Thaba-Tseka is the remote administrative town of the central highlands of Lesotho, a place that was founded in the 1970s to give government a foothold in the mountains and has the feel of a frontier outpost. The name means black mountain, and the dark ridge above town fits it. About five thousand people live here, in a scatter of government buildings, schools, shops and houses on a plateau more than two thousand metres up, where the air is thin and the nights are cold.
For riders it is a place of rare services. The town has fuel, basic restaurants, guesthouses and a few shops, and it is the last supply point on the long mountain road toward Semonkong and on the way to Katse Dam. The ride up from the north is fabulous: the road climbs over the high Mafika-Lisiu Pass, at more than three thousand metres one of the highest paved passes in southern Africa, with sharp hairpins, sweeping drops and spectacular views over the valleys. The tarmac is generally good but can have potholes and loose gravel, and ice and snow can close the pass in winter, so check the weather. The road south from Thaba-Tseka toward Semonkong is rougher, partly gravel, and a serious ride for experienced riders.
The history of the region is bound up with water. The Lesotho Highlands Water Project, one of the largest engineering schemes in Africa, built dams and tunnels in the 1990s and 2000s to send water to South Africa's Gauteng region, and Katse Dam, with its tall concrete wall, is the best known. The project brought roads, jobs and some controversy, and it explains why the roads here are better than you might expect. Meanwhile, daily life continues much as before, with herders moving sheep and Angora goats between pastures, and mohair and wool as the main exports.
Nature is high, bare and beautiful. The mountains are treeless, covered in grass and shrub, and in summer they are green with wildflowers, while in winter they are frosty and brown. Rivers cut deep gorges, and eagles and vultures circle overhead. At night, the sky is overwhelmingly full of stars, and the air smells of dry grass and woodsmoke.
Fill the tank and pack plenty of warm clothing, water and food. A spare tube, a tyre repair kit and a good map are essential, and it is wise to travel with another rider.