South Africa

We landed in Cape Town on September 23. The Mother City, as its known here, is unlike any other place I have been to. Stretching from the magnificent Table Mountain, with its summit draped with cascading clouds, surrounded by the Atlantic ocean, it’s easy to understand why this city captures hearts of so many travelers. Our main goal while in Cape Town was to outfit “Barbie” (our trusted Toyota LandCruiser) for the overlanding trip. There was much work to be done and we were fortunate to meet John Lucas, who at 22 yrs old knows more about overlanding then all of us combined. He kindly invited us to his house and helped us with some much needed modifications to the car. Thank you John.

We officially set off from Cape Town on October 1st. Our first points of interest were geographical extremes, such as the Cape of Good Hope -- the south-western most point of Africa, and Cape L’Aghulas -- the southernmost point and the meeting place of Atlantic and Indian oceans. In between we drove through spectacular coastal roads, saw whales and penguins and got up close and personal with baboons. We then cut inland to explore the mountains and to take a full advantage of our 4WD truck.

After 10 days on the road we were back on the coast, unwinding in Jeffrey’s Bay, a beach town famous for its perfect waves. Recharged, we embark on a quick safari -- spotting numerous elephants, kudus, zebras, strange-looking secretary birds and even a precious little dung beetle. We then continue on to the Wild Coast, a remote part of S. Africa known for its unspoiled beauty (and a birthplace of Nelson Mandela). We are not disappointed -- miles upon miles of pristine white beaches and jagged cliffs plunging into sea. We hang out at a place called Coffee Bay - camp right on the beach, hike, practice surfing and soak in the natural beauty around us. Life is good.

We bid a teary farewell to the coast and pushed north towards Lesotho, otherwise known as the “Kingdom in the Sky”, with average elevation of 4500 feet. On the way we stop by a farmhouse owned by a couple, Adi and Ang, who founded the area while they were kayaking down a river. For the last seven years, they made this remote, but stunning area their home and are frequently visited by off-the-beaten track travelers. There is no electricity and the only source of water is rain, but the idyllic setting is well worth the “inconvenience“. It was a good lesson in simplicity. We spend our days hiking, zip-lining over the waterfall and cooling off in the river.

We enter Lesotho with 2000 miles on the clock, and a little over 3 weeks of driving. And although this small country is completely encircled by S. Africa, it’s a world of it’s own. Unlike S. Africa, Lesotho was not scarred by the history of apartheid regime. There are no racial tensions. The Basotho people seem to be genuinely happy to see you. As we zoom by everyone waves to us fiercely, with big grins on their faces. Well, we were “zooming by” for the first couple of hours, but then, as sun was setting the road began to deteriorate. We went from smooth tar road to gravel and pretty soon it turned into a 4x4 track. We somewhat underestimated the time needed to reach our destination and were now navigating mini ravines and crawling over boulders, completely in the dark. It didn‘t help that we were in the “Kingdom in the Sky“. At one point Darren, who was driving, asked “Is that the road ahead of us?”… “No, I’m pretty sure that’s a cliff” was our answer.

Somehow, we made it to a little village of Malealea, absolutely in the middle of nowhere. In the morning we were greeted by stunning scenery of rows upon rows of mountain ranges completely surrounding us. This is hikers paradise. We took advantage of the dry season and hike through a gorge reminiscent of Grand Canyon. There is not a soul for miles. In the next couple of days we completely circumnavigate the country relishing the views around us. Almost all of the roads are cut through the mountains and we often come upon carcasses of mangled cars whose tragic fate is a reminder of treacherous roads we were navigating.

Unscathed, we exit Lesotho through one of its infamous jewels -- Sani Pass - one of the highest and roughest border crossings in the world (S. African border guards will not let you through unless you’re driving a suitable 4x4 truck). Insanely windy roads drop precipitously from about 9000 feet to sea level, all the while one is distracted by mesmerizing landscape.

For all the beauty that surrounds this journey, there is a dark side to it as well. S. Africa’s society is among some of the most unequal in the world. And although the ‘apartheid’ regime is now technically history, the current economic disparity is no less appalling. The contrast between lavish mansions on the cliffs of Cape Town and squalid settlements of shacks built of nothing but thin pieces of tin sheets on the outskirts of cities is a difficult thing to fathom. The barbed wire that surrounds every piece of property is indicative of a society living in fear. The rainbow nation that Nelson Mandela and others have worked so hard to build has a long way to go.