Lesotho is a democratic, sovereign and independent country which has an unusual distinction of being completely surrounded by another country, the republic of South Africa. The Kingdom of Lesotho is one of the three remaining monarchies in Africa.
Situated between 28 and 31 degrees South and between 27 and 30 degrees East, Lesotho lies entirely outside the tropics, at a considerable height above sea level, and is thus bilharzias and malaria free destination.
It has a land area of approximately 30, 555 km2, making it similar in size to Belgium or a little larger than American State of Maryland in USA.
A land of mountains, Lesotho is the only country in the world which has all its land lying at altitudes in excess of 1500m above sea-level; it is a land of heights and extremes. The mountain, Thabana-Ntlenyana is, at 3,482m, the highest in Southern Africa, while the highest single drop fall in the Southern Africa Maletsunyane is 192m, having the highest abseiling cliff in the whole world at 204m.
Often referred to as the "Switzerland of Africa", it is blessed with a beautiful, often a snow-capped range of mountains, the Maluti. The kingdom's central position in the heart of Africa's most developed economy of South Africa, is well served by air, rail and road links to all its major commercial centres.
Lesotho is only one hour by air or four hours by road from Johannesburg in the Republic of South Africa.
The Kingdom is a home to the largest and most ambitious civil engineering project in the whole of Africa, Lesotho Highlands Water Project (LHWP), which has harnessed and commercialized her up-stream surplus water sources - often referred to by Basotho as their "White Gold".
Lesotho offers natural beauty, rugged terrain, and rich local culture and traditions, and a scarcity of civilization's trappings, such as landlords and fences, provides a permit-free playground for the more intrepid adventurers.
Accommodation can be found in all the regions of Lesotho, some calmly situated on river banks, some on mountain sides, and some at the highest altitude in Southern Africa. A visitor to Lesotho can choose to stay in a bed and breakfast or hotel in a town or the capital, Maseru, or choose to be spoiled by nature and find chalet or self-catering accommodation deep in the highlands of Lesotho, totally surrounded by beautiful mountains and a peaceful environment.
Traditional Guitar Player
With all its land lying at altitudes in excess of 1500m above sea-level; Lesotho is a land of heights and extremes. Lesotho offers breathtaking mountain vistas and adventure activities such as skiing, pony trekking, hiking and abseiling for the intrepid traveller. More leisurely pursuits for those seeking a relaxing and revitalising break include birdwatching, boating and fishing.
Lesotho's history can be explored at leisure with visits to San rock art, dinosaur footprints and cultural villages where the rich local culture of the Basotho people can be experienced.
Accommodation in Lesotho
Lesotho boasts a variety of accommodation establishments, ranging from Hotels, Lodges, and Guest Houses to Bed and Breakfasts and the unique Home stays which enable one to enjoy the unique culture and hospitality of the Basotho Nation.
The year 2013 saw the beginning of a new era of Lesotho’s quality tourism in the accommodation sector. Lesotho Tourism Development Corporation (LTDC) embarked upon developing a progressive star grading program for the sector. The program is considered progressive because it will be one of the first accommodation quality grading programs in the region to integrate grading standards that reflect both the overall quality of the lodging facility as well as its environmentally friendly practices and ability to receive guests with disabilities. Lesotho benched marked on the grading processes and experiences of Botswana and South Africa.
The program was funded by the World Bank through the Private Sector Competitiveness and Economic Diversification Project (PSC). The program aims to increase the competitiveness of the Lesotho’s tourism industry in the market, thereby attracting more international tour operators to sell Lesotho as a quality tourist destination.
This is an initiative that promises to improve the overall quality of infrastructure and services to the tourism lodging facilities throughout the kingdom. Tourism is a very competitive business and therefore we need to operate at international standard.
Herds Boys At Maletutsanye Falls
The development of the grading program has taken six months to put in place. This process captured the attention and support of 95% of the accommodation sector. The owners and operators participated fully in the design of the program and in the consultative workshops held. Operators were additionally able to voice their opinions about their perceptions of grading as well as the differences between 1, 2, 3, 4, and 5 star facilities.
It is important at this stage to highlight the design of the program in which the accommodation facilities are classified into 6 categories, namely hotels, lodges, guesthouses, B Bs, Self-catering units and camp sites. The process of quality grading will place emphasis on the following areas, amongst others: room size, furniture and linen; structural soundness of building, cleanliness, cuisine, bathroom facilities, service, reception facilities etc.
A team of highly experienced experts in the field of development of grading systems across the globe were engaged to train 28 Assessors and Master Assessors on the grading standards, assessment techniques, grading structure and procedures as well as improving their overall understanding of the local and international tourism industry.
Out of twelve (12) pilot assessments conducted, 11 facilities were subsequently awarded the appropriate star grades. It is worth mentioning that since the completion of the project and the pilot assessments, a good number of enquiries have been made by the accommodation facility owners and operators indicating their willingness to be graded.
Having taken into account the good response and buy-in of the program by the Operators, the Government of Lesotho has agreed on a policy decision to use only the graded accommodation facilities for Government meetings, incentives, conferences and events. Government Parastatals and other Corporates are also to be approached in a similar vain to give their business only to graded establishments as this is guaranteed to translate into value for money.
This meant to be an incentive to the accommodation sector and also as a business development and marketing tool through which the operator is guaranteed increased revenue through more visitors and longer stays while the traveler experience is improved through better service delivery.
LTDC launched the Lesotho Grading Program on the 21st August 2013 where all tourism private sector practitioners and other stakeholders were invited. Worthy of mention is the fact that within the SADC region, member states have agreed to harmonize their grading standards so that by 2016, a 3 or 5 star graded facility offers a similar memorable experience whether in Botswana or South Africa or any other SADC Member state including Lesotho.
Lesotho is proudly affirms to reaching the target set by the region with a good leap in the first year; a minimum of 30 accommodation facilities will be graded by the end of 2013/14 financial year in an effort to reach and attract the new emerging tourist markets such as China and India into Lesotho.
Tourist Attractions in Lesotho
Sehlabathebe National Park
Sehlabathebe National Park is the national designated nature reserve in Lesotho and comprises 6 500 hectares at an average elevation of 2 400 m. The park is ideal for hiking, bird-watching and contains unusual rock formations and alpine flora. Game is limited to a few antelope species but the scenery is stunning.
Maletsunyane Waterfalls
Maletsunyane Waterfalls, one of the highest single dropping waterfalls in the Southern Hemisphere plummeting 186 metres into a spectacular gorge creating clouds of spray visible from afar Semonkong Lodge offers you the chance to explore the magnificent scenery and culture of Lesotho The Lodge together with the local community provides ponies and guides for the adventure, day trips to the Maletsunyane Falls.
Thaba Bosiu Mountain
Thaba Bosiu, The name Thaba Bosiu means the 'Mountain at Night'. It was in July,1824 when Moshoeshoe and his people took occupation of the mountain which his brother Mohale had reconnoitred. He named the mountain Thaba Bosiu-Mountain at Night because he and his people arrived there in the evening and the essential protective work took him until late at night. Many years later the news to intimidate his enemies was spread that at night time the mountain grew larger than usual.
The mountain is flat-topped and it is situated in the valley of the Phuthiatsana River. It is about fifteen miles east of the junction of this river with Mohokare or Caledon that divides Lesotho from the Free State. It rises about 350 ft. from the surrounding valley and its summit is surrounded by a belt of perpendicular cliffs some 40 ft. high on the average.
The Price List for Mountain Tour
Category Price
Foreign Adults-----------M40.00
Foreign Children---------M20.00
Foreign Student Group----M20.00
Local Adults-------------M20.00
Local Children-----------M05.00
Local Student Group------M15.00
Tse'hlanyane National Park
Tse'hlanyane National Park, is located deep in the front range of the Maluti mountains, with headquarters at the foot of the Holomo Pass. The reserve owes its origin to the access road to the Hlotse tunnel adit for the Lesotho Highlands Water Project (LHWP). This protected area lies at the junction of the Tse'hlanyane and the Holomo rivers.
Over 5600 hectares of extremely rugged mountains terrain is protected within this park, which includes one of the very few indigenous woodlands in Lesotho. The reserve also encompasses a reasonable proportion of mountain lsquo;fynbos' with a high degree of endemism.
The park is reached by a 32km-gravel access road that leaves the main A1 route 8 km south of Butha Buthe. The route passes through the village of Khabo's and parallels the Hlotse River along a very picturesque valley until it reaches the park entrance.
Liphofung Nature Reserve
Liphofung Nature Reserve, "place of the eland" cave occupies an important place in Lesotho history. This is the smallest of the Lesotho Highlands Development Authority reserves at about 4 hectares. The cave is in fact a large overhang in the Clarens sandstones, which is a typical feature of the Lesotho lowlands region.
This is particular site lies in a tributary stream valley of the Hololo River just off the main route from Butha Buthe to Oxbow and Mokhotlong. Access is by means of a newly constructed concrete road and is passable for all vehicles. A small visitor's centre incorporating a display of Basotho culture and San rock art has been developed, along with ablution facilities and a small shop. The site is proving to be a popular destination with school groups and tourists en route to Oxbow.
Lesotho Highlands
Snow skiing is possible on the slopes below the Mahlasela Pass; New Oxbow Lodge nearby and Afri Ski rents skis and boots. There are three slopes and two ski lifts, while several alternative activities are on hand in the summer months. The resort of Afri-Ski is 4 frac12; hours' drive from Johannesburg South Africa via the steep tarred Moteng pass and the Mahlasela pass and is one of only two skiing resorts in Africa.
ROYAL ARCHIVES, MUSEUM AND INFORMATION CENTRE
Located in Matsieng Royal village, the 1858 settlement of Letsie I which has become the traditional capital of Basotho after Thaba-Bosiu. The Royal Archives was established by the Royal family and was legally registered in 2008 as a non-profit making organization. It houses pre-colonial and post-colonial records (paper-based, digital and electronic) relating to Chieftainship in Lesotho, published books for library users as well as cultural objects kept in the museum which have a bearing on the Royal family. Nearby is the Royal Palace and homestead and dinosaur footprints and the centre provides guided tours to ruins to Paramount Chief Letsie I’s settlement.
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