Lesotho

Destination 》Africa 》Lesotho

Year Visited: 2018 – Mar

I visited Lesotho as a part of 21 days South Africa, eSwatini (formerly Swaziland) and Lesotho overland tour. In the morning we started our journey from Drakensberg Nation Park, with lunch break in Clarens, border crossing at Maseru Bridge in afternoon, arriving at our destination, Malealea in the late afternoon.

Lesotho, the Kingdom in the Sky, is a largely mountainous country in Africa with lofty altitude. Lesotho is the only country in the world to be entirely above 1000 m.

Lesotho is an enclaved country within the border of South Africa. Along with the Vatican City and San Marino, it is one of only three independent states completely surrounded by the territory of another country.

Photos below are from my 3 days travel to Lesotho.

We crossed border at the Maseru Bridge to enter the Kingdom in the Sky. Lesotho being a mountainous country has a very scenic drive.

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Lesotho natives are known as the Sotho people, or Basotho, who speak Sesotho. The Basotho are famous for their traditional hats, blankets and their sturdy ponies. The blankets are ubiquitous throughout the country during all seasons, and worn differently by men and women. Basotho also love to wear rubber boots (mostly white) all year around.

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The Basotho hat, known as the Mokorotlo is the traditional hat worn by Basotho people. It is a national symbol in Lesotho and it is featured on the national flag and vehicle license plates.

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Our Home for two nights in Lesotho was The Malealea Lodge, nestled in the Makhomalong Valley and surrounded by the beautiful Maloti Mountains. Last 7 km of ride to the Lodge was the most memorable, took us more than 30 minutes, you really need a 4×4 to drive on this road.

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That evening the mother nature put on incredible show for us.

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The photos below are from the beautiful Malealea village.

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The Kingdom of Lesotho was formed through the pursuit of peace, and this peaceful nature still exists in the Basotho. They are a friendly and welcoming people and do not have the aggressive history some of the peoples of neighboring countries have.

Lesotho is a beautiful, culturally rich, affordable and easily accessible from South Africa. Few days in Lesotho’s hospitable mountain lodges and trading posts will give you a fresh perspective on Southern Africa. After two short nights stay in Lesotho, we drove to Graaff Reinet.