4 Things to See in Lesotho

The capital offers hustle and bustle, party, street food and numerous small stores. Outside the city, a lot of nature awaits you, wide grasslands, high mountains, cliffs, green as far as the eye can see, small villages and endless vastness.

The Capital Maseru

Immediately after crossing the border, you land in the capital of Lesotho, Maseru.

Maseru surprised me. The people here live in a simple way, they come to terms with the bad road conditions, there is hustle and bustle in the city, mothers with children walk along the roadside. Loud music blares from small stores and the smell of grilled meat wafts up into the air. Vendors sit on the ground in the heat and offer their corn on the cob, meat skewers, tomatoes or potatoes. When you stop by car, you get chilled water, Coca Cola and soda pressed onto the window pane - with loud shouts to encourage you to buy. There is something special about the dry, hot atmosphere.

If you want to find big supermarkets or malls, you will be disappointed here. You can rather shimmy through small stores, with basic equipment and dusty offers. Nevertheless, you can find everything you need, and even if not, the people were always very open and eager to help you.

The Road Conditions

Maseru itself has paved roads, even outside on the main roads this is fine so far. However, there are numerous, deep, wide, long, hardly visible potholes, which puts the suspension of the cars to a hard test. Or the attention of the driver. It's ok to drive there, but you should be prepared. Also, people drive on the left side here, and people like to drive risky and fast, so there is definitely enough adventure. Some gas stations close at night, so it may take a while to find an open gas station. That's why it's worth planning well with gasoline in parts. Otherwise, there is nothing to complain about in terms of infrastructure, the shared cabs drive through the city in large numbers and load and unload the locals. If there is a need for private cabs, that is also taken care of and there are special companies that offer private transport.

If you dare to climb the smallest routes on Google Maps and make driving more exciting, it is worth taking the unpaved, bumpy, rocky, sandy back roads.

The big question, do you need four-wheel drive arises very often. We did it without, it is possible, but you should bear the risk that the car does not do everything, drive carefully is still important. But, it is possible! On the other hand, we have not seen anyone else who has dared to travel far with a small car. As a rule, all had four-wheel drive, especially for the attractions that are more inland.

Malealea Lodge for Horseriding

Although it is not easy to reach this lodge, it is worth it. The first part of the journey is on fairly normal paved roads, then you turn into an off-road area with more potholes, large stones and sandy sections. Once this is overcome, the last 7 km follow for which you should plan another 30 min. Steep descents with dangerous bumps, slippery parts and small blockades. At the end you reach this beautiful farm, surrounded by pure nature, large trees, a wide view of the valley. The lodge is quite large, offers many cabins and small houses with barbecue areas as accommodations, large lounges for groups and a restaurant. Mostly groups come to visit and book a few days stay. Be it for hiking, walking or horse riding. There is also a bar, with ample offers.

The highlight of the farm is certainly the horse riding. There are several offers, depending on the length of the ride, the area and the time. The prices are ok so far, click here to find out more:

https://malealea.com/

We chose a two hour ride in the evening, just before sunset over the fields and along the rock walls with breathtaking views. The landscape is very rocky, fascinating how the horses manage to find safe footing here.

It is worth spending two nights here at least. It is a good place to rest, away from hustle and bustle and city noises. We also found many avocado and apple trees, a dream for a fresh breakfast from the tree.

Maletsunyane Waterfalls

Also to reach these waterfalls requires patience and good driving skills. However, these roads are much better developed than they were to Malealea Lodge.

On the way to the waterfalls you pass a checkpoint where you have to pay the fees to enter the reserve. As always, locals pay less than tourists. We paid at that time per person around 150 Rand. With a ticket in hand, the trip to the falls takes only about 30 min from here. You are directed to a large parking lot, with a restaurant at the end and built on cliffs that point directly to the falls. From here alone you have a wonderful view of this natural spectacle, and this without many fences and without much tourist buildup. Nature has been left almost completely alone here, which makes it seem even more majestic.

From the parking lot, a small path leads down towards the waterfall. Here you can then decide whether to walk along the cliffs or even make a longer turn and then take the path down, which leads you directly to the feet of the waterfall. However, this extra path takes around 2 hours there and back and should be coordinated with the daylight. The descent is not without and sturdy shoes should be worn. We did not see many tourists, only some locals with their children. The nature and the surroundings are wonderful and very impressive.

At the beginning of the path are also some locals with horses and offer the service to carry you down the path or then back up with the horse. I could not resist and used it similarly - above the path there are wide meadow fields, which are also perfect for riding, and have turned a few rounds there. The men are very open and laugh a lot, for 30 Rand I could ride 30 min.

Thabaneng

Thabaneng is a mountain pass, a long gravel road that stretches elegantly and widely through the mountains. To the left and right of the roadside there is breathtaking nature to see, is it a small river, herds of horses, shepherds with their goats and sheep, lonely huts, angular mountain peaks or just wide green fields. It is worth passing this road for the feeling of freedom, an impression of the authentic Lesotho, for the silence and the cut-off from civilization. In general, you should still be careful and not drive too fast, potholes occur from time to time.

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