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Lesotho :: Lesotho
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Places :: Other
Driving Sani Pass very much depend on current weather and road conditions, whether you are driving up or down, and how much risk you are willing to take.
In the rainy season (October to March), the road can be very badly washed away and muddy. Driving up Sani in these conditions, can be pretty challenging, and even coming down has its challenges as you may face some deep ruts, and driving downhill on a slippery, muddy road is my worst nightmare! So a vehicle with good ground clearance, and four wheel drive, is required. Attempting the road in an ordinary 2x4 vehicle, can be done, but causes extensive damage to the road as the vehicle claws its way upwards, and smaller vehicles may be damaged on the deep ruts in the road. Having low range is recommended, as one can travel at lower speed (and more power), going uphill, and putting the vehicle in low range when coming down, gives more control on your descent, and can also act as a braking system in case of brake failure.
In wintertime, with no rain, the road conditions should be better, but Sani Pass also get some snow in winter, and when this melts, we are back to muddy conditions. If the road was not repaired after the rain, you will still encounter some bad ruts. T4A personal recommendation would be a four wheel drive with low range, a diff lock and good ground clearance – we don’t like taking chances, and always attempt to cause the least damage to the tracks we are using. In good conditions the pass can be done by an SUV with four wheel drive in high range and preferably a manual diff-lock that is engaged before attempting the pass. Automatic differential locking systems such as a viscous coupling or limited slip diff only kicks in after the vehicle has lost traction, and causes more damage to the road, and is therefore less environmentally friendly.
Address : | Lesotho |
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