1. Tse’hlanyane National Park
This national park is both underappreciated and underutilized. No other location in Lesotho is as far off from everything as Ts’ehlanyane, the country’s largest park.
One of Lesotho’s few native forest stands, this 5600 acre piece of mountainous wilderness is protected by the Lesotho Northern Park. It also has a variety of uncommon undergrowth flora that are exclusive to this woodland ecosystem.
Discover one of Lesotho’s best-kept secrets by going to Maliba Lodge in the Ts’ehlanyane National Park!
2. Katse Dam and Botanical Gardens
A visit to Katse Dam is the highlight of every trip to Lesotho. This is the focal point of the Lesotho Highlands Water Project, which disperses water from the Lesotho Highlands onto the plains of South Africa’s Free State Province via an amazing conduit of dams and tunnels through the mountains. When it was being built in the 1990s, it was hailed as the largest engineering undertaking in the southern hemisphere. The sight of the enormous dam wall, which is the tallest in Africa, and the deep lake it has carved out in the mountains is breathtaking. At Katse, you can participate in any of the following activities: a visit to the dam wall, a boat ride on the Katse Dam, a village tour, a wander around Katse Botanical gardens, or couple of hours of horse riding.
3. Sani Pass and the Highest pub in Africa
The Sani Pass is a great location for driving, trekking, or mountain biking while enjoying expansive views of the Drakensburg Mountains. It is incredibly well-liked by residents and visitors alike. Lesotho’s Roof of Africa circuit connects the breathtaking landscape of the Drakensberg with the attractions of Northern Lesotho by a stunning 4×4 route that snakes and twists its way through the “Ukhahlamba Drakensberg Park” up into the impassable granite cliffs.
It was a path used by pack animals before the 1950s to transport supplies to the remote settlement of Mokhotlong in Eastern Lesotho. Although the pass can now be readily navigated by 4×4 vehicles, the occasional donkey and horse may still be seen slowly ascending the steep path.
The Lesotho border station and Sani Top Chalets, Africa’s highest bar, are both located at Sani Top, where it has become usual to not only have a few well-earned drinks but also have your picture taken.
4. Maletsunyane / Semonkong Falls
The Semonkong Falls, also known as the Maletsunyane Falls, are the tallest single drop in southern Africa and are located in Semonkong, which is a well-liked tourist destination in and of itself. A five-kilometer stroll along the Maletsunyane River will take you from Semonkong to this gorgeous waterfall, where you can see the river flow 204 meters into a peaceful swimming hole below.
While the water flow is at its greatest in the summer and is thus most magnificent, the water freezes in the winter and creates a gorgeous ice cage over the pool.
Adventurers may accomplish the tallest abseil in the world, at 204 meters, by abseiling the falls from Semonkong Lodge (Guinness Book of Records).
5. Thaba-Bosiu
Thaba-Bosiu, also known as the “mountain of the night,” is a national monument and is regarded as the origin of the Basotho nation. It was “Moshoeshoe the Great’s” mountain fortress. It is unquestionably one of Lesotho’s most significant historical landmarks and fosters a feeling of identity for the proud Basotho people.
Although not very tall during the day, the mountain is said to expand into an impossible-to-conquer mountain fortress at night, according to local legend, thus the moniker mountain of the night. This justification could be more plausible than it seems. Throughout Moshoeshoe’s rule, Thaba Bosiu was often assaulted but never subdued.
The Qiloane peak, which served as the model for the Basotho hat “Mokorotlo,” provides good views of the surrounding area, along with the ruins of fortifications, Moshoeshoe’s grave, and parts of the original settlement.
6. Kome Cave Dwellings
A magnificent community with cave houses has been cut and constructed behind towering sandstone cliffs is hidden from view, including that of warring tribes and the ancient cannibals who came to maraud Lesotho owing to starvation in the early 19th century. These caverns have been inhabited by descendants of the original occupants for about two centuries (Basia and Bataung clans). The cave also has fading San artwork, a sign that the San people formerly lived there.
As the homes are constructed from rock and coated with a mixture of mud soil and cow dung, the location was formerly known as “Liboping” (the site of ovens). Now a National Heritage Site, the location welcomes tourists can learn about the rich history and culture of the people.
7. Dinosaur Footprints
Follow the dinosaur footprints in Lesotho to travel across time. Lesotho is a favorite location for both archaeologists and palaeontologists since it is home to the biggest known locations of dinosaur footprints in the world.
The missionaries’ studies of the region yielded a variety of prehistoric bones, trees, plants, and shells in addition to several of the first known dinosaur fossil finds. Leosthosaurus, a 1-meter-long herbivorous lizard and relatively primitive ornithopod from the late Triassic and early Jurassic period 200–208 million years ago, was named after the nation.
There are several areas where dinosaur footprints have been discovered, including Morija, Subeng Stream (between Leribe and Butha-Buthe), Tsikoane in Leribe, Moyeni, , Matsient and Mohale’s Hoek and Quthing District at Masitise /Ellenberger’s Cave House.
8. Rock Art
One of the many galleries featuring rock art in and around Lesotho
Numerous excellent specimens of Bushman Rock Art may be seen in Lesotho. The San people painted the rocks in the area up until the late 19th century, but they are no longer there. Early humans had the perfect hiding spots in Lesotho’s numerous natural cliff overhangs and enormous granite mountains, and it is these walls that the paintings that can still be seen today were created. Many of the images include significant historical information about customs, hunting techniques, etc.
Ha Baroana, “the abode of the Bushmen,” is located east of Maseru. Here, the San have left us a great collection of paintings depicting creatures including the eland, blue crane, and guinea fowl in addition to the leopard, lion, and leopard.
The Liphofung Cultural Centre is located in the Butha Buthe region of the North West and offers tours of an educational facility at one of the outstanding rock art locations in the area.
9. Major Bell’s Tower and fort
The Leribe district’s Hlotse town is home to Major Bells Tower. This is a stronghold that was utilized in the 1880–1881 Gun Wars. Major Bell’s Tower’s defences were constructed by the British at the end of the 1870s, and during the Gun War of 1880–1881 they were besieged but not taken. Most of the Tower is still standing. In front of a neighboring local government building, there is an intriguing prehistoric statue of a European that attracts visitors. For those who are interested in Southern Africa’s history and the different conflicts, this site is a must-see.
10. Sehlabathebe National Park
Despite being somewhat difficult to enter (a 4 wheel drive vehicle is necessary), the Sehlabathebe National Park in southern Lesotho is unquestionably worth the effort. This was Lesotho’s first officially recognized national park. This undiscovered gem is home to magnificent rock formations that are exclusive to the region, enormous rock overhangs, little lakes, rock art, rock arches, and a stunning and distinctive ecology of plants, birds, and other creatures.
Chief Leabua Jonathan, the former prime minister of Lesotho, liked trout fishing, which may account for the park’s existence given that the dams and rivers are a fisherman’s paradise.
Both the Bokong Nature Reserve and the Ts’ehlanyane National Park are far more accessible and deserving of a visit on their own.
Leave a Reply