Lesotho is a small mountain kingdom, landlocked by South Africa. The entire kingdom lies on a plateau well above 1000m, and between the two border posts is 10 kilometres of valleys, lakes, waterfalls, switchbacks, cliffs, and switchbacks. And also switchbacks.

I recently had the privilege to cross the most beautiful border crossing in the world: out of South Africa and into Lesotho. You’ll need a solid four-wheel-drive vehicle to trek over this mountain dirt road, dubbed the Sani Pass, that snakes between valleys until it reaches the Lesotho border post – and with it the complete flatness of a plateau that offers breathtaking views into the ravines of the lush no-man’s land – and way, way beyond that, South Africa.

And then you prepare yourself for the smell of hot brakes on the way down.

Or you can just do the whole thing on horseback, like my mom did when she was my age.