Lesotho

Whether you grew up on the slopes or you’re new to skiing and snowboarding, Afriski offers thrilling winter sports adventures for every level of ability. If you’re a beginner, all you need is a sense of fun and the expert guidance of our ski instructors. If you’re more proficient on the slopes, you’ll find Afriski an even more rewarding experience. There’s a timeless quality to the rugged peaks and dramatic waterfalls. The Basotho people – often clad in blankets and gumboots – have an uncanny knack for appearing as if by magic, and so too do their smiles. These will be some of the first things that strike you about Lesotho and then there’s Afriski. Whether you’re here in Lesotho and at Afriski in winter or summer, you’ll find that you’re on a natural high from the moment you arrive. It’s a feeling that will last long after you’ve descended the mountain passes and returned home. The magic of Lesotho never leaves you – it’s one holiday destination that will never let you down. By adding modern African snowmaking facilities (to give Nature a helping hand) and ski lifts, Afriski made it possible for you to enjoy the kind of experience you previously had to travel overseas for. Why spend time in airports and on planes when you could be spending more time on the Afriski slopes?

Lesotho’s most accessible national park, set in the southern Maluti Mountains 150km northeast of Maseru, is known for its rugged montane vistas, rich sub-Alpine floral diversity, beautiful waterfalls, diverse birdlife, and excellent network of hiking and horseback trails. Extending across 56 square kilometres of sensational mountain scenery, Ts'ehlanyane boasts an impressive altitude span of 1,940 to 3,110 metres and it is flowed through by four major rivers including the Holomo and tributary Ts’ehlanyane. The upper slopes of Ts'ehlanyane support a cover of rare heath-like mountain fynbos studded with colourful aloes, irises and other flowering plants that bloom most prodigiously in spring. It is also the world’s most important stronghold for the berg bamboo Thamnocalamus tessellatus, a Maloti-Drakensberg endemic that lends its Sotho name Ts’ehlanyane not only to the park but also to the river along whose banks it is particularly prolific

It is a sandstone plateau where King Moshoeshoe I, the founder of the Basotho Nation established what turned out to be a formidable fortress that protected his People during amongst others, the Lifaqane (Mfecane) war. "Thaba Bosiu" which means "Mountain at Night" was believed to possess supernatural powers which made it grow into a tall mountain during the night leaving enemies who tried scaling it still stranded on its cliffs and vulnerable for attack the next morning. Located 24km outside of the city of Maseru, Thaba Bosiu is a National Monument and Lesotho's foremost tourist destination holding great historical significance as the birthplace of the Basotho People. Thaba Bosiu offers an on-site restaurant, museum, cultural village, and amphitheatre.

Semonkong lodge - place of smoke, experience one of the most beautiful and remote countries in Africa with Semonkong Lodge. Landlocked by South Africa and commonly known as the Mountain Kingdom, Lesotho is a country with the highest lowest point in the world. Hiding away in the magnificent Maluti Mountains, you will discover the gem that is Semonkong Lodge, built on the banks of the Maletsunyane River using only local stone & thatch, offering just the right balance between civilisation and rustic elegance; a perfect base to explore this area on the iconic Basotho pony, mountain bikes or dare to take on the highest commercial abseil in the world. Just down the river from the lodge, the mighty Maletsunyane Falls is one of the highest single dropping Falls in Africa, creating a haze of Smokey mist as the water plummets with savage splendour 186m down into a spectacular gorge. This is how Semonkong, The Place of Smoke, got its name. The well-known Duck and Donkey Tavern and Restaurant, provides a popular meeting place for both locals and guests and boasts affordable, delicious homemade meals and cold Maluti beers. Semonkong lodge offer activities such as abseil, the longest commercially operated single-drop abseil in the world, pony trekking, horse racing, donkey pub crawl