Resources
are needed to develop infrastructure and realise the full potential
of the sector
mall
and landlocked but full of natural beauty, Lesotho has only begun to
tap the lucrative potential of its tourism industry. That makes the
mountainous ‘Kingdom in the Sky’ an ideal destination for
the tourist who really wants to get away from it all.
Stretching over an area of 30,000 sq km, the lowest point of Lesotho
is still more than 1,000 metres above sea level. The only city is the
capital, Maseru, which has several serviceable hotels and restaurants.
Beyond the city boundaries are the real reasons for taking a holiday
in Lesotho – the air is clean, the landscape varied and life is
pleasantly simple. There are more than 300 days of sunshine a year and
you can ski in the mountains in winter.
Efforts to develop the tourism sector have the principle aim of creating
jobs and increasing the flow of hard currency foreign exchange earnings.
The hope is that development will help to promote small-scale agriculture,
particularly horticulture, and support the handicrafts industry. This,
in turn, will help to preserve the country’s historical and cultural
heritage.
The
World Bank has given a $15 million grant to help finance a five-year
project backed by the governments of Lesotho and South Africa to protect
bio-diversity in the Maloti-Drakensberg Transfrontier Conservation Area,
established on June 11 last year. It will also support the development
of small businesses involved in eco-tourism and jobs created by conservation.
The sector is set for a big boost in June when a state-of-the-art ski
resort opens in the highlands. A four-and-a-half-hour drive on tarmac
roads from Johannesburg, the resort is being built by the Lesotho government
and Afri-Ski. The ski season spans June to September, while other activities
will include wild trout fishing, horse-riding, sports and high altitude
training and hiking trails.
Whichever way they choose to travel, visitors will find plenty to see
in Lesotho. Spectacular cliff formations and deep gorges are to be found
in the Maloti and Drakensberg mountain ranges in the south of the country,
which are becoming popular with climbers from all over the world.
Drakensberg
is home to 2,500 species of plants, almost a third of which grow nowhere
else in the world, and it contains one of the world’s richest concentrations
of Stone Age rock art, with more than 30,000 individual paintings recorded.
Slightly less arduous, though the rugged terrain demands some physical
fitness, are the many trails used by mountain bikers.
Activities
include skiing, fishing, riding and hiking
Alternatively,
visitors can opt for a hiking holiday, staying at one of the country’s
lodges. A more gentle way of exploring the country is to take a ride
on a mountain pony, while many of the roads and trails in the mountains
are good enough to accommodate a four-wheel drive vehicle.
Landmarks include Mount Qilone; a curious conical mountain that is reputed
to have been the inspiration for the national headwear, the Basotho
Hat or mokorotlo; and Thaba Bosio, a fortress stronghold where the kings
of Lesotho are traditionally buried.
Lesotho
has Thabana Ntlenyana, which at 3,482 metres is the highest mountain
in southern Africa, and Maletsunyane Falls, one of the tallest single-drop
waterfalls in the region plunging for 192 metres.
Sehlabe-Thebe National Park, which means ‘Plateau of the Shield’,
is Lesotho’s first and only national park on an area of 6,736 hectares,
which protects and houses many species of fauna and flora. Wildlife
enthusiasts have plenty to see in the country, including deer, baboons,
jackals and mongooses, and there are more than 300 species of bird,
including bearded vultures and black eagles. The park also contains
a species of water lily and a minnow-like fish, both of which were thought
extinct. There are numerous places for good fishing, particularly for
rainbow trout.
Excellent examples of fossil forests of petrified wood can be found,
along with footprints proving that dinosaurs once roamed in what is
now Lesotho. Several of these 200 million-year-old trails have been
preserved at sites such as Qalo in Butha-Buthe, Masitise, Subeng Stream
and Morija, where a museum houses many good specimens and valuable records
up to present times.
Today,
Lesotho’s cultural scene centres on handicrafts, including the
weaving of fine wool and mohair. Some tapestries are works of art, while
jewellery is often decorated with local seeds and stones.
One other good reason for considering a holiday in Lesotho is its people.
They are welcoming and open to foreigners, something that hasn’t
changed with the gradual development of tourism. The traditional greeting
is ‘Khotso’, which means peace, and it’s very likely
you’ll find it here.