Walking in the mountains of Lesotho
Mompoloki Rankgate | Wednesday April 5, 2023 10:57
With SA easily accessible to Batswana, it has become my playground, as I have been able to visit quite regularly, both for leisure and work trips.
My trip to Lesotho was not necessarily a planned one. Nevertheless it was just a spontaneous decision after one Gabohane Gabohane, fondly known as GG, shared a flyer inviting people from Botswana to participate in the Moshoeshoe Walk in Lesotho, a walking adventure covering 116 kilometres over several days. The three-day journey aims to re-kindle the spirit of unity among Basotho as it is embodied in founder, King Moshoeshoe I's legacy. Each year, walkers from different SADC states join Basotho in the walk and this year I jumped at the opportunity, despite knowing the 'challenges' that come with the first month of the year, January.
I joined The Desert Bush Walk Team on the 800km road trip to the Kingdom of Lesotho. The trip took us approximately 10 hours, but due to excitement seeing Lesotho for the first time it did not feel as long.
The preparations for the trip, however, got off to a slow start because I had to renew my passport, a process that was one of the steps that showed my dream to see the highlands of Lesotho was crystallising. The funny thing is that all along I had been toying with the idea of renewing my passport, but since I did not have any international trips planned, I always shelve and postpone the plan and perish the thought. Not this time.
A week before the departure date, as panic was beginning to set in, I called the immigration office and was met with the good news that my passport was ready. With the new document in hand, the real preparations could kick off and the anxiety began, sleepless nights and the uncontrollable excitement. As the days went by, scrambling to get everything done all at once became a stress, as I had to start packing and shop for necessities. Finally, departure day arrived, and the excitement reached a crescendo.
The Departure
At 4:30am sharp, I was at CBD Engen Filling Station, the designated area for all the travellers to meet. I found GG and one young man who introduced himself as Sbu, who seemed to be an interesting character and I knew right away that the trip would not be a bore. Other travellers started arriving and the loading began. We had a challenge fitting our entire luggage into the Quantum van we were travelling in, but we finally managed the task and started the trip in no time. We unanimously agreed that we begin with a prayer to ask God for protection and guidance, and one Mpine lead orision.
We used the Tlokweng/Kopfontain border, and experienced no hassles. Our first stop was Zeerust where we had our breakfast and of course we did a bit of shopping for refreshments. After the pit stop, the mood and energy changed; the conversations and the laughter were now on high volume. As the 14-seater Quantum began to roar through the South African highways, jokes became the greatest stimulator of the trip. Brown, Sbu, GG, and myself had the backseat all to ourselves, however, we struggled to keep up with conversation with the group as we were seated a bit further from the rest.
The veterans of Moshoeshoe Walkers led by GG, Brown, Mpine, Sbu, Connie, and Aratwa, started reminiscing about past expeditions trying to motivate us and clue us in on what to expect. The conversation pushed me to have a meeting with my thoughts and finally decided that I was going to participate regardless of how difficult the walk would be. As the trip progressed, requests for brief stops became more frequent, which I suspect did not please the driver, but nonetheless, he patiently indulged each one. Reaching the Free State Province, we were taken aback by the beauty of the maize and sunflowers fields. As we got nearer to our destination the music changed to the Sesotho genre. While the music was blasting, some were sleeping and others were snoring like a freight train.
We reached the last city of the Free State Province being Bethlehem and did our final shopping before the final stretch to Lesotho, which wasn’t that exciting because of the many potholes on the road. Lo and behold, we finally reached the Caledonspoort/Maputsoe Border Post, which led us into Lesotho. By this time we were all fatigued and tensions were starting to build; signs of impatience were starting to show on some of our travel mates. We drove for a few kilometres before reaching our destination and we were warmly welcomed by school children selling walking sticks and offering us hot water.
The excitement returned as we immediately started pitching our tents and as is the norm, the men within our group offered to help the women pitch theirs before attending to their own. As soon we finished we all retired to bed from exhaustion. We also needed plenty of rest for the day ahead.
Day One
Our day one involved a 35km hiking activity from Mathe village in the Leribe region to Thaba Phatsoa Mahobong. At around 10pm we were officially welcomed by soft rains, which unfortunately brought a cold breeze. Although the drizzle did not last long, at 2am, it returned, but this time with thunder and lightning, which really made some of us uncomfortable.
We woke up to the loud sounds of school children selling hot water. The school children sell hot water before going to school and return in the evenings to sell the hot water. As one would expect at most camping sites, we had to find a corner away from the prying eyes of other campers to wash up. Day one began in earnest and I got dressed, un-pitched my tent, and went for breakfast. My hiking partner for the entire expedition, Brown, joined me. We took pictures before we departed then walked for three kilometres to a place where the official opening was being held.
The guest speaker at the official opening, Queen Masenabe Bereng Seeiso, hiked the entire 116kms of the days we spent in Lesotho. We began by going up the first mountain, and while I had always thought Kgale Hill was high, to my surprise I found that our local landmark was child’s play compared to that mountain.
We went up and down in the scorching heat and rocky terrain, following the guides, who in a way kind of control your speed because there are no road markings to guide you. It was hard, but the serenity of the mountains also made it a bit easier for us to continue hiking. After 31 hard kilometres, we arrived at our next camping site, in Thaba Phatsoa Mahobong. The process of pitching my tent and buying water for showering began all over again and this time I had to do it fast so that I could get enough rest for day two.
Day Two
Day two of the Moshoeshoe Walk was a painful 54km, starting in the wee hours and with the last person expected to reach our next campsite at midnight. I couldn’t sleep just thinking about what was in store for me. I had pitched my tent next to Brown’s, which he jokingly referred to as Room 52. At around 2am, he shouted “Momps! Momps! It's time up!." I prepared myself, got dressed, and this time around decided to reduce my load and only carried necessities such as water, energy supplements, sunscreen and a headlight.
At 3:30am we vanished into darkness and were greeted by silence as we manoeuvred through the mountains of Hlotse to the sound of our own footsteps. It was exciting, and the weather was quite favourable. As I walked through some of the villages, the residents came out in numbers to urge us on and encouraged us. The beautiful sound of ululations and cheers filled the air. It wasn’t an easy task to take on, but it was fun. It was a tough challenge as we soldiered on to the top of the mountainous terrain, which was rocky and slippery. We went up and down the mountains, and walked through rivers. The road was quite bad, but once you decide to start walking there is no turning back. There are no rescue teams.
Brown did not seem to struggle much, as long distance walking is not new to him because of his profession. Being a soldier, he would shout slogans of encouragement to keep us going and we walked until sunrise. At 6am we had already covered 20km and were still going. We then took our first 20-minute break. The excitement of making it this far was visible in everyone’s faces, even though it was cold and to top it all off, we were all wet because of crossing rivers and streams. Some made a fire to warm-up, while others took pictures. The journey continued. It was not only about walking but also the experience, the serenity, and the culture of Basotho.
We stopped at the heritage site of King Moshoeshoe on our way to Thaba Bosiu, where we had our breakfast and enjoyed a few minutes of rest before proceeding through the heat. We were now walking on flat terrain, which really pleased me, as I am somewhat afraid of heights. Unfortunately, the excitement was shortlived because we soon had to cross a river using a temporary bridge put in place specifically for us hikers. The bridge was shaky and scary as we crossed and some hikers resorted to crossing the river on foot instead. I faced my phobia of heights and crawled on the bridge until I reached the other side!
As we passed through villages, the residents took advantage of the opportunity to make cash, selling fresh maize, motogo etc. Day two was a lot more challenging than Day One, and the weather was not that friendly, as it was hot and dry. Luckily for me I had chosen the right shoes, which is key for these types hikes and I didn’t develop blisters like many others.
For me day two came to end after lunch. My body just switched off as I was told that the terrain ahead was much worse than the previous distances we had covered.
Day Three
The final day was a 32km hike/walk. I was pumped up to see myself at the finish point, which was set up at Thaba-Bosiu. I skipped the morning session, which involved a 15km walk until lunch, because I wanted to finish the final 32kms strongly. Early that morning, Mpine decided to be our alarm as she went past our tents waking us up and proceeding to make breakfast for us. We packed our stuff and loaded up. I then decided that I would going to donate my tent and one lucky shepherd got it. This was done in appreciation of the hospitality and love shown to us by the people of Lesotho.
We set off to where we would start the last part of the journey. We joined the morning team for lunch and set off to Thaba Bosiu. As usual it was hot and dry, but five kilometres into the journey, rain clouds gathered to the excitement of the fellow hikers who believed that if it rained, it would be a sign of approval from the ancestors. Unfortunately, most walkers had left their rain–coats, as there had not been any indication of rain earlier in the day.
We pushed through what seemed to be an easy route as we were walking on a tarred road the final 10km. Thunder and lightning began and I became worried, as it was now evident that it was going to rain.
Nonetheless I soldiered on, and we caught up with the queen’s escort. We were in a jubilant mood, singing songs of struggle and the traditional ones. With the wind blowing from the side, we soldiered on with the fresh smell of rain hitting our faces.
We met up with a group of compatriots from Botswana, the FNB First Walkers led by Karabo, and we shouted our 'Pula, Pula! A Ene!' slogan, as other hikers also joined in.
The rains arrived five kilometres to the finish line, but none of the hikers seemed to mind.
The achievement and experiences of those three days in the highlands of Lesotho, breathing in the culture, walking the mountains and pushing my body to its limits, was well worth it.