Lesotho lodge and pony trekking
| country: | Lesotho |
| location: | Western Lesotho, 100km from Maseru |
| price: | From R50 for camping to R200 for en-suite rondavels, per person per night. Meals approx R50 |
description
Our accommodation is situated in a remote part of Western Lesotho; a chance to experience traditional Basotho life. The lodge is run by the owners, both born in Lesotho and credited with more local knowledge than anyone. Lesotho is a world without fences. Breathtaking scenery abounds and every season has unique attractions.
Various Basotho children's choirs and a local Basotho band, using their local home-made instruments, entertain the guests in the evenings around a campfire. We arrange visits to the local school and a traditional healer, and organise pony trek and hiking trips.
Various Basotho children's choirs and a local Basotho band, using their local home-made instruments, entertain the guests in the evenings around a campfire. We arrange visits to the local school and a traditional healer, and organise pony trek and hiking trips.
rooms, food and facilities
22 new rondavels (en-suite), 18 farmhouse bedrooms (en-suite), 5 Basotho huts and rooms (3 communal bathrooms), and 9 forest huts/backpackers (communal bathrooms). Linen is supplied, except for forest huts. We also have camping facilities. We have a dining hall and outside deck; home cooked meals are served at the lodge. There is a shop and bar on site for basic food supplies, and there are 2 basic self catering, backpacker-type communal kitchens. We have a generator for electricity, and have lights from 6-10pm. Please bring torches or flashlights.
special things to do and see here
Outings range from 1 hour to 6 days or longer...tailor-made to your requirements. Our treks are usually about 7 hours each day, no riding experience is necessary all the huts and horses are hired from the Basotho people in Lesothos's remote areas. The huts are very basic and are equipped with a gas cooker, cooking & eating utensils and mattresses on the floor. On trek you experience the "real Africa"; The trails traverse spectacular mountain passes and some of Lesotho's highest waterfalls exploring Bushman paintings and experiencing "Basotho culture". Basotho Guides and a packhorse accompany the treks.
Specialised outings
Pony trek and hiking trail routes:
how to find us
We are 500 km from Johannesburg, 700 km from Durban, 1,000km from Cape Town, 200km from Bloemfontein and 100km from Maseru, the nearest airport. In Lesotho take the main road south towards the airport. Do not take the airport turn off which is 18km but continue towards Mafeteng 45 km south. At a junction called Motsekuoa turn left at the junction and drive 10km on the tarred road, take the RIGHT fork, from where we are a 22km drive.
prices
We also offer breakfast R40, lunch R50 and dinner R70.
Tailormade trips (prices depend on group size)
how this holiday makes a difference
 We make an effort to raise local awareness of tourism and thereby increase access to the tourism product. Several training units on developing business skills have been developed. These materials have been used in both the Co-operative and amongst villages who have started tourism-related businesses. Our soil reclamation projects and tree planting are small micro business projects. We have an adult education and community development programme to establish ‘learning circles’ who take up development issues in their villages. Efforts to protect the natural environment have focused on water conservation, waste management and energy conservation. Wine bottles from the lodge have been used to construct a ‘greenhouse’ in the community garden. Drinks cans have been used to make gabions for soil erosion prevention and little desks for the pre-school. Meetings are held at the clinic where members of the community can be counselled and tested for HIV by trained professionals. We have run an awareness and destigmatization campaign and provide support for people living with HIV. We have built 3 classrooms at Junior school and pre-primary school. We also have a large hall for community entertainment including a generator, tv & video sets. The school and museum are paid from trip fees and the balance of the hiking trails is donated to our development trust.  This holiday is part of the responsibletravel.com and Conservation International Community Based Tourism Programme to support and promote community based tourism ventures that offer significant conservation and development benefits to local communities. To see other community based tourism holidays and find out more about the programme click here. |
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