Mohalenyane Phakela
THE second edition of the annual hiking expedition from Mokhotlong to Kwazulu-Natal province in neighbouring South Africa will is from Friday to Sunday.
Dubbed The Hope Extreme Conscious Expedition, the event which showcases close to 200km of enchanting scenery in the Drakensburg mountain terrain is the brainchild of eco-tourism group, Hope Extreme Adventures.
The company’s marketing manager and senior instructor Tšepo Ramokotjo recently told Xpress People that the event was aimed at promoting healthy living.
“We organise a hiking events on an annual basis including the Qiloane Falls hiking and the Qeme Plateau tour and these ensure people get in touch with nature,” Ramokotjo said.
“Hiking is not only an extreme sport but it also promotes a healthy lifestyle through exercising in an atmosphere of fresh air that is fit for relieving stress.
“We first embarked on this hiking experience last year and we were mainly affected by the rain which ranged from heavy to moderate as well as the heavy mist. This did not stop us but simply made the experience more challenging.
“The overall distance is approximately 520km to and from the Natal Amphitheatre. We pass through beautiful scenery on the highest peak (of the Drakensberg mountain range) and other attractions including the source of the great Senqu River. We do not have specific sleeping places but just camp wherever darkness finds us,” he said.
He also advised participants to bring a sleeping tent, sleeping bag, strong comfortable shoes, rain coat, clothes and a first aid kid as these were the basic requirements for such expeditions.
He said they would soon be expanding the scope of their activities beyond the northern and central regions to cover the whole country because “Lesotho has a lot of tourism attractions”.