Entirely surrounded by South Africa
and sometimes mistaken for one of
apartheid's ill-conceived
semi-states, the aptly named
"mountain kingdom" of
Lesotho
(pronounced Le-sue-toe) is, in fact,
proudly independent of and very
different in character to its
dominant neighbour. One refreshing
physical (and psychological)
contrast is the almost total absence
of fences in Lesotho, which means
you can hike into the upland regions
at will, while meeting some of the
most hospitable people of the
region. The other thing you'll
notice pretty quickly is that
Lesotho is virtually treeless, with
the exception of the invasive and
water-hungry eucalyptus and the
peach trees introduced by French
missionaries a century ago. Indeed,
the country - once the grain basket
of the region - is in deep
ecological trouble, and acres of
irreplaceable topsoil, loosened by
decades of over-farming, are washed
away down its rivers each year.
The Lesotho lowlands form
an east-facing crescent around the
country, and are where you'll find
all the nation's major towns,
including the busily practical
capital of Maseru , with its
very African mix of new glass
buildings and dusty streets, and a
host of smaller, mostly nondescript
settlements that began life as
tax-collection centres for the
British administration. There are
plenty of interesting things to see
in the lowlands - the weaving crafts
of Teya-Teyaneng , the
extraordinary caves at Mateka
, and Thaba Bosiu , the
mountain fortress of Lesotho's
founder, King Moshoeshoe I - though
in many ways the everyday bustle of
life you'll encounter here is the
most fascinating part of all. The
true splendours of the country,
however, lie in its ruggedly
beautiful Highlands , an
extended mountainous area
characterized by plunging valleys,
remote villages, improbable roads
and inspiring vistas. Once up the
steep, twisting roads which lead
into the hills you can visit the
engineering masterpieces of the Katse
and Mohale dams , ski at Oxbow
, fish from rivers everywhere, and
above all wander through the
countryside, dividing your time
between remote villages of simple
stone-and-thatch huts and the
peaceful solitude of the mountains.
Although the tarred road
network is good, many Sotho
still travel by pony ,
particularly in the Highlands. You
can do the same from pony-trekking
lodges all over the country; a day
trek or, better, a longer ride
incorporating a night in a remote
Basotho village, is the way
to experience Lesotho. Most of
Lesotho's four hundred or more San
rock-art sites and the many more
dinosaur footprints can only
be visited this way - although there
are still plenty close by the roads
which you can reach with ease if
travelling by car.
