Blogs from Lesotho, Africa

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Africa » Lesotho » Maseru August 11th 2023

Dear All On a Thursday morning in the middle of August, I moved on from the Malealea Lodge, and felt it was about time for it. The place was truly amazing, and although I thoroughly enjoyed my time there, I felt three nights was enough and was happy to wake up early and take the last morning minibus out of town at 8am - although even that was still a bit early for me though, lol! The bumpy ten-mile stretch of road out of town didn't seem half so bad in the daylight, and I was well-distracted by the awesome views, particularly as we passed through the 2003m "Gates of Paradise" mountain pass with stunning views all around. This is one of numerous mountain passes throughout the country, and although it has a great name, it ... read more
Lesotho Landscape
Lesotho Village
Central Maseru

Africa » Lesotho » Malealea August 9th 2023

Dear All Yay - amazing! After a wonderful first half of my South Africa journey 2023, the second half was about to begin. I had just completed my epic two-week, 4000km Road Trip from Cape Town to Johannesburg, and now I was ready for Part Two. This would involve basing myself in the fascinating city of Johannesburg, and taking three mini-trips out from there, before exploring Johannesburg and Pretoria themselves. My first trip was five nights in the tiny little country of Lesotho, country number 89, and what an experience this was! While I feel South Africa can easily be divided into rich world and poor world, and while I had been pretty much travelling in its rich world and enjoying it thoroughly, Lesotho is very much Africa Africa, something that as an international tourist in ... read more
Botsoela Falls
Bushman Cave Paintings Hike
Me and Village Chief Benedict

Africa » Lesotho » Butha Buthe February 12th 2023

We are the only car passing through the border. It's ten-thirty and the log says we're the third vehicle through since they opened at eight. The Caledonspoort border crossing into Lesotho is very quiet and very laid back. For about an hour we'd been approaching Lesotho's mountains along a potholed South African road. Once across the border, the road quality doesn't really change but the scenery does. Gone are the endless vista of the African velt; we're into misty mountains, lush green valleys and roaring mountain rivers. There are small farms everywhere; a few huts, a few animals and some maize. We are staying at Maliba Lodge, deep in the Ts'ehlanyane National Park. The road to the lodge climbs and climbs, eventually turning to gravel and getting us to over 2000 metres high. At the lodge ... read more
Eland
Healer
Year one

Africa » Lesotho » Butha Buthe July 17th 2019

Ron was very excited to be travelling up the Sani Pass to enter a new country, Lesotho. Our driver from Roof of Africa tours picked us up in a four wheel drive, a necessity for tackling the pass. It took two hours of bumping along gravel roads, some with steep drops to reach the summit of the pass at 2873 metres. After crossing the border, Ron enjoyed a beer at the the highest pub in Africa, the only building at the top of the pass before we travelled on through the mountains of Lesotho. Lesotho is a landlocked country encircled by South Africa, just over 30,000 km square with a population of just over 2 million. It is considered the highest country in the world due to its lowest point being 1400 metres, hence "why Nepal ... read more
Enjoying a beer at the top of the pass
Frozen waterfall on the Sani Pass
Sani pass

Africa » Lesotho » Sani Top June 1st 2017

The highest mountain in Lesotho, the highest mountain in Southern Africa, the highest mountain in Africa for over 3100 km, the highest mountain in Africa south of Mount Meru in Tanzania – the highest south of Kilimanjaro if you believe the marginally inaccurate boasts of the tour companies who offer guided hikes up there. Thabana Ntlenyana reaches 3482 m and, unlike most of the other Drakensberg peaks, can be hiked in a single day. The view along the way is beautiful and constantly changing though kind of always the same. We had first viewed Lesotho from the top of Mont-aux-Sources, a slightly lower mountain sitting on the border that you climb via the Amphitheatre chain ladders above Royal Natal National Park in the Northern Drakensberg. The high peaks you observe from the South Africa side are ... read more
Thabana Ntlenyana summit
Shepherds having a bit of down time
The view of Sani Pass from the back of a bakkie

Africa » Lesotho » Sani Top August 22nd 2015

Im lucky to do those hikes when I did because today is a drive up to Lesotho. I couldn’t imagine going another 21 km up as high as it is….F that. So the 1968 jeep will be doing the leg work today J The first stop was at an old trading post used for the Basotho people and SA peeps. On the way the views were stunning including the 12 apostles; plateaued peaks of which there were actually 13 so a new friend born in Paris, raised in Benin, and currently working in an embassy in Gabon said its 12 and then jesus is the 13th. Lolol. Each turn of the switchback has a name including the ice corner, suicide corner, OMG corner, and other fun monikers. At top a quick search finds the Maluti brand ... read more
IMG_0387
12 apostles

Africa » Lesotho » Sani Top May 26th 2015

Having picked up Yannick in Ladysmith, our travelling party had now increased to three upon leaving Clarens. No, we didn’t pick up a hot female hitchhiker, but we instead picked up Lee from the UK, a fellow solo traveller who was also staying at the Clarens Inn & Backpackers. Public transport around the Drakensberg is almost non-existent save for the sometimes-ropey long distance taxis which don’t go on a schedule but rather when the minibus is full. The best way to get around – or in and out of the Drakensberg – is by car. Lee didn’t have one – I did. Lee also needed to get towards Cape Town – I was ultimately heading for Durban which is a good place to start a journey to the Mother City. So again, it was a win-win ... read more
Basotho Family & House
Looking Down The Pass
Made It

Africa » Lesotho » Roma March 2nd 2015

6:00 a.m. Dawn is slowly breaking over the mountains outside my window. The air is so clear that I see the light as pale gold. The generator is turned on only from five to ten in the evening, so ay 10:05 last night it was pitch black in the room. The stars and moon shone brightly, casting just enough light to grant contours to the trees. A tiny puffy apricot cloud has just appeared above the mountain ridge horizon. With the growing light, I realized I was watching a sideshow. Due east was located in the sitting room. I quietly opened the glass doors and in the cool pleasant fresh air watched as a streak of bright gold slowly blazed into bright sun. The surrounding peaks had little cloudy gold crowns. 1:45 p.m. In the silence ... read more
Generous farmer
Kindergarten class
Form 6 and 7

Africa » Lesotho » Roma March 1st 2015

8:45 p.m. We have landed in the most unimaginable “hotel” ever! Out my window and patio door is a wide view of a Drakensberg escarpment and mountain, fully green and filled with darker green trees and bushes. My “room” is a bedroom off a large sitting room and kitchen, shared by Judy, who is in a loft. Ours is part of a set of four unique sitting-bedroom arrangements, each unique, once part of a farm with stables. Ramabantha Trading Lodge was one of the original holdings on a trail of trading posts established by one family in the early twentieth century. They still run the modernized business. When we arrived about 5:00, out of curiosity we all walked through the other buildings and people's rooms. Norm and Duane are in the converted stables, with rooms that ... read more
Golden Gate National Park
Chief and Assistant
Lesotho

Africa » Lesotho November 14th 2014

I’d never even heard of the Kingdom of Lesotho before I travelled to the Southern end of Africa, even though it was a British colony until 1966, but after spending 3 days in the company of the Basotho (a Bantu-speaking people) I would like to return one day to really get to know the country. When looking on a map you’d be forgiven for thinking Lesotho was a province of South Africa but it’s a micro-state which is very proud to be independent after a hard struggle to prevent absorption by the country that surrounds them. Out of all the micro-states I have visited it was the one that felt most like a country to me, there was a proper border and after crossing you notice a significant drop in the standard of living compared to ... read more
Crossing the Bprder at Ficksburg
Armed and Ready
The Traditional Hat




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