Sani Pass in a 12-Ton Truck | The Ultimate Test

The Sani Pass is one of the most famous mountain passes in Southern Africa. It connects mainland South Africa with the Kingdom in the Sky — Lesotho.

Back in 2019, we climbed this pass by bicycle. This time, we did it in our 12-ton expedition truck.
Two completely different adventures…and both of them seriously challenging.

The Sani Pass runs through the Drakensberg Mountains, from Himeville in South Africa to Mokhotlong in Lesotho.
Over just 9 kilometers, the road climbs from 1,544 meters to almost 2,900 meters above sea level.
That’s an average gradient of 1:20 (5%), with some brutal sections near the summit reaching 1:3 to 1:4 —
up to 33% incline.Because of this, the pass officially requires a 4x4 vehicle and can become completely impassable after heavy rain or snow.

The Sani Pass was less extreme than we expected. We’ve driven more difficult mountain passes before — but make no mistake: this is not a road for beginners.
We climbed in low gear, with four-wheel drive engaged. A differential lock was not necessary.
The road surface is firm with plenty of grip.

Tire pressures:
Normal road: 7.5 bar
Sand: 2.5 bar
Sani Pass: 4 bar — more than enough

Most of the hairpin bends were surprisingly manageable, even with our 4.5-meter wheelbase.
Only twice did we need a small correction.

At the bottom of the pass you’ll find South African immigration.
At the top — at nearly 2,900 meters — you enter Lesotho.

From there…
you truly feel like you’ve reached the roof of Africa.
If you enjoyed this climb, don’t forget to like, subscribe, and follow our journey across the mountains and beyond. 🚚⛰️

GPX
You can find our GPX track on our TravelStory December 2025 at the bottom of the page.
https://www.lismarq.com/exp4-14southa...

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Website: https://www.lismarq.com

We're Lisette and Marco. With our Expedition Truck and our Bikes we travel the world. Started as world-cyclist, and did this for 40 years, we build our own house on wheels. and now we're touring around the world.

BIKES
Our bikes are Santos Adventure Lite bikes from the Dutch company Santos Bikes. The perfect bikes to discover the world. We love them! https://www.lismarq.com/gear

TRUCK
Our truck is a 12-ton MAN HX60 Expedition Truck, complete with our self-built living unit. Our truck measures 7.8 meters long, 2.5 meters wide, and 3.65 meters high. Want to know how to build something like this? We have a website with all the information. https://www.lismarq.com/adventuretruck

Discover more about us and our adventures at https://www.lismarq.com/
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Music
ES_On the Trail - Tigerblood Jewel
ES_I'm Your Ride (Instrumental Version) - Mike Parr