Unique Places in Lesotho

I would say that all this country is a bit of ‘Off the Beaten Path’. The amount of tourism is small and so is the facilities and possibilities, so where ever you will go you will feel almost as an explorer of the country.

Far off on the horizon, as you wander along your Drakensberg Traverse, your gaze falls upon a group of small buildings built atop a mountain in the literal middle of nowhere. This is the famous diamond mine of Letseng-La-Terral which was re-opened in 2004. Monster diamonds have come out from here - in 1967 a 601 carat stone was found; in 2006, a 603 carat diamond (Lesotho Promise) put smiles on all concerned here with the diamond selling, uncut, for some US$12.36 million. September 8, 2008, a new monster of some 478 carats was discovered, which the mine thinks has the potential to yielding a round-cut stone of some 150 carats - one of the largest round-cut stones of all time. All in all, this is the World’s highest diamond mine (3100 meters) and the mine with the highest dollar ratio per carat of any diamond mine - World average is US$70/carat but Letseng’s average in 2004 was over US$1000/carat - meaning they pull some big diamonds out of here. The mine is the 7th largest in the World. Visitors are probably not welcome, I’m guessing?!

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If you get bogged down by the snow on your way up one of the many mountain passes, don't despair. Create your own fun in the snow while you wait! Why wait to get to your destination to have fun and visit with friends?

There may be a paved road that crosses Lesotho, but we never found it. At the end of a full day of dirt track, through villages and mountains, we finally came to a paved road, but it wasn't the main road.

It's not often one associates skiing with southern Africa, but that is exactly what you can do in the mountain kingdom of Lesotho. Nestled in the majestic beauty of the Maluti Mountains, Afri-Ski provides a very adequate 1000m slope 3222 above sea level that will challenge the beginner and satisfy the veteran.
The best time to go is July, August with minimum temperatures dropping to -11.

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There's not much in Lesotho that's ON the track. There are less than ten big towns, and you don't have to do much to miss them, if you want. At the same time, there are very few places where you wont' see at least a lone herdboy next to the road, tending his cattle and sheep. Oftern you'll stop and the only sound will be the far-off sound of cowbells. About 90% of the country is rural, and much of it still inaccessible by vehicle. So there's ample opportunity to stop off along the roadside and admire the view, break for a snack, or simply be quiet.

Some 5.5 km along a gravel road north of the main Mountain Road, and 39 km east of Maseru, is a vantage point over the Liphiring Stream facing an overhanging rock called Ha Baroana - the home of the bushmen. Here the San have left us a magnificent gallery of paintings of animals such as leopard, lion and eland, as well as blue crane and guineafowl.
There are also fine paintings of bushman life - hunting, dancing, and people in huts. From the main vantage-point, a trail zigzags down past the curator’s huts to the stream, which visitors have to cross to gain access to the paintings.

The Lesotho border post is at Sani Top, then the road drops down the torturous zig-zags of the Sani Pass as the road descends from the mountain plateau down the Drakensberg mountains and into the South African province of KwaZulu Natal. The Sani Pass was originally a bridle trail for pack animals and was opened up to vehicle transport in the 1950's.
The hair-raising pioneering of this route was done by Mokhotlong Motor Transport, a company still operating tours from its base at the bottom of the pass. In the early days, there were several bends where 3 point turns were needed to get around. Today, the road is better, although it is still only open to four wheel drive vehicles ascending. Although the descent can be made an ordinary vehicle, it is not recommended. The South African border post is 8km from the top of the pass, and one reaches Sani Lodge a further 16km on the right. A further 19km brings one to the town of Underberg.
The Sani Pass is the gateway to Lesotho’s Roof of Africa circuit that links the spectacular scenery of the Drakensberg with the attractions of Northern Lesotho, as well as South Africa’s Golden Gate National Park via Caledonspoort or Monontsa Pass.