An adventure in the Kia Sorento: Part 2

Alex Shahini of CAR magazine takes on the tough conditions of Lundin’s Nek and Naude’s Nek in the all-wheel-drive Sorento.

- 

With the provincial tarmac roads now behind us, driving had just become more interesting as we navigated the twists and turns of the gravel R393 following the Telle River along the Lesotho border (see Part 1 in FW of 20 January).

We were headed for the 2 170m Lundin's Nek, unsure of the condition of the road after days of heavy rain.

When they were regularly maintained, both Lundin's Nek and Naude's Nek hosted special stages on one of the South African rally championship events, the curves and sheer drops providing a unique challenge.

Today, sections of the road at Lundin's Nek have been washed away, and streams of water have left deep ruts across the road surface, exposing loose rocks in places.

While the gradient was not a challenge, the road surface, combined with the vehicle's relatively modest ground clearance, meant progress was limited to a walking pace on many of the rougher sections.