Afrinkong
Nature & Landscapes
The Maloti
Basalt highlands cut by river gorges, and the roof of southern Africa.
Southern Africa · Afrinkong
Lesotho
The kingdom in the sky.
The only country entirely above a thousand metres, with Africa's highest single-drop waterfall at Maletsunyane, southern Africa's only ski resort, and dinosaur footprints in the sandstone.
Where it is
Africa · Southern Africa · Lesotho
The land in brief
- Spans
- 210 km E–W, 220 km N–S
- Latitude
- 29°S to 31°S
- Borders
- 1 country
- Sea
- Landlocked
- Best time
- Spring and autumn for walking and riding; June to August for snow.
Also in Southern Africa
AngolaThe Kalandula falls, and a coast nobody has seenBotswanaA delta that never reaches the seaEswatiniSmall, and full of everythingMalawiA lake with more fish species than any otherMozambiqueTwo thousand kilometres of coast
Compare Lesotho with another countryAll fifty-four, worked through the same twenty-seven categories.When to come
JFMAMJJASOND
Spring and autumn for walking and riding; June to August for snow.
01Highlights
What Lesotho is known for.
Six of the twenty-seven, and the ones most people come for. The rest are below — and none of them is filler.
Nature & Landscapes
Bearded Vulture and Eland
The lammergeier breeds on the Drakensberg escarpment, and eland are back in the reserves.
Thabana Ntlenyana
3,482 metres, the highest point in Africa south of Kilimanjaro.
Beaches & Coast
High Reservoirs
Landlocked and mountainous: the water here is Katse and Mohale, and it is sold to South Africa.
Forests & Rainforest
Almost None
Above the treeline for most of the country, and the small patches left are protected.
Culture
The Blanket and the Hat
The Basotho blanket is worn seriously and read closely, and the mokorotlo is on the flag.
02Experiences
25 ways to spend the time.
Every country we cover works through the same twenty-seven categories, so you can hold two of them side by side and compare like with like rather than one brochure against another. Compare Lesotho with another → The two not listed here are the hero picture and the case for going, which has a section of its own below.
Landscapes
- The MalotiBasalt highlands cut by river gorges, and the roof of southern Africa.
- Thabana Ntlenyana3,482 metres, the highest point in Africa south of Kilimanjaro.
- Maletsunyane192 metres in a single drop, and a commercial abseil down beside it.
- The SenquThe Orange river rises here and runs the whole width of South Africa afterwards.
- High ReservoirsLandlocked and mountainous: the water here is Katse and Mohale, and it is sold to South Africa.
- Almost NoneAbove the treeline for most of the country, and the small patches left are protected.
Wildlife
- Bearded Vulture and ElandThe lammergeier breeds on the Drakensberg escarpment, and eland are back in the reserves.
- Not the Business HereThis is a mountain country, not a savanna one. What you go for is the ground and the horses.
- Water as the EconomyThe Highlands Water Project sells water to South Africa, and the dams are the landscape now.
- Sani and SehlabathebeThe Sani Pass in four-wheel-drive, and the rock formations and rivers of Sehlabathebe.
People and culture
- The Blanket and the HatThe Basotho blanket is worn seriously and read closely, and the mokorotlo is on the flag.
- The BasothoOne people, one language, and a kingdom that kept its independence by going uphill.
- Morija Arts and Cultural FestivalMusic, poetry and horse racing at Morija every year, and the country turns up.
- Blankets, Hats and TapestryWoven mohair tapestry, the conical mokorotlo hat, and the blankets themselves.
- Papa, Moroho and MotohoMaize papa with wild greens, and motoho — fermented sorghum drink.
- Ponies and SnowShort pony treks, dinosaur footprints and, in winter, actual snow.
- Sunday on HorsebackThe horse is transport, not recreation, and every village has them saddled.
Places
- MaseruA small capital on the Caledon, with the border post at the end of the main street.
- Sandstone and RondavelColonial sandstone in Maseru, and painted rondavels with stone walls in the mountains.
- Thaba BosiuThe flat-topped mountain Moshoeshoe I defended, and where the nation was made.
- Maloti-DrakensbergA World Heritage site shared with South Africa, for its landscape and its San rock art.
Ways to travel
- Pony TrekkingThe Basotho pony is the way to cross this country, and has been for a hundred and fifty years.
- Lodges and Trading PostsMalealea and Semonkong grew out of trading posts, and they are the best of it.
- High and ClearThe Maloti in autumn, when the grass turns and the air will not hold any haze.
- Dinosaur FootprintsTrackways in the sandstone at Moyeni and Morija, in the open and unfenced.
03Why go
The case for Lesotho.
Why Visit This Country
Why Lesotho
A whole country above a thousand metres, crossed on a pony, with snow in July.
Hidden Gems
Dinosaur Footprints
Trackways in the sandstone at Moyeni and Morija, in the open and unfenced.
Eco Tourism
Water as the Economy
The Highlands Water Project sells water to South Africa, and the dams are the landscape now.
Heritage
Maloti-Drakensberg
A World Heritage site shared with South Africa, for its landscape and its San rock art.
04Go deeper
All of Lesotho, four ways in.
Who would take youAfrinkong
The ground is ours right across Africa: your vehicle, your driver for the whole journey, and the days shaped around what you came for.
In Cameroon, Uganda and Namibia you travel with companies of our own as well.
Plan your journey →
Begin
Your Lesotho starts here.
Tell us the month, or simply the thing you want to see, and a guide who works there will answer.