How NOT to go camping

Our first camping experience was on a trip up Sani Pass into Lesotho. This is a dusty gravel road that winds its way up through the mountains, with hairpin bends and steep dropoffs. If you drive off the edge of the road, you'd better have wings stapled to the side of your vehicle!

My daughter rode with my dad in his Land Rover (as we no longer had seats for passengers) and we carried a ground tent for them to sleep in. We had only an hour to two to pack, so I literally grabbed an armful of cutlery and crockery, Simon filled a cooler box, we threw the sleeping bags into the back, added some clothes and took off.

The modifications worked a charm. The camping expertise needed some fine tuning. With four adults in the party, you'd think one of us would have thought to bring pillows? Or serviettes? How about salt?


Despite the minor inconveniences, we had a fun weekend out and enjoyed the climb up Sani and the drive around Lesotho.

The climb up the pass totally overshadows the cars, and there are some interesting rock formations. I've a fertile imagination - I see faces in the rocks. Do you see this one?


Of course, there were the practical jokers too. We loved the wag who put these items by a rock fall on the road.

A great weekend!

The bed in the roof-top tent was definitely NOT made for comfort, so I purchased a foam eggshell mattress cover. It had to be especially made to fit the unusual size mattress, and I had to buy an extended length sheet to fit. It made a huge difference to our next outing, we slept far more comfortably. Bringing pillows helped too! ;o)

A weekend camping at Oribi gorge led us to Lake Eland, which offers a spectacular suspension bridge over the head of the gorge. They have a beautiful lake, plentifully stocked with fish, as well as a fine selection of game which is relatively tame. You can't walk up to an animal, but they don't seem to be particularly disturbed by the vehicles and are kind enough to remain close to the road for photographs.

The camping was fun and educational; we learned a lot about how, what and where to pack things to make them most accessible and least likely to be jolted around under off-road conditions.

Time for the last few tweaks, and we would be ready to go!