expidition.html" whole trip here.

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The last section of the journey to Semonkong was by far the best and most picturesque. It had the most nature, the least people, it had large twisty mountain passes and beautiful nature with the addition of the sun setting just to add to the already amazing ambiance.

We had slightly under estimated the time it would take us to get there, mainly because of all the stopping to view teh scenery and take pictures, but at some point we realised we still had some 30km to go and that we'd have to do it in the dark. It didn't matter by then as Rob knew the way to the Lodge and the road was less twisty by then, so we just took it easy and cruised in. Glad to get there to the warmth of a fire and good food and red wine!

Awesome and long windy pass as the sun sets

Rob and Moira wind up the hill

Sun setting as we get to the top of the last big pass

Beautiful sky and land sunset colours

Moving on - its getting dark and we've a way to go yet


Spot the two bikes on the road

Rob and Moira greeting our host as we arrive in the dark


Finally in out of the cold and dark to some good wine and company - Cheers!

Friday, 03 June 2011

Day 16 - leg 6 - More Lesotho Pass views

Taking pictures at the top of the pass

Then back down into the valley next to a river

Then back up another steep twisty bit only to stop and marvel at the route again

A chap and his donkeys making a fire to keep warm

This lady kindly let me take a picture of her in here traditional blanket (and not so traditional hat!)

Waiting for the others to come along up the pass

Great to be out here in the mountains

Typical rural hut setting, I was impressed at how well built they are compared to the rest of Africa

Thursday, 02 June 2011

Day 16 - leg 5 - Lesotho Pass views

Looking back from where we had just riden

We stopped and next minute a heard of sheep came past us

Beautiful mountains in the setting sun

Flock of sheep being hearded off down into the valley

Look at the road on hill in the distance, that's where we were off to next

An old abandoned ghost hut

At the top of the world admiring the opposite mountain road we were to ride up

Heading up the twisty turns

Top of the next mountain, looking back you can see where we came from

Wednesday, 01 June 2011

Day 16 - leg 4 - Police stop us and Roma Church

This continues the series of my Motorcycle Adventure travels from Durban to Lesotho which was the third goal, over a week. Details of the "http://africa4adventure-motorbiketours.blogspot.com/2011/04/planning-lesotho-expidition.html" whole trip here.

Check out and "like" our Facebook site: http://www.facebook.com/Africa4Adventure.MotorbikeTours
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Well just on the outskirts of Maseru we were flagged down by the police and they checked our destination and bikes. Initially my heart sank as I wasn't sure what to expect, but they turned out to be the most friendly chaps I'd met in a long time. Jovial, chatty and full of laughs and fun. As i was the only one riding without a pillion they wanted to know what I was going to do about finding a woman once we reached Semonkong!

We drove onto Roma on the tar, a small town not too far from Maseru the capital. Here we found a Catholic church, where we stopped for a break and to take a look. There happened to be a funeral taking place so we left trying to be respectful and not to make too much noise on the bikes.

After that the terrain started changing and we headed up into the mountains and over streams.