Birds of Africa
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The Sani Pass is a steep gravel road which climbs 915m from South Africa to the eastern border of Lesotho. The road has many unprotected hairpin bends, is muddy in lower parts and very rocky near the top. There were plans to tar the road but I don't know if this has been done. The worst part is just before the summit where the road is a 1:3 incline with deep ruts. Only 4X4 vehicles are allowed to drive the Sani Pass. When we drove this route it started to snow near the worst part of the road and vehicles ahead of us were having trouble getting a grip. Fortunately a fast charge allowed us to get past this and reach the Lesotho border at an elevation of 2,865m.
We stayed for a few nights in a run-down backpacker's hostel close to Africa's highest pub. At nearly 3,000m in elevation the nights were cold and a thick frost formed overnight. Early one morning, I captured this shot of the rondavel huts of the nearby village just as they caught the first rays of the rising sun. Rondavel huts are a style of hut with circular walls and a thatched roof. They are found in many African countries, including Lesotho, where they are also known as mokhoro.
Lesotho's "Main Road North" runs through the village of Ha Morameng in the north west of the country. Well tarmacked but narrow, this is one of the southern African mountain kingdom's main roads. The trees are bare in July midwinter.
At around 1700m above sea-level, this area in the Leribe District is in Lesotho's lowlands, and the mountains in the distance are relatively "low" too, as evidenced by the lack of snow cover.
Landlocked by South Africa, Lesotho is much more than an idle passing-through place. It is itself a magnificent destination, best enjoyed by hiking, or, alternatively, pony-back riding. Surrounded by stunning mountain ranges, which have been an essential strategic element in warding off invaders, the country (which is comparable in size to Belgium) achieves the somewhat confusing distinction of having the highest lowest point of any country in the world, riding high at over a kilometre above sea level. It's an impressive geography that has had notable impacts on the country's development. While modernity has caught up with Lesotho, traditional life has been maintained effortlessly. Maseru, the capital, has a relaxed setting, though it is rapidly developing into a tight urban centre, much like the nation itself - a picture of laid-back life in the midst of fast modernization.
Sani Pass is home to both the highest mountain road as well as the highest pub in Southern Africa. It is the road that connects South Africa's (KwaZulu Natal) Drakensbergen with Lesotho but a 4wd is advisable especially when it has been raining or snowing! In winter there is even the opportunity to ski 300 metres down the slopes of the Sani pass.
Landlocked by South Africa, Lesotho is much more than an idle passing-through place. It is itself a magnificent destination, best enjoyed by hiking, or, alternatively, pony-back riding. Surrounded by stunning mountain ranges, which have been an essential strategic element in warding off invaders, the country (which is comparable in size to Belgium) achieves the somewhat confusing distinction of having the highest lowest point of any country in the world, riding high at over a kilometre above sea level. It's an impressive geography that has had notable impacts on the country's development. While modernity has caught up with Lesotho, traditional life has been maintained effortlessly. Maseru, the capital, has a relaxed setting, though it is rapidly developing into a tight urban centre, much like the nation itself - a picture of laid-back life in the midst of fast modernization.
Sani Pass is home to both the highest mountain road as well as the highest pub in Southern Africa. It is the road that connects South Africa's (KwaZulu Natal) Drakensbergen with Lesotho but a 4wd is advisable especially when it has been raining or snowing! In winter there is even the opportunity to ski 300 metres down the slopes of the Sani pass.
The 2016 #everynewmoon adventure took us to Lesotho, the mountain Kingdom.
This image was taken at a rock quarry on top of one of the mountains as the Milky Way sets early in the evening.
About the photo:
Canon 5D MkIII
Canon 24-70mm LII
Shot at:
ISO3200
24mm
F/2,8
25 Sec
A great light to use for these type of shots: Fenix CL25R Lantern in moonlight mode. And my model: My Mr! @TheAstroShake (Cory Schmitz)
Processing in Lightroom and Photoshop.
PhotographingSpace.com Milky Way Finishers Action Pack used to finish off final editing of clarity, star reduction and noise reduction. Check it out: photographingspace.com/product/milkywayfinisher/
Want to know more about my workflow to edit Milky Way image? Here’s how I finish off my astro photos: photographingspace.com/finish-milky-way/
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Traditional House in Lesotho, photo taken at Sani-Pass (altitude of 2876 m.) wich is the Border between Kingdom of Lesotho and South Africa.
[Explore 16.11.2015]
Panorama landscape picture of Maletsunyane Falls, a 192-metre-high (630 ft) waterfall in Lesotho located near the town of Semonkong.
The Copernicus Sentinel-2 mission takes us over northwest Lesotho – a small, land-locked country surrounded entirely by South Africa.
Known for its tall mountains and narrow valleys, Lesotho is the only nation in the world that lies completely above 1000 m in elevation. Lesotho has an area of just 30 000 sq km, around the same size as Belgium, and has a population of around two million.
Around 80% of the country’s population lives in rural areas and more than three quarters of these people are engaged in agriculture – mostly traditional, rainfed cereal production and extensive animal grazing. The country’s agricultural system faces a growing number of issues, including a small portion of the land deemed arable, as well as other climate-related vulnerabilities such as drought, floods and extreme temperatures occurring more frequently.
This composite image was created by combining three separate images from the near-infrared channel from the Copernicus Sentinel-2 mission over a period of nine months.
The first image, captured on 27 November 2020, is assigned to the red channel and represents the onset of the wet summer season; the second from 12 March 2021, represents green, and was captured towards the end of the wet season; and the third from 19 August 2021 covers the blue part of the spectrum, captured during the short, dry season.
All other colours visible in the image are different mixtures of red, green and blue, and vary according to the stage of vegetation growth. A distinct pattern emerges due to topographical differences in this mountainous landscape, such as altitude and slope, which influence local water availability.
Maseru, the capital and largest urban centre of Lesotho, lies directly on the Lesotho— South Africa border. The city is located on the left bank of the Caledon River, also known as the Mohokare River, visible in black.
The Copernicus Sentinel-2 mission is designed to provide images that can be used to distinguish between different crop types as well as data on numerous plant indices, such as leaf area, leaf chlorophyll and leaf water. The mission’s revisit time of just five days, along with the mission’s range of spectral bands, mean that changes in plant health and growth can be more easily monitored.
This image is also featured on the Earth from Space video programme.
Credits: contains modified Copernicus Sentinel data (2020-21), processed by ESA, CC BY-SA 3.0 IGO
In Quthing, Lesotho, a group of children play with their home made soccer ball, and all jump into the air to compete for the ball.
Sunrise Panorama of the Orange River taken from the gravel road on the Thaba-Tseka disctict near the village of Taung - Kingdom of Lesotho
Malealea, Lesotho
Malealea is a popular tourist destination situated in the Mafeteng region of Lesotho. This beautiful tourist attraction is situated in the woodlands and surrounded by the picturesque countryside. Malealea is a pony-trekking centre and even the drive to this centre makes the trip worthwhile – through the magnificent Gate of Paradise Pass which goes over the top of an escarpment and then leads you to a broad view of the plains.