Joanna James
Lesotho is a small African country that is packed with a rich and fascinating history and heritage. Here are the five places you simply must see when visiting!
Lesotho's Semonkong is one of its more popular towns, located about 120km from the capital city of Maseru. The small town's main attraction is a towering waterfall – one of the highest single drop waterfalls in Southern Africa! Semonkong literally means 'place of smoke' in reference to the fall. The breathtaking waterfall reaches a height above 200m and is surrounded by gorgeous verdant hills and cliffs that demonstrate some of the most unprecedented natural beauty in the world. The pool below is swimmable and, if you are an adventurer, the town lodge offers the opportunity to abseil the waterfall; it is, in fact, the world's highest abseil.
While summer is one of the best times to visit Semonkong Falls, winter brings its own wonders. The waterfall and the pool below actually freezes over, covering the rocks in spectacular cages of ice.
Covering about 5600 metres of land, Lesotho's largest national park, Tse'hlanyane, is wild, pristine and not as popular as the others – making it one of Lesotho's best. The rugged wilderness consists of one of the few stands of indigenous forests in the country including several endemic undergrowth plants that are unique to the park. The national park helps conserve these rare plants as well as numerous bird species, such as the Bearded vulture, Lanner falcon and Malachite sunbird, and fauna such as Mountain reedbucks, Baboons, Cape clawless otters and Black-backed jackals.
Sani Pass was once used solely by pack animals to carry goods to Mokhotlong, a town in Eastern Lesotho. Today, the twisting path is an extremely popular 4x4 track and hiking and mountain biking trail. The pass offers spectacular views of the sprawling Drakensberg Mountains and takes you through the gorgeous Ukhahlamba Drakensberg Park and up to the famous Roof of Africa Circuit. Once you reach Sani Top, you can treat yourself to a good drink and a hearty meal at Africa's highest located pub!
If you love your dinosaurs, Lesotho should be on top of your travel bucket list! The country even has a dinosaur named after it – the Lesothosaurus, a 1-metre long herbivorous lizard that lived around 200 million years ago. Lesotho is where some of the earliest known discoveries of dinosaur fossils, as well as, prehistoric bones, trees, plants and shells were made. It is, in fact, home to the world's largest known sites of dinosaur footprints and is beloved by archaeologists and the Ross Geller's of the world.
Lesotho has several known locations where you can see footprints, these include, Tsikoane, Morija, Subeng Stream, Matsient, Mohale's Hoek, Moyeni and Quthing District.
The 'Mountain of the Night', Thaba-Bosiu, is believed to be the birthplace of the Basotho nation and was the mountain stronghold of Moshoeshoe the Great. The historic national monument is revered among the Basotho people and is strongly linked to the identity of the proud nation. It is the most important historic site in Lesotho. There is a local belief that the mountain, which is not relatively tall, grows at night into an incredibly tall and unconquerable mountain fortress, thus the name 'Mountain of the Night'. You can see the remains of the kingdom's fortifications, some of the original settlements and Moshoeshoe's grave whilst there.
Lesotho has plenty of great places to stay at during your visit, like the Lesotho chapter of AVANI Hotels and Resorts. You can find and book hotels online!
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