Somewhere in the middle of Sani Pass the road stops being a track and becomes a staircase. The gradient steepens, the hairpins come close together, and the whole route zigzags up a face of rock that looks too steep for any vehicle. This is the section the pass is famous for, where the gravel is at its roughest and the views down the valley are at their most dramatic.
Riding it demands patience and balance. The corners are tight and often loose with stones, the inside of a hairpin can be rutted or scoured by water, and the edge on the outside has little or no barrier. Take each bend in a low gear with steady throttle, avoid grabbing the front brake, and if you need to stop, choose a place where you can put your foot down firmly. Many riders find that the climb is easier than they feared and the descent harder, because gravity is no longer helping you hold the line. Do not try to take the pass at night or in poor visibility.
The rock here is basalt, formed in an immense outpouring of lava roughly a hundred and eighty million years ago, when the supercontinent Gondwana was breaking apart. The layers show in the cliffs as horizontal bands, and in winter the water that seeps from them freezes into ribbons of ice. The air thins as you climb, and the sky takes on a deeper blue. Snow can fall at any time of year, and it is not unusual for the pass to be closed for a day or two in winter.
The road itself has a story. Long before modern vehicles used it, Basotho herders and traders walked and rode ponies up the same route, carrying wool, mohair and goods between the highlands and the coast. The first motor vehicles made the climb in the early twentieth century, and the track was later improved for four-wheel-drive traffic. It has never been tarred, partly because of the cost and partly because a smooth road would change the character of the place.
Carry water, warm clothes and a basic repair kit.