Crossing the border into Lesotho, Claire Keeton and photographer Marianne Schwankhart have their best time ever on horseback
When you pack a book, toothbrush and change of socks in a saddlebag for an overnight trip to Lesotho on horseback, you feel like you're leaving civilisation behind and heading into the Wild West.
The worn donkey trail we followed from the Bushman's Nek border post near Underberg in South Africa - how often do you get to cross a border post on horseback? - into the Sehlabathebe National Park heads west into largely deserted terrain.
The climb from the valley into the mountains is steep and rocky but the Basotho ponies from Khotso Horse Trails are sure footed.
With Marianne and me on their backs, they ascended roughly 1000m and, as soon as the path levelled out, they would gallop.
This was the most exciting journey by horseback we have experienced.
Moreover, the landscape in this remote part of the Maluti mountains - pristine tarns, caves, arches and dozens of boulders on a plateau under the "Devil's Knuckles" - is unique.
Khotso Horse Trails is based on a horse-and-sheep farm in the Underberg, near Sani Pass in the southern Drakensberg, and that's where we set out from one wintry morning.
Our guide Gareth Maré summoned our horses from a field. When they heard his voice, they came to him. He grew up on a farm where racehorses were trained, and rode as a young boy.
As an adult, he walked out of a profitable job, parking his car and exiting onto the street. He ended up at Khotso and never left, like others who live on the farm.
Jamie Lynn is another natural horseman, who came to Khotso from Colorado in the US, and also stayed. Adrian Thomas, from the UK, came to Khotso as a volunteer and, after graduation, also returned here to work.
On the walls of the farmhouse-turned-backpackers', you find quotes like "Don't let so much reality in your life that there's no room left for dreaming" - and its inhabitants seem to live by these ideas.
Khotso owner Steve Black seems to win the loyalty of friends and volunteers inbetween running extreme distances.
He was away during our visit but over dinner, we heard stories about him. He reportedly ran 1100km from Underberg to Knysna a few years ago and, in Alaska, came second in an ultra-distance marathon, despite the cold.
The South African got to keep pace with running legend Micah True, known as Caballo Blanco in the bestselling book Born to Run. He will typically run several days to a race, do the event and run home.
Horse-riding is the focus at Khotso Adventure Farm but hiking, trail-running, mountain-biking, paddling, rafting and fishing are among the other activities.
To begin our journey, the ponies needed to travel with us for about 40 minutes in a horsebox to an office at Ukhahlamba National Park, near Bushmen's Nek. Here they were saddled up, with gear and food slung over their backs in two saddlebags on each horse.
The journey started at the South African border post, where our passports were stamped. On the Lesotho side of the border, there are no officials - some buildings higher up in the mountains have been abandoned.
At the start of the trail, our horses stepped through crystal streams and walked through fields. We had a short trot when the trail opened up and then one or two faster runs.
After about an hour, the horses began to climb, steady despite the steep inclines, treacherously loose rocks and sharp turns.
For the humans, it was an effortless ascent to a plateau and we stopped at a viewpoint to have sandwiches and share biscuits with the horses.
From here onwards, the pace picked up as our trio of horses took off across the plains.
I asked Gareth the safest way to fall off if my horse stumbled or slipped. He said all I had to do was hold on, since these horses were agile and would not fall or throw someone off.
From that moment, I enjoyed the speed without reservation, feeling as relaxed as if riding pillion on a motorbike with a rider I trusted.
After about four hours on horseback, we reached a warm lodge, where we planned to spend the night. The lodge was built for King Jonathan of Lesotho as a holiday home and he donated it to the government.
At the lodge, where gas is used for cooking and light, we were shown our room before heading off for a quick hike. We walked around the tarns, hung off cave walls and arches and climbed up the boulders.
The temperature fell rapidly at sunset and we retreated indoors. For dinner, we had freshly baked Basotho bread and curry (a fantastic, improvised bunny chow. Beer and Old Brown Sherry were also on offer but we went to bed early. Maybe the altitude, about 2500m, contributed to the sense of fatigue.
The next day, while the ground was still white with frost, we got going early after coffee and oats. We wanted to see the nearby Tsoelikane Falls on our way back. The falling ribbons of water dazzled our eyes in the light, as they plunged into a deep pool.
From here, we retraced our trail to the viewpoint and back down the mountain. By the time we got back to Bushman's Nek, I could hardly sit any longer, being unaccustomed to spending hours in a saddle.
But the inevitable stiffness and abrasions, from about eight hours out of 24 on horseback, were insignificant compared to the sense of freedom and exhilaration of the journey.
If you have the time, go for longer. We wished we could have spent more time in the paradise hidden away in Sehlabathebe National Park.
Contacts and Rates
The two-day (one night) trail is R2400 per person for accommodation, meals and beers. The three-day is R3600 per person.
Khotso Adventure Farm has self-catering rondawels (sleep six), a log cabin (sleeps 25), backpackers' dorms and camping. Rondawels are R200 per person or R500 per rondawel. The log cabin (only for groups of 12 or more) is R180 per person per night. Camping/overlanders from R80, dorms from R120pp, doubles R330 per room. Shared bathroom, kitchen and lounge. Meals on order and wi-fi available.
Phone 0337011502 or 0824125540; e-mail khotsotrails@futurenet.co.za or visit www.khotsotrails@futurenet.co.za.
Underberg Cheesery, down the road from Khotso, is worth a visit. Distinctive cheeses such as The Mistake, produced during a power outage, are popular.
The Lemon Tree in Underberg is a bistro with good, light meals. The coffee, roasted on site, is excellent and the deli has coffee beans, kitchen equipment, books and souvenirs for sale.
Africa's first Ultra Skymarathon, the 55km Lesotho Ultra Trail, will take place on November 30 through the Tsehlanyane National Park. For details, visit www.lesothoultratrail.com.
