Semonkong - A Basotho New year!

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bmad

Race Dog
Joined
Feb 16, 2006
Messages
3,557
Reaction score
9
Location
Gauteng 1150ADV
Bike
BMW R1150GS Adventure
RTR , myself and the wives returned to Semonkong for a adventure holiday in the mountains.

RTR and i on the bikes, the ladies in the 4x4. In anticipation of the ride, we strapped our fly rods to the bikes as we thought we would have time to fish while the ladies caught up in the bakkie, but to our surprise, they were always in the rear view mirror ;D

The boys:
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The girls:
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Lesotho always offers up the most amazing roads, combined with scenery only artists can paint in vivid color. We were very fortunate with overcast conditions on the ride in to Semonkong, but the rest of the week it was pure sunshine.
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Look ma, no hands
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Our dwellings at the lodge:
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Semonkong boasts the worlds highest single drop commercial abseil in the world - 204m right next to the waterfall. Amad (the wife), RTR and Mrs RTR decided this was a good idea to abseil down. They have been talking about it since our last visit in 2004.
So the next day it was training day witha 30m drop that needs to be done 3 times to get used to the idea of the big one.
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The locals enjoy the fun too:
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The next morning at 7am, a very rough 4x4 ride with Johnathan (the lodge owner) to the falls is an experience in itself. Just past the lodge he put on a CD, his own inspirational abseil mix at full blast (some good rock to get the andrenaline flowing).
Personally i do not like heights so i took the hike down to the bottom of the falls while the brave ones headed to the top.  :eek: I choose to take the pics instead  ;)

The first view:
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people dangling :eek::
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Words cannot express the sheer height of these falls:
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by the time you get t the bottom, you are soaked:
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Just looking at the spray at the bottom is mesmerizing - like looking at flames in a fire:
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Looking back after the abseil
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The walk out of the canyon is hectic for the unfit ±1 hour 15 min ::), but the views are worth it
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Finally at the top, we opted for the hike back to the logde, ±2km
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Back at the lodge, there is plenty to do, take a walk along the river and watch the locals:
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Fly fishing:
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and of course drinking in the bar ;)

RTR and i only took a short ride out once in 7 days, and went to the other side of the falls and explored the town:
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The airport:
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Town square ( this really is a one horse town :D)
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And then there was new year  ;D
The theme was Shabeen night and the dress was traditional Basotho:
Johnathan the owner of Semonkong lodge (a what cool guy!)
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The guests:
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The food:
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Even the kitchen staff joined in:
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Too much to drink  O0
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And just like that, 7 days had passed and it was time to go home.
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Semonkong is a riders paradise and the perfect spot to relax and let go.
We will be back  ;)

 
Very Nice Bmad
After we spent a night there recently and you told me you were going to spend a few days there, I was insanely jealous.
It is a beautiful restful place

Love your photo's and congrats to those that did the abseil - that's really high

All the best for the new year
 
Guys this is awesome !!!

That waterfall is truly a gem !!
 
Wow, that abseil looks incredible!  Thanks for sharing.
 
Semonkong area is one of the "must-do" parts of Lesotho.  Thanks for showing and telling!  :)
 
wow peeps.
What a way to relax and unwind.

On the way to Setlabathebe ... ?  ;)

 
Bmad, what a place to start the year.  It will make me just go riding for the rest of the year.  Thancx for sharing.
 
It's amazing how any backdrop to a GS 1150 ADV is enhanced 10 fold - nice pics report BMAD !!
 
Moerse nice

- ek kom alhoemeer agter ek voer n eentonige bestaan as ek na julle reportskyk.

;D
 
We did a day trip there during the Roof,and it really was awesome.Definatly could spend a week there.
 
Man, that is cool. The contrast between the green grass and the blue sky is fantastic.
Thanks for sharing.
 
Hi Bmad

Lekker report and some stunning pics.

Semongkong really is a magic place to visit. I tried to nominate it for the bash venue for last year, but there were unfortunately no takers.

Maybe one day.....
 
Very cool.  went there way back on a high school trip.  did the walk down to the bottom and back.  It was quite a climb back up.
 

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