I’ll be honest, I don’t know about you, but whenever I’m preparing for a trip and suddenly see a message saying that something is among the TOP 10 – tallest, deepest, most dangerous, most picturesque, coolest (the list goes on) – IN THE WORLD, I immediately perk up: we have to go there!
Today, I’ll tell you about the 𝗦𝗮𝗻𝗶 𝗣𝗮𝘀𝘀, which is ranked among the TOP 10 most dangerous mountain passes in the world. While planning a trip to South Africa, we decided to make a short detour to Lesotho.
It turned out that one of the border crossings is located right on Sani Pass. And that “many tourists travel from abroad to conquer the famous Sani Pass in rented 4×4 vehicles, such is its reputation.” Also, commercials for Nissan and Ford vehicles were filmed on Sani Pass.
I showed this information to my husband, already knowing it was a perfect match. He loves nothing more than driving on winding mountain roads, and the steeper, the better.
So, after flying from Cape Town to Johannesburg, we immediately rented a Toyota Fortuner SUV at the airport and set off for the so-called Drakensberg Mountains (yes, that’s the actual name of the national park: 𝗗𝗿𝗮𝗸𝗲𝗻𝘀𝗯𝗲𝗿𝗴). This national park is a fantastic destination on its own. But that’s not what we’re here to talk about. However, Sani Pass is located right within these Drakensberg Mountains. The beginning of the pass is quite relaxing—oh, is that all? This seems manageable! The views are spectacular!
Finally, we reach the South African border checkpoint. Here, they ask for the vehicle documents and only allow 4×4 vehicles to pass. By the way, this is a good place to use a decent restroom.
Because after this, it begins…
- First, the relentless bumping over cobblestones and potholes.
- Second, the endless 180-degree switchbacks.
- Third, a serious and steep elevation gain.
- Fourth, at some point, the thought creeps in: when will this end?! Enough already!
- Fifth, the wrecked cars down below are quite unsettling.
- Sixth, the divine beauty of the landscapes is both distracting and a saving grace. We constantly stop to take photos, giving us a chance to catch our breath.
At some point, the road becomes nearly unbearable: is this a road or the rocky bed of a dried-up river? Though I had read that this section follows a ravine and often gets flooded in spring. But the most intense part is the final stretch. That’s when you realize the first half was just a warm-up compared to the real adrenaline rush waiting above. This section includes slopes as steep as 1:3, where tires begin slipping on the rocks, and the smell of burning rubber fills the air.
I’m the passenger. My husband is driving. But I can feel his tension, his sweat running down my temples, my heart stopping whenever the tires skid. I let out a small scream, and he yells at me not to scream. I grit my teeth. And then, finally, we reach the summit—an overwhelming rush of euphoria: We did it!!
This is what the winding road looks like from the summit of Sani Pass.
We celebrated our successful crossing of the pass and border right here, at “Africa’s highest pub” (the pass sits at an altitude of 2,847 meters).
Next came Lesotho, with its fascinating round huts, flocks of sheep on the roads, and locals who don’t bother with coats but instead wrap themselves in blankets and walk around like that. By now, we were on a high-altitude plateau. Scenes of shepherds moving their flocks were a common sight along the way. The photo below shows the typical huts of the Bantu people in Lesotho.
Then came the return journey and the descent from the pass! Which, to be honest, was only slightly easier, simply because we now knew what to expect.
Honestly, for experienced off-road drivers who regularly tackle rugged mountain switchbacks, or for those who drive tourists across Sani Pass in their 4x4s daily, this route might seem familiar and not particularly difficult. But I’ll be honest—when we later told South Africans, the lodge owners where we stayed overnight, that we had crossed Sani Pass, their eyes filled with respect. And they also mentioned that we were very lucky with the weather. Because for 300 days a year, it’s either raining or snowing there.
By the way, to be fair, no “Top 10” ranking can ever be 100% objective. Usually, it comes with a disclaimer: “According to such-and-such source.” But still..!
Continuing with the theme of top mountain roads, I’d like to talk about the beauty—sometimes challenging beauty—of mountain switchbacks. Probably all of us have driven along steep serpentine roads at some point in our lives.
The most scenic road from our personal experience (included in a TOP 10 ranking), although we didn’t drive it ourselves but took a bus—because in China, you can only rent a car with a Chinese driver’s license—was Heaven-Linking Avenue in China (𝗛𝗲𝗮𝘃𝗲𝗻-𝗟𝗶𝗻𝗸𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝗔𝘃𝗲𝗻𝘂𝗲). It leads to the main cave of 𝗧𝗶ā𝗻𝗺é𝗻 𝗦𝗵ā𝗻—the Heaven’s Gate. An incredible switchback road with 99 turns. The speed downhill felt insane (even though the speedometer in the bus showed 26-32 km/h—probably displayed just to calm the passengers). And the views from the window were mind-blowing!
Another switchback from a TOP-10 list (I clarify: from one of the many TOP 10 rankings) that we specifically visited while traveling in Morocco—the road to 𝗗𝗮𝗱è𝘀 Gorge. The road constantly twists and turns, demanding full concentration. There are guardrails, but you shouldn’t rely on them too much.
Another memorable climb (and descent) was in Montenegro, along Road R1 from Kotor to Lovćen (𝗟𝗼𝘃ć𝗲𝗻), about 40 km, part of which is a nerve-wracking switchback section with 26 hairpin turns. The elevation gain is up to 1,300 meters.
By the 23rd turn, our kids had had enough and decided to walk because Vika was feeling carsick. By the way, this switchback is also considered one of the best, according to some rankings. But the views of Kotor Bay along the way—magical!
On the way, we also came across a zip-line over a mountain ravine, and for the first time in my life, I dared to try it—Wooooohooo!!! Pure excitement!
At the very end of the descent, a car suddenly appeared around the bend at an unacceptable speed and clipped our side mirror. The mirror cracked. The other driver had the decency to stop, but we decided not to get involved. Seeing a scratch on his face and his own broken mirror, we just waved him off—“Fine, just go.”
Another road in the TOP 10 is Trollstigen. Probably half the travelers here already know about it. We haven’t been there ourselves, but our kids drove this road about 10 years ago and shared their photos with us.
And in the comments, people also mentioned another serpentine road that is ranked in nearly every online top list—𝗣𝗮𝘀𝘀𝗼 𝗱𝗲𝗹𝗹𝗼 𝗦𝘁𝗲𝗹𝘃𝗶𝗼 in Italy. Unfortunately, we haven’t been there yet either.
And I can’t forget to mention a small but charming unnamed serpentine road in Greece, near Vikos Gorge. Here’s a photo of it.
If you have any more to add, share them in the comments!
