With rocks named Goliath, Lesotho’s Baboon’s Pass is where drivers have to brave rock falls and sudden snow storms − and sometimes have to be airlifted out. David Maritz gave it a shot.

Baboon’s Pass is no play¬ground − full stop. This pass near Ramabanta is one of the most remote, roughest and impassable passes in Lesotho – more suitable for donkeys and pedestrians (and baboons) than for vehicles.

It’s synonymous with jumbo rocks, dizzying precipices tugging at your vehicle, drivers who give up and helicopter rescue missions.

Yes, Baboon’s Pass is where you earn your spurs – the hard way. Nonetheless, says David, “Go drive it − it is worth every scratch and cent!”

David’s party of 12 spent 17 hours traversing the pass’ 26 km in September last year.

How difficult is the pass really?

Some parts of the pass, creaking up Thaba Putsoa, might look easy on a photograph, but it is a whole new ball game if you have to drive it.

The very difficult, very technical pass keeps you on your toes all the time. Over the pass’ 26 km you climb from an altitude of 1 200m to 2 850m.

You will have to do some road-building and move rocks on the pass − an 800 m section kept us busy for two hours. Rocks that are too large for manual moving have to be dragged away with using the vehicles and tow ropes.

We planned driving the pass in a day, but got caught in the dark and had to stay overnight in the pass.

It is only 17.5 km from the Ramabanta Trading Post Lodge, where we stayed the previous night, to our overnight spot in the pass, but this stretch kept us busy for over 11 hours − from 5.30 am till after 4 pm.

What’s more, it took us almost seven hours (from 6.30 am to 1 pm) to cover the remaining 8.9 km from the overnight spot to the end of the pass.

How did the vehicles fare?

While the Land Rovers did extremely well, the Land Cruisers and the Defender would have fared better with diff locks (there was sometimes a lot of wheel spin); the Hilux needed a serious suspension lift.

Were any vehicles damaged?

Apart from small things such as cut tyres (fortunately we didn’t loose a tyre), dings and scrapes, the biggest damage was to the extra fuel tank of Rudi’s Cruiser.

The rocks and stones did a proper job of panel beating the tank, which is lower than the spare wheel. We repaired it right there in the pass.