Of hiking clubs and smugglers…

I have often explained on guided trips how most indigenous rural people in Africa find it difficult to understand why anyone would walk anywhere for pleasure. For most Africans a journey must have a practical purpose. To collect water, fuel, herd animals or go to and from their fields. When hiking in Lesotho, we are often stopped and asked ‘where we are going?’, and then ‘why?’ When we reply that we are climbing the mountain to ‘look at the view’ this is met with a mixture of perplexity and incredulity.

While relaxing at Sani Top Chalet after a hike to Hodgson’s Peaks the other day, in walked a group of about twelve or fourteen male and female hikers dressed in the latest up-to-date hiking kit, complete with large overnight packs, tents and sleeping bags. They had just completed a tough three or four day ‘High Traverse’ along the Drakensberg, through some very inclement weather including snow and high winds.

Nothing strange about that you think?

Except that they were all Basotho people, members of a hiking club from their capital Maseru! It turns out that their club has about thirty members and is active most weekends!

A few days later in general conversation, a hiking friend happened to remark, that the dagga (marijuana) smugglers in Lesotho ‘must be making lots of money these days’ as he had seen a party of smugglers behind the Drakensberg escarpment wearing really good hiking kit, one of them in particular wearing a jacket he would have liked for himself! I asked how he knew they were dagga smugglers? He replied ‘because they were carrying large bags… but they were friendly, and they returned my greetings!’…

When questioned further, it turned out that he was hiking exactly where the Thaphoha Hiking Club from Maseru would have been on their traverse to Sani Top…!

Philip Grant
April 2012

The difference between wilderness and countryside…

Most of our clients are people from highly developed countries. They may never have considered that what they had previously experienced as ‘nature’ in their own countries is actually ‘countryside’. Outside their towns and cities is a landscape changed by man in many ways, either by commercial farming, or by the ‘landscaping’ associated with rural development, with many exotic trees and plants, fences, fields, roads and power lines. Most are unable to get away from the constant sound of cars and aircraft.

 Few have had the privilege of spending time in true ‘wilderness’ environment truly untouched by man.

 Most of the Drakensberg World Heritage Site is wilderness. Within a short time one can be in a completely timeless landscape, looking exactly as it would have looked long before humans walked the planet. As it is now generally accepted that humans evolved in Africa, it may not be too far-fetched to consider it to be a remainder of the ‘Garden of Eden’.

 The majority of our clients have never before drunk unpolluted water straight out of a stream or river, or experienced complete natural silence. The realisation of the deep meaning of this can produce a kind of spiritual euphoria, and a new awareness of how we as humans are linked to what is left of nature. As a fifteen year old schoolgirl commented on one of our trips ‘We do not look after nature, nature looks after us’.

Philip Grant
January 2012

Can a Hike be a Dance?

It is my belief that the act of thoughtfully and sensitively planning a hike can approach choreography.

Landscape, views and vistas can be made to unfold, rather like a story in a picture book or a ballet. A good hiking route should have a focal point (the objective), and ideally, even after the objective has been reached, some more hidden ‘secrets’ to discover on the return journey.

Seen in this way, a hike becomes a sort of dance through nature and the environment. When all the right elements work together, the participants (dancers) will come to the end of the hike, with much the same sensations as at the end of a dance, physically tired, but at the same time feeling inspired and uplifted, almost in a spiritual way.

Philip Grant

July 2011

Lessons from the Mountains (1)

Recently, while on a Southern Secrets day hike from Sani Top Chalet to the well known Hodgson’s Peaks (3256m), situated either side of the Giants Cup on the edge of the Drakensberg escarpment, I was struck by how no two human beings see things in exactly the same way, no matter how ‘like-minded’ we might be.

 That’s what helps to make us individuals.

 From the province of KwaZulu-Natal in South Africa, the Drakensberg is a spectacular and seemingly impenetrable range of mountains. The Zulu people call them ‘Ukhahlamba’ or the ‘Barrier of Spears’, a towering rock wall stretching for hundreds of kilometres, symbolised by the iconic ‘Amphitheatre’ in the Northern Drakensberg, featured in nearly every coffee table book on South African scenery.

Hodgeson’s Peaks and the Giant’s Cup as seen from South Africa

 But from Lesotho, the Drakensberg, because it is an escarpment, appears as a line of cliffs, the ‘Cliffs of Natal’ or ‘Dilomo tsa Natala’. South Africa, the world beyond, and especially KwaZulu Natal appears as a land way below, stretching as far as the eye can see into the distance. For many young Basotho, highways, railways, the sea, ships and airliners are something only heard about from others. The twinkling lights of the South African towns represent a lifestyle very different from that back in their home villages.

 From the well-known Sani Top Chalet, the ‘Highest Pub in Africa’  the hiking route to Hodgson’s Peaks and the ‘Giants Cup’ entails approaching the area from the Lesotho interior, actually hiking in the Maluti Mountains, a vast ancient high plateau at the top of the Drakensberg escarpment. When viewed from this perspective the landscape is very different. What from the South African side appear as the two freestanding Hodgson’s Peaks, are now the ends of two ridges extending back into Lesotho.

Hodgson’s Peaks and the Giants Cup as seen from Lesotho (Sani Top Chalet is on the escarpment edge at the left of the picture)

 It occurred to me that there must be a lesson in this somewhere! As individuals, cultures and religions we see the same things so differently. And in this is a key to understanding the many misunderstandings of our turbulent Southern African history.

 If it was possible for all of us to understand and appreciate our numerous different perspectives, wouldn’t it remove the reason for most, if not all, human bickering, argument and wars?

Philip Grant

May 2011

(For more information on hiking and pony trekking in the Drakensberg & Lesotho, visit www.southernsecrets.co.za)

A five day mountain hiking and cultural trip in the Maluti Mountains 1 to 5 May 2011

I recently guided two Drakensberg Adventures’ clients on a five day expedition, the primary objective being to climb the highest point in Southern Africa (Thabana Ntlenyana 3482m). A secondary objective was to gain some ‘sense of place’ and background to the area.

Wil and Bert had already climbed the highest point in North Africa (in the Atlas Mountains), the highest point in West Africa (Mount Cameroon), the highest point in East Africa (Mount Kilimanjaro)……..twice, and now wanted to complete their collection!

Wil & Bert

The summit of Thabana Ntlenyana is in Lesotho’s Maluti Mountains about 5kms from the edge of the Drakensberg Escarpment. After driving up Sani Pass in a Drakensberg Adventure’s 4×4 on the first day, we hiked to the Masubasuba area on the edge of the Drakensberg and had a late picnic lunch on the southern Hodgson’s Peak (3256m)

Looking towards Sani Pass from Phinong

On the following morning we walked across to the escarpment edge near the peak of Phinong before driving on into Lesotho for a night at ‘No 10 Riverside’ the home of Ntate Thabiso Nkune and family. We included a trip to the town of Mkhotlong, a cultural visit to a nearby village and their traditional healer.

On the way to Thabana Nylenyana

On the fourth day we woke up at Sani Top Chalet before sunrise to tackle Thabana Ntlenyana from Kotisephola (or Black Mountain Pass) a total distance of 24kms. There was thick white frost and ice everywhere, and the first sun on the millions of jewel-like icy reflections was especially beautiful. The hike took us just over eight hours and we were back at Sani Top Chalet in time to drive back down into South Africa.

Wil and Bert on the very cold and windy summit of Thabana Ntlenyana (3482m) recording a video to celebrate their four African ascents

On the last day we walked from Sani Lodge Backpackers to ‘The Marching Men of Khanti’ an impressive and evocative San or Bushman Rock Art site in the ‘Little Berg’.

Philip Grant

May 2011

Useful contacts http://www.drakensbergadventures.co.za

Feedback

 Dear Philip,

 How is life in the Drakensbergen these days?

 We had a safe trip home and went back to work again. But our heads are still full of the wonderful memories of our stay in the beautiful Drakensbergen and Maluti mountains. We would like to thank you once more for your pleasant and inspiring company and for your willingness to share your remarkable knowledge of the mountain flora, fauna, geology, Basotho culture, Bushman rock art and African history. Having a guide like you was definitely a big added value to our trip. I guess people who do self-guided hikes can have a nice time too, but they don’t really know what they are missing.

 I do hope your health will allow you to continue hiking for many more years to come.

 Until we meet again,

 Best regards,

 Wil Resing (Brussels)

also on behalf of Bert Kamphorst (Utrecht) 

Private Cross Cultural hike in the Mnweni area of the Northern Drakensberg – 22 to 27 April 2011

Over an extended Easter holiday in South Africa I was joined by my brother from Grahamstown, together with a few of his hiking friends from the Eastern Cape Section of the Mountain Club of SA, for an extended (and strenuous) cross cultural hike. On this ‘trial run’ we carried all our own kit.

We started and ended the hike at the community run ‘Mnweni Visitors Centre’ where we met our excellent and very competent Zulu guide Caiphus. Our route took us to a first night campsite near Shepherds Cave, and then up the truly spectacular Mnweni Pass for a second night in tents, very near the source of the Senqu (Orange) river and close to the edge of the Drakensberg, (or for the Basotho the ‘Cliffs of Natal’). On the third day we hiked down the beautiful Senqu River valley to the village of ‘Tsoana Makhulo’. On the way we stopped and chatted to some young Basotho shepherds with their huge guard dogs, close to their rough stone ‘cattle posts’ or Motibo.. They performed a few impromptu shepherd dances and songs for us, before we continued on to the village.

We were warmly welcomed, and pitched our tents next to some of the huts. Our hosts cooked some traditional food for us in the evening, and prepared some traditional Basotho travelling food (or in Afrikaans ‘padkos’) for us the next morning. We had to drag ourselves away from their hospitality as they performed dance after dance, and tried to encourage us to stay a bit longer with them! From the village we cut back to the head to Ntonjelana Pass by following a well used Basotho path along the stunningly pretty Koakoatsi River valley.

After a last night in tents we descended the long Ntonjelana Pass and Ntonjelana River, to the home of our guide and his family, about six kilometres short of the Mnweni Visitors Centre. At the bottom of the pass we were overtaken by two Mosotho ladies wearing normal clothes and shoes, one with a suitcase strapped to her back and the other with a sleeping baby on hers! They had left the Lesotho homesteads (near where we had slept two nights previously) that morning!

Our last evening was spent enjoying some warm traditional Zulu hospitality, delicious traditional food, and spirited dancing which we were allowed to participate in (!). After breakfast we hiked the last leg back to our vehicles for the drive home. On the way Caiphus took us to view a Bushman (or San) rock art site.

This trip has great potential to be run as a commercial trip in the future as porters can be hired through the Mnweni Visitors Centre, making hikes in that area achievable for all reasonably fit hikers.

Philip Grant, April 2011

For more information on guided hiking in the Drakensberg or other mountain ranges in South Africa, visit www.southernsecrets.co.za

Cross Cultural hike – 23 to 27 March 2011

This was a five day version of my cross-cultural hike in the Southern Drakensberg. We slept two nights in caves, separated by some off path pure wilderness hiking, before crossing the SA Lesotho border and walking into a remote mountain village for a night with a Basotho family. From there we moved over a mountain pass used by the local people to Sehlabathebe National Park, where we had a final night in the comfortable Park Lodge. On the last day we climbed the ‘Knuckles’ (3050m) before returning to our starting point in the afternoon. Below are some photos from the route.

For more information on guided hiking in the Drakensberg & Lesotho, please visit our site: www.southernsecrets.co.za

Philip Grant, March 2011

Feedback

Dear Philip –

Just a note to tell you how much we enjoyed our five-day backpacking trek through the Southern Drakensberg Mountains.  We can’t thank you enough for sharing with us the “secrets” of the Drakensberg.  For five days, it felt like we had the mountains to ourselves.  We loved sleeping in cave overhangs and spending a night in a rondavel hut in a Lesotho village.  Your knowledge of the geology, ecology, history, human culture and settlement in both the South African and Lesotho portions of the mountains is most impressive.  And your love of the mountains and of the Basutho people (not to mention your wry sense of humor) made the experience even richer.  We know and appreciate how much effort goes into planning a trip such as the one you created for us.

While we look at our photos (shared on Facebook with all our friends), we can only hope that another hike with you in the Drakensberg is in our future.  Thanks so much for a time we treasure.

Best –

Marc Eichen (age 62), Deborah Drosnin (age 60) and Ben Chesler (age 19)

Boston, Massachusetts

USA

Notes on Basotho Culture for Hikers and Overland Travellers in Lesotho

Introduction

Christeen and I have been taking South Africans and overseas visitors on day and multi-day trips to Lesotho as mountain guides, for more than five years, sometimes two or three times a week.

These notes are an attempt to help hikers, when hiking over and along the top of the Drakensberg Escarpment, and overland travellers, understand some of the basic differences between their own and Basotho culture, and understand some of the ‘way things work’ in The Mountain Kingdom of Lesotho.

We trust these notes will go some way to fostering more positive and tolerant attitudes, and avoid potential confrontation from misunderstandings and suspicion, caused by a difficulty in language communication and possible innocent ignorance.

Experienced hikers and frequent visitors to Lesotho will possibly find that many of the points have become ‘second nature’ to them. Please accept that these notes have been written with the inexperienced or first time hiker and visitor in mind, but we hope that regular visitors to Lesotho will still find them useful.

 As this list will probably never be fully complete, we intend to add to this document in future and would welcome contributions! We have had these notes checked for accuracy by several Basotho friends. If there are any other inaccuracies, we would like to hear about them, as we still have so much to learn!

• The country is called Le-Sotho (the place of the Ba-Sotho). The people are called Ba-Sotho (plural). One Basotho is a Mo-Sotho (singular). The language they speak is called Se-Sotho (or Southern Sotho).

• Lesotho is not a province of South Africa! The independent country of Lesotho (formally Basutoland) has a very different history, and works very differently to most of South Africa. Because the country is so isolated by its mountainous terrain, its traditional Bantu and African culture is still strong, more especially in the ‘highlands’ which comprise about 70% of the country. This attribute is a tourist ‘draw card’ and many overseas visitors pay a lot of money to experience and interact with this age old culture and lifestyle, long gone in developed countries.

• No agricultural land, including the high altitude grazing areas, is owned privately in Lesotho. Although the perception of visitors to the country is that nobody owns the land, because there are no fences to be seen, the reality is that everyone owns the land, and when travelling off-road, or hiking, you are still crossing someone’s land.

• For Basotho people, the eastern border of Lesotho is the escarpment edge, or ‘The Cliffs of Natal’. Although the South African KwaZulu Natal / Lesotho border is technically drawn along the watershed or continental divide of Southern Africa, this is a detail lost on the average Mosotho. So when you climb to the top of the Drakensberg, our advice is to regard yourself as having entered Lesotho territory. For a poorly educated Basotho shepherd (or herder), the border is where his sheep or goats start falling over the edge of the ‘Cliffs of Natal’ (or Drakensberg) into South Africa!

• When you cross into Lesotho you are no longer in the Drakensberg. The top of the Drakensberg in Lesotho are called the Maluti (sometimes spelt Maloti) Mountains. The Eastern part of the Malutis are known on South African maps as the ‘Drakensberg Range’, but they are not the Drakensberg! Ask any Mosotho. They even look different!

• You will see and come into contact with people on top of the Drakensberg and the Maluti Mountains. Do not expect it to be deserted! Particularly in the summer months, there will be numerous shepherds (herders) tending their family’s or extended family’s domestic animals in the form of sheep (wool) goats (mohair) cattle (tractors) horses (cars) and donkeys (trucks).

• Shepherds (or herders) are almost without exception young boys. Their ages will range from as young as 9 or 10 years old to about 17 or 18 years old. Being a shepherd is an integral part of Basotho culture. But there are also adult shepherds as well, because options to gather wealth are very limited in Lesotho.

• Shepherds (or herders) live in small temporary dwellings called Motibo. These are basic rondavels with enclosures for their animals nearby. Two or three shepherds share a Motibo. The youngest one will have to do all the hardest work, just like what happens in an all-boys boarding school!

• When you are hiking in the high Malutis (or on the top of the Drakensberg) in Lesotho, you are in their space. They are not in yours!

• A friendly greeting, broad smile and a wave work well! This usually relieves any tension and suspicion from their side as to your intentions.

• The shepherds will probably have dogs with them. They have dogs primarily for their own protection and to protect their young animals from predators such as the Black Backed Jackal.

• When in Lesotho you will have company! People will sit close to you when you stop for a rest or to have something to eat. Even though it may be considered impolite in their culture, they will tend to approach you out of curiosity, or in an attempt to see what they can get from you. If you can greet them in Sesotho and convince them that you know something about their ways, it will help to establish some respectful ‘distance’. Remember that their ‘sense of personal space’ is different from yours, and they will tend to sit or stand closer to you than what you are comfortable with in your western culture.

• Basotho shepherds are hungry! They have to survive on very little food by our standards, and learning to live with hunger is part of their upbringing as shepherds. In years gone by young men would have been drafted into warrior regiments after completing their initiation school at around 16 or 17 years old. Being a shepherd (or herder) is part of the toughening up process or ‘rite of passage’ to manhood. But they are not ‘starving’. 

• It is rude to give something to a Mosotho with your left hand. It is also considered rude and demeaning to throw rather than give something to them.

• If you hand a food item to anyone in the mountains, remove the wrapper first. Shepherds (or herders) have little or no concept of littering as we understand it. Take the wrapper back with your rubbish. If you are travelling through Lesotho, try to leave as little of your rubbish there as possible. Lesotho does not have the same sophisticated rubbish removal services and facilities for dealing with waste, as in most parts of South Africa. Should you as a visitor, add to their problem?

• When in Lesotho you will have an audience! Especially in the remote mountain areas, you are an object of intense curiosity. Your appearance, clothes and equipment are strange. You look to them, like a person from outer space would look to us! Many younger shepherds will probably never have seen a tent before. A ‘house’ and sleeping bag that you carry in a rucksack on your back is a completely alien idea to them! A camping stove is equally foreign, as is the way you cook your food.

• Being a shepherd is mind-blowingly boring for most of the time. You will be helping to relieve their boredom while you are up there with them!

• Shepherds (or herders) are teenagers. Testosterone levels are running high, just as with all male teenagers. This can lead to excessive bravado, posturing, role playing, and ‘showing off’ in front of visitors to their areas. They may not have seen a female for a long time. If you are male, remember what you were like in your high school or army days!!

• Shepherds (or herders) wear grey blankets and carry short heavy sticks. These sticks are called Mulamu and are often carefully decorated with brightly coloured wire. A Mulamo is a ‘traditional weapon’ and it is a sign of being a ‘young man’ to carry one. Young boys learn traditional stick fighting as they grow up, as a ‘martial art’. It is a sign of respect from Shepherds to put their Mulamu on the ground when they talk to you. (But if they continue to hold it in their hand it does not necessarily mean they are about to attack you!). Shepherds may also carry a ‘knobkerrie’ or stick with a lump on one end, especially if they are hunting with their dogs.

• Shepherds wear Balaclavas. From years of conditioning in picture books, advertising and the media, the image of a strange person approaching you wearing a balaclava when you are already out of your ‘comfort zone’ awakes the image in your mind of a criminal or burglar. In Basotho culture a shepherd should uncover his face when speaking to you, but he has probably been wearing the balaclava for so long that he has forgotten that he has it on! You can request him to remove it before speaking to him.

• Shepherds herd their animals by throwing stones. With sheep and goats, the stones are directed either side of, or ahead of the herd to direct them, and keep them together. They control their dogs by throwing stones at them. If the dog is barking at you, and the shepherd is behind the dog, it might appear as though they are throwing the stone at you instead of the dog. This could lead to unfortunate misunderstandings!

• Shepherds (as with most Basotho people living in the mountains) are able to communicate well with each other over long distances. They learn to project their voices, and this combined with the silence and lack of trees to deflect sound, enables them to hold a full ‘conversation’ with others at up to a kilometre apart. Shepherds will try to communicate with visitors moving through their grazing areas, and will be surprised that we don’t (or can’t) reply! In addition, this can sound as though we are being ‘aggressively’ shouted at! Show that you have heard them by waving back.     

• Let the shepherds approach you first, rather than you approach them. They usually have large dogs with them. The dogs can be unpredictable and provoked if you move too quickly towards them. This could give you the unfortunate impression that their dogs are being ‘set’ on you.

• Shepherds and even most adult Basotho in the highland villages have little or no understanding of why you are there! Going hiking for ‘fun’ is a completely foreign concept for them. Climbing up the Drakensberg to see the views and vistas they see every day makes no sense to them. Equally strange to most Basotho people is the idea that anyone from a developed country would want to come to their country to ride a horse, stay in their villages, eat their food, and pay for the experience! Riding a bicycle up and down their mountains, when they have perfectly good horses also makes no sense. Paddling a boat or kayak down a river seems very strange to them! 

• Do not give ‘handouts’. Anything you give to people should be part of a friendly two way interaction. If people sit with you and interact in a friendly way, it would be appropriate to share some of what you have. Shepherds love cigarettes, and this can be a good medium of exchange in the right circumstances. If you are hiking, cycling or kayaking they are not heavy, and do not use up your carefully prepared food rations. Basotho shepherds and many men usually smoke anyway so you are not teaching them any new bad habits!

• Expect to ‘pay’ ‘something’ in exchange for photographs of people, and always ask permission first. In many African cultures, people consider that you are taking something from them when you take a photograph. It has a lot to do with their traditional belief systems. What you exchange with them for that privilege would depend on their age and the actual circumstances. It could be a cigarette, food item, R2.00 or even R5.00, if the subject is an adult. If you are not prepared to be part of such an exchange, rather put your camera away! If your interactions have been very friendly up to then, they may not ask for anything. Generally, Basotho people really enjoy seeing their picture on the camera’s screen. Do not tell people that you will send copies of the pictures to them, unless you mean it! It is considered disrespectful to take photos of government buildings, the house of a Chief or the King’s house.

• Many Basotho shepherds smoke Cannabis (or Dagga). It is cheaper than tobacco, relieves boredom and the pangs of hunger, helps pass the time, and helps them to feel warmer when it is cold. But it could possibly cause them to behave ‘out of character’ at times.

• Children ask for sweets because they have been given handouts of sweets in the past. You are paying for the thoughtless past actions of previous visitors. Handing out sweets for no reason promotes a ‘culture of begging and expectation’. That child will grow up to be a shepherd, and then an adult, who will expect something from you for nothing, later. We have witnessed visitors throwing sweets at children along the road as they drive past in their 4×4’s. There are very few dentists in Lesotho, and their parents would not be able to afford their services anyway. Before giving anything to a child you should consult their parents first. (Just as you would like a stranger to do before giving anything to your children!).

• Respect for elders is an integral part of Basotho culture. Demand this respect from younger Basotho by not showing any signs of being intimidated, and by demonstrating that you have some knowledge of their culture.

• Learn some basic Sesotho greetings and pleasantries. Just as when you would visit any foreign country where the residents speak little English, some time spent on this beforehand will pay handsome dividends.

• Ask people their names and the name of their home village. Give them your names. Just like you, they also want to be recognised as people.

• Ask the shepherds to point out where their Motibo (small shepherd’s house) is situated. Do not approach a Motibo before being invited to come closer because there are often large dogs there. Even if a Motibo appears deserted, shepherds often leave dogs there to protect it and their food supply. The dogs sometimes lie around camouflaged amongst the rocks, waiting to give you a nasty surprise!

• Take an interest in their lifestyle. Basotho people have a fascinating, unique and harsh existence which is a story on its own. They learn independence and self sufficiency from an early age. Most of our young people no longer have the privilege of learning these lessons! Recommended reading; ‘Shepherd Boy of the Maloti’ by Thabo Makoa. Morija Museum and Archives. ISBN 99911-632-3-9.

• When in Basotho villages make a fuss of, and admire the children! As with us all, but even more so in Basotho culture, their families are very important to them. It is a very good way of ‘breaking the ice’ and establishing common ground.

• Basotho children are often only trying to communicate. They learn some basic English at school, and questions such as ‘what is the time?’, and statements such as ‘give me sweets’, ‘give me money’, and even ‘give me your camera’ (!), although harsh to our ears, are mostly an attempt to get a reaction!

• You display immense wealth to the average Mosotho. Even the kit carried by an overnight hiker represents much more than the average shepherd is likely to own. Overland travellers with a 4×4 vehicle and off-road trailer, loaded with all the things needed for their journey through ‘Darkest Africa’, represents more that the average Mosotho family will own in their whole life! Generally, Basotho people cannot understand why we need it all!

• Ask permission before making camp. If there are older shepherds around and you are near a Motibo you should consult them and ask permission (if possible). When you are travelling through the lower villages you should always locate the Chief or Headman for permission before making camp. He (or in some cases she) will probably expect you to camp where he and his extended family can take responsibility for, and ensure your safety. This might not be the most ideal or ‘beautiful’ spot from your perspective!

• It takes much longer to get anywhere in Lesotho than you might be tempted to think from distances on the map! Driving times are increased by the many animals being herded along the roads, the state of the roads themselves, and the very many sharp corners that can only be negotiated at a ‘snails pace’. Measure distances in ‘driving time’ rather than kilometres, to avoid rushing through the beautiful scenery, Basotho villages and towns, and possibly risk colliding with children or domestic animals. Take the advice of people who have done the trip before!

• Of course there are criminals in Lesotho! Just as in South Africa or any other country, there is a criminal element at work. But there is no reason to believe that the proportion of criminals to non-criminals in Lesotho is any higher than in any other country. The average Basotho hates these criminals as much as you do! Most South Africans would be very offended if the foreign media advised potential visitors to our country to be suspicious of all South Africans because we have a high crime rate!

• If you have any crime problems, and you have an idea where that person lives, the first recourse would be the nearest Chief or Headman, if possible. If the ‘problem’ comes from a child, then the first recourse would be the child’s parents. Locating the parents of a child can be time consuming and inconvenient, but if you persevere, the child will be punished and you will save a future visitor to Lesotho from a potentially more serious encounter with that ‘child’ as it becomes older and bolder! You may also save that child from a prison sentence sometime in the future! If the crime is committed by an ‘outsider’ to the local villages, the next recourse would be the police.

Philip Grant, 2011

For more information on guided hiking in Lesotho, visit www.southernsecrets.co.za

An Alternative View of the Mountains

I have been a Professional Mountain Guide since 2005. My view and perception of the South African Drakensberg Mountains and the Maluti Mountains of the independent Kingdom of Lesotho have changed in ways that I could never have realised. Let me explain…………

Once qualified as a guide, I imagined that I would swap my usual South African hiking club companions with paying clients from overseas countries, and that the hikes I would guide would be ones we generally all know well, or at least variations of them.

To some extent this has been true, but like most South African hikers, my knowledge of the mountains ended more or less at the Lesotho border. I had previously done some road trips within Lesotho, including visiting the obligatory Katse Dam and Mokhotlong, but my hiking experiences were still limited by the uneasy suspicion I felt when meeting Basotho people, mainly because of my own ignorance.

This started changing after I was approached by the owners of Sani Lodge Backpackers at the foot of Sani Pass to guide their standard trips into Lesotho, with their in house tour company Drakensberg Adventures (www.drakensbergadventures.co.za). These trips have evolved as an attraction for their clients, who come from all over the world, and are of any age group, the main essential requirement being an adventurous spirit.

These Lesotho trips involve as much interaction with the Basotho people as possible, sleeping in traditional huts and eating local food. They are designed to benefit as many people in the surrounding communities as possible. All support local community tourism initiatives that have developed and evolved within Lesotho. Examples are two and three day cultural visits, two, three and four day pony trekking trips, and trekking trips where kit is carried by pack animals, such as to Thabana Ntlenyana (3482m), the highest point in Southern Africa, from a Basotho village.

I now had the new pleasure of introducing visitors to the Drakensberg and Maluti Mountains who were prepared to pay for the sort of experiences that we take for granted! By closely observing their open minded, enquiring, interested and respectful interactions with the Basotho people, free of the sort of antiquated mental baggage that unfortunately a lot of us South Africans still carry around, and seeing how they were received and treated in return, showed me very quickly how I had been missing out hugely up until then. Since then, each visit to Lesotho adds more to my knowledge of the Basotho, their way of life and their culture. The more I get to know them, the more I am learning to understand and respect their age old traditional ways, and have now come to a point where I can abandon my suspicions. I have gained enough insight to see, for the first time in my life, how outsiders and the rest of the world must appear to Africans.

As my knowledge of the physical terrain increases, in place of a limited view of the Drakensberg as an escarpment ending at the Lesotho border, I now see the whole Drakensberg / Maluti massif as one unit, with the South African Drakensberg as the very beautiful wilderness edge to an area of such size and potential as to be almost limitless in scope. Now the paths leading up the Drakensberg passes with which we as hikers are so familiar make sense, and when I see the paths continuing and disappearing into the Lesotho interior I want to follow them, to experience more of the tranquil, friendly, peaceful and welcoming village life that I know is not far away. A Drakensberg high traverse now seems to be like hiking against the natural flow of the mountains instead of with it, and conversely a hike over the Drakensberg escarpment into the Lesotho interior and back makes absolute sense.

I am now increasingly frustrated when I overhear the general talk amongst South African hikers of Lesotho and the Basotho, much of it based on ignorance and suspicion, and dare I say it, plain old fashioned prejudice.

 Recommended reading:
‘Shepherd Boy of the Maloti’ by Thabo Makoa
Morija Museum and Archives
ISBN 99911-632-3-9

Philip Grant, 2010

(SA Go! magazine published a shortened version of this article as a letter in October 2010. It was awarded their prize for ‘letter of the month’)

For more information on cross-cultural hiking or to organise a guided hiking trip in the Drakensberg or Lesotho, visit www.southernsecrets.co.za