HIKING TRAILS OVERNIGHTING IN BASOTHO VILLAGES EXPERIENCING “THE REAL AFRICA.”

The treks are usually about 7 hours each day. The huts and horses are hired from the Basotho people in remote areas. The huts are very basic and are equipped with a gas cooker, cooking & eating utensils, mattresses on the floor, and a bucket of water. On trek you experience “THE REAL AFRICA”, staying in Basotho villages. The trails traverse spectacular mountain passes and some of Lesotho’s highest waterfalls. Basotho Guides and a packhorse accompany the treks. The San Rock Art painted onto the walls of bare rock ,are the best descriptions ,I’ve not seen preserved in a very long time!
Once reaching these caves our guide will give a descriptive history of the San People and their nomadic history throughout Lesotho. The description of the paintings will be described and each illustration will be discussed in detail!
The ascent back will be uphill all the way and stops will be made for photographs and a rest stops along the way. Arrival back at Lodge in time for local dancing and the local band ,which have hand-made instruments. Dinner back at Lodge. After signing the indemnity forms and getting your helmets whist the guides strap your bags to the packhorses, you will be given a short briefing about how to ride the horses. Hikers will pack their saddle bags, wait for packhorses to be saddled up and they can start walking.
The terrain is rough with a steep descent, river crossing and steep ascent and once you’re on top of the first valley, the going gets easier. After a few hours, you will get a chance to rest and have a picnic lunch and then it’s only a few more hours to one of the villages, your first overnight stop. The other Falls have been in full view for the last hour, and we are looking forward to seeing them from close up. We unpack our gear in the hut, brew a cup of tea, and then head for the bottom of the falls, a two hour return hike.
Very impressive they are, two single drops, fifty metres each, and a welcome ice cold pool at the bottom.
This morning is a tough uphill where you go from 1850 metres to 2600 metres via the top of the Falls. We stop here for a break and to admire the view. This pass was aptly named “Slide Your Ass” by the Roof of Africa Rally bikers, which was part of the route until, because of the erosion, it became suicidal impossible to negotiate.
Even the Basotho pony, famous for its surefootedness, has difficulty here. As a matter of interest, in the early trading days under British rule, the ride from Malealea to Semonkong took twelve hours, today it takes up to three days, the old bridle paths are so badly eroded. From the top, it is practically downhill all the way for about three hours, to (Georgina’s village) where you will stay overnight. In the afternoon, you can do a short hike to view the more Waterfalls and Gorge, a 122m drop – about 2 hrs.