Lesotho

Beautiful, culturally rich, affordable and easily accessible from Durban and Johannesburg, mountainous Lesotho (le-soo-too) is a vastly underrated travel destination. The contrast with South Africa could not be more striking, with the Basotho people's distinct personality and the altitudinous terrain's topographical extremes. Even a few days in Lesotho’s hospitable mountain lodges and trading posts will give you a fresh perspective on Southern Africa.

This is essentially an alpine country, where villagers on horseback in multicoloured balaclavas and blankets greet you round precipitous bends. The hiking and trekking – often on a famed Basotho pony – is world class, offering undulating expanses of pastoral charm, traditional rondavels (round huts with a conical roof) and innumerable grazing sheep.

The 1000m-high ‘lowlands’ offer craft shopping and sights, but don't miss a trip to the southern, central or northeastern highlands, where streams traverse an ancient dinosaur playground. This is genuine adventure travel.

Top attractions

These are our favorite local haunts, touristy spots, and hidden gems throughout Lesotho.

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Liphofung Cave Cultural & Historical Site
This small but historically significant sandstone overhang is adorned in San rock art and served as a temporary hideaway home for King Moshoeshoe the Great back in the early 1800s, before he became the nation's founder. The government-run site offers guided walks through the cave, along with a cultural centre and shop selling local crafts. Accommodation is available, but when we last visited the place had been without water for more than six months, and the neglected property was falling into disrepair.
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Bokong Nature Reserve
Bokong has perhaps the more dramatic setting of the two northern parks, with stunning vistas over the Lepaqoa Valley from the visitors centre, various short walks and a good, rugged two- to three-day hike to Ts’ehlanyane National Park. Bearded vultures, rock shelters and valleyhead fens (wetland areas) are features here.
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Ts'ehlanyane National Park
The country's top park features a beautiful, 56-sq-km patch of rugged wilderness, including one of Lesotho’s only stands of indigenous forest, at a high altitude of 2000m to 3000m. This underrated and underused place is about as far away from it all as you can get, and is perfect for hiking, horse riding and spotting elands.
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Ha Baroana
Ha Baroana is one of Lesotho’s more important and publicised rock-art sites. It’s worth a visit if you have extra time, although neglect and vandalism have taken their toll.
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Sehlabathebe National Park
This far-flung, lesser-visited park offers stunning rock formations, rolling grasslands, wildflowers and a feeling of isolation, though there's also a shiny new headquarters and a few rondavels at the entrance. Bearded vultures and rheboks can be viewed here, along with some of the country's most well-preserved San cave paintings, and in the summer angling is possible in the dams and rivers. Roads are rough, meaning the best ways to arrive are via hiking or horse riding from Sani Top or the Drakensberg.
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Ha Kome Cave Houses
The Ha Kome cave houses are an anomaly in this area, 21km from Teyateyaneng (TY) and several kilometres from the village of Mateka. These extraordinary inhabited mud dwellings are nestled under a rock overhang, hidden within the pink-and-orange cliffs. There’s a small information centre with toilets and a few basic maps. In a 2WD, you should be able reach the caves from TY or from Maseru or Thaba-Bosiu via Sefikeng, but do check on road conditions.
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Qacha's Nek Snake Park
This site is unique in Lesotho, not only because it is the country's only snake park, but because you can also get your car washed while you visit the anacondas, endemic puff adders and spitting cobras. Oh, and the eccentric, local herpetologist who owns the place also keeps bees. And the first chief of Qacha's Nek used to live in a cave above where the snakes are kept.
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Subeng River Dinosaur Footprints
Dinosaur footprints abound near Leribe. About 7km north of town (en route to Butha-Buthe) are the Subeng River footprints. At the signpost, just before the road crosses the river, walk down about 500m to a concrete causeway. The worn footprints of at least three species of dinosaur are about 15m downstream on the right bank.
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Tsikoane Village Dinosaur Footprints
This set of footprints is a few kilometres south of Leribe at Tsikoane village. Immediately after the Tsikoane Primary School, take the small dirt road to the right towards some rocky outcrops. Follow it up to the church. Children will vie to lead you the 1km slog up the mountainside to the footprints, in a series of caves, and a guide can be helpful here. The prints are clearly visible on the rock ceiling.