Afrinkong
Nature & LandscapesThe Maloti
Basalt highlands cut by river gorges, and the roof of southern Africa.
Photo Ryan Lansdown / Pexels
LESOTHO · Tourism
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.
Southern AfricaRegion
27Tourism experiences
The kingdom in the skyKnown for
01
Featured destinations
Where the country actually takes you.
Nature & Landscapes
Thabana Ntlenyana
3,482 metres, the highest point in Africa south of Kilimanjaro.
Photo Ts'epo Qhobela / Pexels
WaterfallsMaletsunyane
192 metres in a single drop, and a commercial abseil down beside it.
Photo Greg Betanov / Pexels
The Senqu
The Orange river rises here and runs the whole width of South Africa afterwards.
Photo Stefan Venter / Pexels
Beaches & CoastHigh Reservoirs
Landlocked and mountainous: the water here is Katse and Mohale, and it is sold to South Africa.
Forests & RainforestAlmost None
Above the treeline for most of the country, and the small patches left are protected.
02
Wildlife & safari
What lives here, and how you see it without disturbing it.
Wildlife
Bearded Vulture and Eland
The lammergeier breeds on the Drakensberg escarpment, and eland are back in the reserves.
Photo Leonardo Merlo / Pexels
Not the Business Here
This is a mountain country, not a savanna one. What you go for is the ground and the horses.
Photo Magda Ehlers / Pexels
Water as the Economy
The Highlands Water Project sells water to South Africa, and the dams are the landscape now.
03
Culture & heritage
The part of a country you cannot photograph from a vehicle.
Culture
The Blanket and the Hat
The Basotho blanket is worn seriously and read closely, and the mokorotlo is on the flag.
Photo Anchau / Pexels
The Basotho
One people, one language, and a kingdom that kept its independence by going uphill.
Photo Gönüldenbirkare / Pexels
Papa, Moroho and Motoho
Maize papa with wild greens, and motoho — fermented sorghum drink.
Photo Christian Alemu / Pexels
Festivals & CelebrationsMorija Arts and Cultural Festival
Music, poetry and horse racing at Morija every year, and the country turns up.
Blankets, Hats and Tapestry
Woven mohair tapestry, the conical mokorotlo hat, and the blankets themselves.
Historic SitesThaba Bosiu
The flat-topped mountain Moshoeshoe I defended, and where the nation was made.
Photo Magda Ehlers / Pexels
Maloti-Drakensberg
A World Heritage site shared with South Africa, for its landscape and its San rock art.
Photo Ts'epo Qhobela / Pexels
04
Cities & everyday life
Where people actually live between the landmarks.
CitiesMaseru
A small capital on the Caledon, with the border post at the end of the main street.
Photo Hape Monaheng / Pexels
ArchitectureSandstone and Rondavel
Colonial sandstone in Maseru, and painted rondavels with stone walls in the mountains.
Photo Beth Swart / Pexels
Local LifeSunday on Horseback
The horse is transport, not recreation, and every village has them saddled.
Photo MEHMET KAYNAR / Pexels
Ponies and Snow
Short pony treks, dinosaur footprints and, in winter, actual snow.
05
Adventure & outdoors
For travellers who would rather walk it than watch it.
Adventure
Pony Trekking
The Basotho pony is the way to cross this country, and has been for a hundred and fifty years.
Photo Ricky Kwong / Pexels
Sani and Sehlabathebe
The Sani Pass in four-wheel-drive, and the rock formations and rivers of Sehlabathebe.
Luxury TravelLodges and Trading Posts
Malealea and Semonkong grew out of trading posts, and they are the best of it.
Photo Tomas Wells / Pexels
06
Travel inspiration
The frames people come home with.
High and Clear
The Maloti in autumn, when the grass turns and the air will not hold any haze.
Photo Erhan Anbar / Pexels
Hidden GemsDinosaur Footprints
Trackways in the sandstone at Moyeni and Morija, in the open and unfenced.
Why Visit This Country
Why Lesotho
A whole country above a thousand metres, crossed on a pony, with snow in July.
Why Lesotho
A whole country above a thousand metres, crossed on a pony, with snow in July.
Build a journey