Pajero Owners Club of South Africa

Somebody has to do it!

I have a meeting in Aliwal North on Thursday, so Annette and I decided we are taking Friday off and will spend the weekend exploring the foothills of the Southern Drakensberg in the Barkley East / Elliot / Rhodes area.
Anyone for lunch on the veranda at the Rhodes Hotel?

We will be staying at Mountain Shadows Hotel.

Marius is planning a "passes" trip for later in the year, so we thought it would be the chance to check that everything is safe etc.

It will also be a test run for the new 265x65x18 BFG ATs on the Touareg!

Trip report to follow next week.

4ePajero wrote: Marius is planning a "passes" trip for later in the year, so we thought it would be the chance to check that everything is safe etc.

4ePajero wrote:
It will also be a test run for the new 265x65x18 BFG ATs on the Touareg!

Pictures please!

4e, only pleasant memories of the Rhodes Hotel veranda... a cold one with good friends.

Just make sure you fuel up in Barkley-East. The owner of the Rhodes Hotel had to help me with fuel from plastic containers last year. Apparently they don't get fuel delivered to Rhodes anymore (this was last year July).

I also had a long chat with the owner, while refueling. He drives a LWB Pajero if I remember correctly...

Enjoy !

For our overseas members / guests - where is it?
This is the world: At the bottom of Africa, you find South Africa 9the name gave that away!): Just about in the centre, just south of Lesotho, is where we spent the weekend: We stayed over at the Mountains Shadows Hotel, which is run by Gideon and Ria van Zyl.
The stay there was very pleasant and the food very good! (Regte "Boerekos").
The hotel is on the R58 between Elliot and Barkley East, where the R393 turns off into the mountains.

The round trip was about 250 kms:

• Mountain Shadows Hotel
• R393 to Moshesje's Ford
• Lundean's Neck
• back to the Wartrail Sport Club
• Minor road to Tiffindell over the Bidstone Pass
• south over the Carlistehoek Pass to Rhodes
• R396 to the Barkley East
• R58 back to the hotel

The weather was very good for the farmers (heavy rain for the previous few days, and very bad for photography.
My photographs look "fuzzy" due to the weather, not a dirty lens!

The roads were very wet, and there were many water crossings.

On our way from Aliwal North (on Benjamen's Hoogte on the R58 between Lady Grey and Barkley East), we saw this sign (S30.82212 E27.27483 ), and as is our nature we turned off to investigate. The road leads to two places, Karnmelkspruit and Lupela Lodge.

At Karnmelkspruit you will find a nice bungalow and grassy camping sites next to the river.
Lupela Lodge seems to be a very nice quiet lodge "where the road ends". (continues in next post ......)

The sandstone mountains of the southern Drakensberg is in my opinion one of the most striking regions in South Africa.

As I said, the weather did not make photography easy, but I attach some of the scenery:
The size of those rocks in this gorge can be understood if you compare them with the trees in the back ground: The road to Tiffendell (from the west) is actually a series of private roads over rough but beautiful terrain.
In winter (during the snow season), it will be a real tester.

(stop at Rhodes in next post ... )

Our time in Rhodes was to short, as usual.
Next time we will spend at least a night there.

This quiet town with it's quaint houses and historic flavour, is a "must visit, must stay over":
(Bastervoetpad follows ...)

Great report! Thanks for sharing.

Are those private roads (Tiffendell) open to public, or is prior arrangement needed?

I found a nice map on your Rhodes link, thanks!

Regards,
Anton

I like passes!
I love passes it they have gravel surfacing!

I have traversed many of South Africa's passes, including

• Baviaanskloof's passes
• Sani Pass
• Swartberg Pass
• The road to Die Hel
• many, many more

.... but Bastervoetpad rates as my favourite pass to date.
IMHO you should put this one on your list, above Sani!

• It is 28 km long, but feels like 100!
• the scenery is spectacular
• it is as challenging as Baviaans
• rocky sections
• mud (we had lots of it)
• axle twisters (choose your line!)
• steep up/down grades
• water crossings
• no other traffic (we saw only a farmer on a quad)

I must admit that it might be less challenging when it is dry, but we experienced it when all the streams and rivers were in flood.
I did not count the stream crossings, but there were many!

We started off with a problem.
The very first bridge on the route was washed away (the approaches in any case).
I drove to the deserted farm stead nearby, where we met "Langman"
Langman said there was a track which would bring us back to the "main road".
he guided us through the feld, dongas and streams to a spot where we got back to the "main road" The photographs tell the story, you be the judge!

What the "road looks like": The L.A.P.A Munnik Pass: Typical scenery: Sandstone and kranzes: Getting Closer to the end: The "team":
The Touareg (2006 V10 TDi, Air suspension, BFG 265x65x18) The "opener of gates" washing off the mud at the end of the pass: The driver, closing a gate, so that he can claim that "we" opened many gates:

tonton wrote:Great report! Thanks for sharing.

Are those private roads (Tiffendell) open to public, or is prior arrangement needed?

I found a nice map on your Rhodes link, thanks!

Regards,
Anton

Thanks!
Open to public (just close the gates!)
Pleasure!

4e, we did the pass from Tiffendel to Naudesnek (next to the Lesotho border). It is the road through the Tenahead Mountain Reserve to Naudesnek. That piece of road was the worst because they were working on some sections.

I must say the roads look much worse with the rain/mud .

A truely wonderfull part of SA. Thanks for reminding me!