Out & About SA · Lesotho

Lesotho Nature & Parks

The wild side of Lesotho — Sehlabathebe and Ts’ehlanyane national parks, Bokong, the Maloti highlands, Maletsunyane Falls and the great dams. Filter by region and type.

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Blue Mountain Pass (Molimo Nthuse) — Mohale Dam. Scenic high pass on the mountain road between Maseru and Mohale Dam
Bokong Alpine Wetlands — Bokong. Protected high-altitude mires and sponges feeding the Lesotho Highlands water scheme, habitat for the endemic ice rat…
Bokong Nature Reserve — Bokong. Afro-alpine reserve on the Mafika-Lisiu Pass with wetlands, the Lepaqoa waterfall and wildlife such as ice rats, rock…
Botso'ela Waterfall — Malealea. Scenic waterfall in a gorge near Malealea, a popular pony-trek and hiking destination
Botsoela Waterfall — Malealea. Waterfall in the valley below Malealea reached on guided hikes or pony treks
Drakensberg Escarpment (Maloti-Drakensberg) — Sehlabathebe. Dramatic basalt escarpment along Lesotho's eastern border, a transboundary World Heritage Site of alpine peaks and deep…
Gates of Paradise Pass — Malealea. Scenic mountain pass and lookout marking the dramatic descent into the Malealea valley
God Help Me Pass (Molimo Nthuse) — Maseru. Twisting pass east of Maseru whose name means 'God Help Me', gateway from the lowlands into the mountain interior
Holomo Pass — Tsehlanyane National Park. Hiking pass linking Ts'ehlanyane to the Bokong Nature Reserve
Katse Botanical Garden — Katse. Alpine conservation garden safeguarding indigenous highland plants including the endangered spiral aloe rescued from…
Katse Dam — Thaba-Tseka. Africa's highest dam (185m) and centrepiece of the Lesotho Highlands Water Project, with boat tours and a visitor centre
Katse Dam Reservoir — Katse. Vast reservoir behind Africa's highest dam wall, flooding steep valleys of the Malibamat'so River in the central…
Katse Reservoir — Katse Dam/Katse Village. The vast alpine reservoir impounded on the Malibamat'so River, ringed by high mountains
Ketane Falls — Semonkong. Remote 122 m waterfall reached by pony trek or hike from Semonkong through unspoilt highland scenery
Kotisephola Pass (Black Mountain Pass) — Mokhotlong. High-altitude pass near Mokhotlong crossing exposed alpine terrain above 3,200 m
Lancer's Gap — Maseru. Scenic sandstone gap and viewpoint overlooking Maseru, popular for short walks
Lepaqoa Waterfall — Bokong. Waterfall below the Bokong visitor centre that freezes into a spectacular ice column in the highland winter
Leribe (Hlotse) Sandstone Country — Hlotse. Lowland river country around Hlotse with the Subeng dinosaur trackways and riverine birdlife
Leribe Plateau — Hlotse/Leribe. The elevated plateau around Hlotse offering wide views over the northern lowlands
Liphofung Cave Reserve — Butha-Buthe. Sandstone overhang and small nature reserve with San rock paintings and Stone Age deposits near Butha-Buthe
Mafika-Lisiu Pass — Bokong. High tarred pass over 3,090 m linking the lowlands to Katse via Bokong Nature Reserve
Mahlasela Pass — Oxbow. High pass (around 3,200m) reaching the Afriski area above Oxbow
Mahlasela Pass & Afriski Slopes — Afriski. Alpine pass near 3,050 m holding Southern Africa's snow-ski slopes and summer high-altitude hiking and biking terrain
Maletsunyane Falls — Maletsunyane. 192 m single-drop waterfall on the Maletsunyane River near Semonkong, among the highest in Southern Africa
Malibamat'so River — Oxbow. Clear highland river near Oxbow known for trout fishing
Maloti (Maluti) Mountains — Afriski. Basalt high range forming the spine of Lesotho, rising above 3,000 m with Afro-alpine grassland, snow in winter and the…
Maluti Mountains — Afriski Mountain Resort. The resort sits high in the Maluti range surrounded by dramatic alpine peaks
Mohale Dam — Molimo Nthuse. Rockfill dam on the Senqunyane River east of the pass, part of the Lesotho Highlands Water Project
Mohale Dam Reservoir — Mohale. Rockfill dam and reservoir on the Senqunyane River, ringed by rugged peaks and linked to Katse by transfer tunnel
Mohale Reservoir — Mohale Dam. Large mountain reservoir offering boating and trout fishing amid the Central Highlands
Molimo Nthuse Pass (God Help Me Pass) — Molimo Nthuse. Winding pass on the A3 whose Sesotho name translates as 'God Help Me'
Moteng Pass — Oxbow. Steep tarred pass on the A1 near Oxbow climbing towards Afriski, with sweeping Maloti mountain views
Muela Dam — Butha-Buthe. A hydropower dam of the Lesotho Highlands Water Project east of town with a scenic reservoir
Oxbow — Butha-Buthe. A high mountain area on the road above Butha-Buthe known for snow in winter and trout streams
Qacha's Nek Highlands — Qacha's Nek. Green south-eastern mountain country near the Drakensberg, gateway to Sehlabathebe and noted for historic sequoia groves
Ramatseliso's Gate — Qacha's Nek. Remote mountain border crossing and scenic route to the Eastern Cape
Ribaneng Waterfall — Ramabanta. Highland waterfall reached by pony trek or hike from Ramabanta
Sani Pass — Sani Pass. Legendary switchback 4x4 pass climbing the Drakensberg from South Africa to 2,876 m at the Lesotho border
Sehlabathebe National Park — Sehlabathebe. Lesotho's oldest national park and, as part of the Maloti-Drakensberg Park, a UNESCO World Heritage Site; sandstone…
Sehlabathebe Wetlands & Tarns — Sehlabathebe. Montane grassland pools and tarns supporting the endemic Maloti minnow and montane birds within the World Heritage park
Senqu (Orange) River Source — Mokhotlong. High-altitude sponges and streams in the Mokhotlong highlands where the Senqu, Southern Africa's longest river (the…
Senqunyane River Valley — Mantsonyane. Highland river valley setting the village amid the Maloti/Central Highlands mountains
Subeng River — Hlotse/Leribe. A rocky river gorge near town best known for its exposed dinosaur footprints
Thabana Ntlenyana — Sani Pass. At 3,482 m the highest peak in Southern Africa, on the Drakensberg escarpment reached from the Sani Pass plateau
The Devil's Knuckles — Sehlabathebe National Park. Jagged rock peaks along the park's eastern edge
Tlaeeng Pass — Mokhotlong. Reputedly the highest tarred road pass in Africa, on the route between Butha-Buthe and Mokhotlong
Ts'ehlanyane Holomo Pass Trail — Ts'ehlanyane. Mountain trail linking Ts'ehlanyane and Bokong reserves through rugged Maloti terrain and indigenous woodland
Ts'ehlanyane National Park — Ts'ehlanyane. High-altitude park protecting one of Lesotho's few indigenous forests of che-che (Leucosidea) and rich Afro-alpine…
Tsoelikane Waterfall — Sehlabathebe National Park. The park's largest waterfall, feeding clear rock pools popular with hikers