The Lesotho Tourist

There’s a lot of things I wanted to accomplish when I came to Lesotho and I’m proud to say that one of the things I have done is seen all 10 districts of Lesotho.  Through my travels around this country I have realized that Lesotho has some of the most beautiful sites to see, yet with such an under developed tourist industry very few get to see them.  Here are some of the sites I have seen here:

Thaba Bosiu

In front of the Basotho Hat mountain

Replica of a traditional village

Thaba Bosiu means “the mountain of night.”  It has a very significant historical context in Lesotho but I have never been in to history to remember the exact details of what that was.  All I can say is that it had something to do with winning a war.  I can say that legend has it that the mountain grows at night.  To be honest this was probably one of the least interesting places I saw in Lesotho.  There are a few things to see there: a traditional village where you can see how things were organized back in the day (including how the chief would have a separate house for each wife).  You can also see the Basotho Hat mountain which is pretty cool.  And you can see the graves of some prominent members of the royal family and Lesotho's history.

Liphofung

Cave painting

Liphofung is a small area where you can see cave paintings.  They are quite faint but still very cool to see.

Ghadafi’s Camels

Four camels, a mother, father, and two children

This isn’t really a tourist site.  Some of my friends live where close to where the ex-prime minister is from.  During his time as prime minister Ghadafi gifted him with camels.  I’m not sure how these guys survive in the cold (and they are in a very cold area).  But they were pretty cool to see.  Fun fact: their “trainer” is Mosotho.  Not sure how that works.

Sani Pass

The view from Sani Lodge.  You can see how crazy the road is.

Hot mulled wine

Sani Pass is the area between the Lesotho and South African border in the mountainous district of Mokhotlong.  It’s extremely treacherous with many hair-pin turns and has to be done with a 4x4.  That being said it is very beautiful and also home to the highest pub in Africa (some sources say the world).  The pub has amazing food and great mulled wine.  And not to mention the view is amazing.  I’ve heard that on a clear day you can see all the way to the ocean but since it’s Lesotho it’s very hard to verify that.

Semonkong

Hospitality done right

The falls have been affected by the drought

I was in Semonknong for my COS conference in August.  Semonkong is the home to Maletsunyane Falls.  It’s in a pretty rural area of Lesotho and a pain to get to since the road is so bad (but being improved as you read) but the lodge made it all worth it.  I very, very rarely stay at nice places, so this was a welcomed change of pace.  Adorable rondavals, beautifully decorated rooms, great cuisine; what else could you want from a hotel?

Katse Dam

The dam wall

When I tell people I live in Lesotho they often ask me if I have seen Katse Dam.  Katse Dam was

Another view of the dam

created to help provide South Africa with water (living in Lesotho during drought season I find this just a bit ironic).  The dam is beautiful with clear, clean blue water.  It’s also considered quite an engineering feat.  Near the dam is a botanical garden which houses some of the rare plants that have become endangered because of the building of the dam.  Included is the spiral aloe, an endangered plant only found in Lesotho.

Lesotho's national flower, the spiral aloe