Kingdom in the Sky🇱🇸.

Lesotho has earned the name Kingdom in the Sky for it’s majestic mountains.The flat landscape of the Free State is seen as almost fading away as you are traveling towards the Maseru border post. It has always been a dream of mine to travel to this country and doing it with my family was amazing.

On the 7th of June 2019, we visited the picturesque Capital city of Lesotho, Maseru. My husband booked us into a lovely guesthouse in Maseru. Most people do not consider this city as a destination for a holiday but we found it fitting for our getaway. We could easily travel to other places and it was as scenic and adventurous as when you’d visit other places like Semokong, Sani’s Pass etc. We went through the border control authorities with no hassle although the procedure was not clear. The first item we purchased when we crossed the border was two local sim cards from Vodacom. These are quite easy to find as you find many locals selling these essentials right outside the border.

We took this trip seeking a bit of adventure and also to learn more about our people (Basotho). Our first stop was a visit to Mokorotlong found in the city center. The architecture of the building is breathtaking as it resembles the conical shape Basotho hat. I loved the little souvenir shop inside the building. My husband got me a woven picnic basket.Thereafter, we visited a small village called Qiloane. The village is a about 30 Km away and the main road leading to the area is perfectly tarred. The GPS couldn’t navigate properly so we got lost a bit when we got to the village and we ended up on a dirt road that had no clear direction. We turned around and went back to the main road which led us to the Thaba Bosiu Cultural Village. It was so fulfilling to be in the place where the history of the Basotho people started. The friendly staff took us around the village, giving us a brief history on all the wars chief Moshoeshoe fought in the area. It is a great place for one to go with family or friends.

The Mokorotlo is Lesotho’s traditional conical hat with a top knot woven from grass, resembling the shape of Qiloane hill. There’s a lot of arts and crafts in this place that signifies the culture of the Basotho community.

The following day, we took a short drive to an area called Ha Theko. As always, we got lost a bit but the people in the area were friendly enough to give us the right directions. We went to a little village that has a horse riding place (Likatola horse-riding and Adventure ) and got to ride the horses. This was an excellent way to explore the scenic area however I did not go very far as this was my first horse riding experience.

Ha Theko:One of the beautiful villages we visited.

Tips for traveling to Lesotho:

1. Don’t let the lack of a 4×4 stand in the way between you and exploring Lesotho.The main roads are perfectly tarred.
2. Have a GPS or Google Maps in handy instead of going for a physical map.If you stay on the main roads (and know which direction you’re going and the name of a few main towns) it is actually easy to find your way. However, the locals are very helpful.
3. Familiarize yourself with the different documents that are needed for crossing the border.When traveling with a baby, make sure you know which documents to carry (we only carried Boikabo’s passport and we didn’t know that they might need the unabridged birth certificate together with an affidavit from one parent. Luckily we were both traveling so there was not a need for this).
4. When it comes to driving around Maseru , always expect the unexpected on the road and stick to the speed limits.
5. If you can, avoid crossing the Maseru border on Friday because the queues are long. You can use alternative border entries and by that I do not mean ‘Paqama’ 😂.
6. Always be aware of the distances you’re traveling as fuel stations aren’t widely available on the roads. Fill up at a fuel station in Maseru before exploring the area, besides fuel is cheaper in Lesotho.
7. Plan your activities on time.
8. Prepare to get lost a bit. But that’s when you discover real gems.

We went on this getaway seeking for adventure and some downtime and that’s exactly what we got. I loved every bit of the trip except for the cold nights. Do yourself a favor and visit Lesotho. If you love the outdoors and beautiful sceneries then this destination ticks all the boxes.

Likatola horse riding Adventure