Dust Trails Africa

Semonkong means “Place of Smoke”, named after the mist rising from the nearby Maletsunyane Falls.

It is also the trading centre for the surrounding mountain communities. People travel in from remote villages to meet, trade and barter, buy supplies and load goods onto horses and donkeys for the journey home.

We ride into Semonkong on some of our Lesotho trips. Once the motorcycles are parked, we occasionally swap horsepower for donkey power and join the local donkey pub crawl.

Riding a donkey between the village bars may sound like a tourist invention, but it gives us a very different view of Semonkong. We meet the people, play some pool and experience the humour and everyday life of this remarkable mountain community.

Certainly one of the more unusual evenings on a Dust Trails Africa tour.

Come and ride Lesotho with us.

Thamathu is a small Basotho village high in the mountains of eastern Lesotho. There is no electricity, no mobile coverage and no quick way in or out. Reaching it means rough tracks and a long ride through the mountains.

The food for our stay comes from South Africa. Supplies are carried over the mountains by donkeys. It requiers some planning and gives you a different appreciation of what appears on the dinner table.

Daily life follows rhythms that have changed little across generations up here in the mountains. Oxen pull the plough, shepherds tend their animals and donkeys remain an essential form of transport.

For us, it is a complete detox from modern life. No electricity or mobile phone covereage up here. We stay in simple rondavels, eat together and become part of village life for a short while.

Travelling here also brings responsibility. We keep our groups small, and make sure our visit supports the village. Sustainable tourism is not about arriving, taking photographs and leaving. It is about travelling carefully, buying locally, showing respect and contributing to the community that welcomes us.

Thamathu is not arranged for tourists. That is precisely what makes the experience so valuable.

Come and ride deep into Lesotho with us.

St Bernard’s Peak is one of the old mountain lodges of the southern Drakensberg.

Middle Valley Farm was established in 1890, when this was a remote borderland between the Cape Colony, Natal and Basutoland — today’s Lesotho. Life here was shaped by livestock, horses, harsh winters and long distances.

The thatched cottages were built in 1948, and the farm later became known for horseback expeditions into Lesotho.

Today, Brad and Sarah-Jane are rebuilding St Bernard’s as a mountain retreat. They previously ran a game farm, where Sarah-Jane managed the meat side of the business.

The food is sensational. Meats unlike anything most of us have tasted before, and dinners that are always a real treat after a long day’s riding.

We arrive on motorcycles rather than horses, but the reason for coming remains much the same: to travel deep into the mountains and enjoy genuine farm hospitality.

Come and ride the Drakensberg with us. Get in touch [email protected]

Unusual motorcycle adventures

Semonkong means “Place of Smoke”, named after the mist rising from the nearby Maletsunyane Falls.

But Semonkong is first and foremost a Lesotho trading post. People travel in from the surrounding mountains with sheep, horses and donkeys. They trade animals, collect supplies and load what they need for the long journey back to their farms and remote homesteads.

It is simple, busy and raw. A place serving the people who live in these mountains.

We ride into Semonkong on some of our Lesotho trips. Once the motorcycles are parked, we occasionally swap horsepower for donkey power and join the local donkey pub crawl. We ride between the small local bars, meet people and experience another side of village life.

It is certainly one of the more unusual evenings on a Dust Trails Africa tour.

Come and ride Lesotho with us.
[email protected]

Semonkong means “Place of Smoke”, named after the mist rising from the nearby Maletsunyane Falls.

But Semonkong is first and foremost a Lesotho trading post. People travel in from the surrounding mountains with sheep, horses and donkeys. They trade animals, collect supplies and load what they need for the long journey back to their farms and remote homesteads.

It is simple, busy and raw. A place serving the people who live in these mountains.

We ride into Semonkong on some of our Lesotho trips. Once the motorcycles are parked, we occasionally swap horsepower for donkey power and join the local donkey pub crawl. We ride between the small local bars, meet people and experience another side of village life.

It is certainly one of the more unusual evenings on a Dust Trails Africa tour.

Come and ride Lesotho with us.

Epic riding in the mountains of Lesotho and South Africa.

Some of Southern Africa’s highest mountain passes. Remote tracks, vast landscapes and long days on the bike.

No crowds. No traffic. Just proper riding in places few people ever reach.

This is what we come for.

Come ride the passes with us.

www.dusttrailsafrica.com
[email protected]