{"id":2191,"date":"2016-10-11T16:06:47","date_gmt":"2016-10-11T14:06:47","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/travelbucket.co.za\/?p=2191"},"modified":"2019-11-17T11:34:30","modified_gmt":"2019-11-17T09:34:30","slug":"facts-about-lesotho","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"http:\/\/travelbucket.co.za\/facts-about-lesotho\/","title":{"rendered":"SOME LESOTHO FACTS"},"content":{"rendered":"

A trip to Lesotho country can easily be incorporated into a South African trip provided that you have your own vehicle with a good ground clearance, but preferably a 4×4 as the roads can become treacherous at times.<\/p>\n

\"img_2807\"

Treacherous roads<\/p><\/div>\n

Lesotho is not called the \u201cmountain Kingdom\u201d for nothing.\u00a0 Everywhere you travel you will encounter mountains, mountains and some more mountains in every shape and size.\u00a0 There is no way that you can avoid them when travelling so please take care on the narrow winding roads as you will also encounter men on horseback and pedestrians sharing the road with you.\u00a0 So be considerate.<\/p>\n

\"img_2790\"

Take care of other road users<\/p><\/div>\n

The highest dam in Africa is located here \u2013\u00a0 Katse Dam \u2013 which also supplies water to Gauteng in South Africa.\u00a0 Please take care not to pollute any of the streams as this has a ripple effect.<\/p>\n

\"katse-dam\"

Courtesy: jbay.com<\/p><\/div>\n

Due to the high altitude temperatures can suddenly plummet to freezing point (even in summer).\u00a0 Learn from the locals and go prepared!\u00a0 When traversing the country you will see the local people proudly wearing their colourful woolen blankets wrapped around their shoulders.<\/p>\n

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The weather is changing!<\/p><\/div>\n

And while we are on the topic of high altitude.\u00a0 You will find the highest pub in Africa perched at the top of Sani pass at 2 874 meter.\u00a0 Sani pass connects KwaZulu-Natal with Lesotho.\u00a0 Chances are good that you will meet some interesting characters while having a drink at the highest pub before you move on to get your passport stamped.<\/p>\n

Although snow is not something that comes to mind immediately when you think of Africa,\u00a0 you will even find it in this part of the world.\u00a0\u00a0 Keep Afriski (28\u00b049\u203222\u2033S\u00a028\u00b043\u203241\u2033E<\/a>) \u00a0at an altitude of 3050 meter in mind as a snow option during winter. \u00a0They can be followed on Facebook too.<\/p>\n

\"afriskijpg\"

Credit: NDLH.co.za<\/p><\/div>\n

This is also one of three countries in Africa which is still ruled by a monarch, King Letsi III.\u00a0 The other two countries are Swaziland (already ticked on my list) and Morocco which still need a tick off my list.<\/p>\n

Sesotho, which is also one of South Africa\u2019s 11 languages, as well as English are the official languages of the Kingdom.<\/p>\n

The currency is the Lesotho Loti (Plural Maloti) and is on par with the South African Rand (ZAR) which is accepted everywhere in the country.\u00a0 When tendering ZAR you will most likely receive your change in Loti \u2013 especially in the rural areas.\u00a0\u00a0 However remember that Loti is not accepted as a currency in South Africa and a few Bureau de Change will accept it.<\/p>\n

\"lotijpg\"<\/p>\n

The Basotho are very friendly people. When driving by, they will greet you and wave at you.\u00a0 Smile and wave \u2013 it costs nothing! \u00a0Handouts and freebies are NOT promoted as this create expectations which might not be met by future travellers and can cause some unpleasantries for all.<\/p>\n

The Basotho people are very proud to wear their traditional grass hat.\u00a0 \u00a0This hat is a recognized symbol of Lesotho and has the shape of many of the mountains seen in the country.\u00a0 I have found a miniature version which I use as a key holder to remember my travel experience.<\/p>\n

\"basotho-hat\"

My miniature Basotho hat<\/p><\/div>\n

And lastly if you hold a South African passport you do not need a visa to enter the Kingdom. \u00a0You can just arrive at the border and get your stamp in your passport at the official entry point.<\/p>\n

Go out and explore!<\/p>\n

HANDY INFO WHEN CROSSING THE BORDER<\/span>\u00a0<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n
Lesotho<\/strong> Border Post<\/strong><\/td>\nSouth Africa<\/strong> Border Post<\/strong><\/td>\nOpening Hours<\/strong><\/td>\nContact Number<\/strong><\/td>\nGPS Coordinates<\/strong><\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
Maseru Bridge<\/td>\nMaseru Bridge<\/td>\n24 hrs<\/td>\n+27(0) 51 924 4300<\/td>\n29.2980\u00b0S 27.4546\u00b0E<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
Peka Bridge<\/td>\nPeka Bride<\/td>\n08:00-16:00<\/td>\n+27(0) 51 933 3951<\/td>\n28.9450\u00b0S 27.7344\u00b0E<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
Maputsoe<\/td>\nFicksburg Bridge<\/td>\n24 hrs<\/td>\n+27(0) 51 933 2760<\/td>\n28.8839\u00b0S 27.8903\u00b0E<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
Caledonspoort<\/td>\nCaledonspoort<\/td>\n06:00-22:00<\/td>\n+27(0) 58 223 8400<\/td>\n28.6948\u00b0S 28.2339\u00b0E<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
Montansa Pass<\/td>\nMontansa Pass<\/td>\n08:00-16:00<\/td>\n+27(0) 58 713 1600<\/td>\n28.5902\u00b0S 28.6826\u00b0E<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
Sani Pass<\/td>\nSani Pass<\/td>\n08:00-16:00<\/td>\n+27(0) 33 702 1169<\/td>\n29.5847\u00b0S 29.2863\u00b0E<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
Ramatsilitso<\/td>\nRamatsilitso<\/td>\n08:00-16:00<\/td>\n+27(0) 39 256 4443<\/td>\n30.0502\u00b0S 28.9339\u00b0E<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
Qacha’s Nek<\/td>\nQuacha’s Nek<\/td>\n06:00-10:00<\/td>\n+27(0) 39 256 4391<\/td>\n30.1297\u00b0S 28.6856\u00b0E<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
Ongeluksnek<\/td>\nOngeluksnek<\/td>\n08:00-16:00<\/td>\n+27(0) 39 256 7001<\/td>\n30.3383\u00b0S 28.2519\u00b0E<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
Tele Bridge<\/td>\nTele bridge<\/td>\n06:00-22:00<\/td>\n+27(0) 51 611 1710<\/td>\n30.4319\u00b0S 27.5673\u00b0E<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
Makhaleng Bridge<\/td>\nMakhaleng Bridge<\/td>\n08:00-16:00<\/td>\n+27(0) 51 673 1484<\/td>\n30.1641\u00b0S 27.3996\u00b0E<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
Sepapus Gate<\/td>\nSepapus Gate<\/td>\n08:00-16:00<\/td>\n+27(0) 52 332, ask for 190<\/td>\n29.9476\u00b0S 27.1993\u00b0E<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
Van Rooyen’s Gate<\/td>\nVan Rooyen’s Gate<\/td>\n06:00-22:00<\/td>\n+27(0) 51 583 1525<\/td>\n29.7560\u00b0S 27.1091\u00b0E<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<\/tbody>\n<\/table>\n

“There are no foreign lands. It is the traveler only who is foreign.\u201d\u00a0 — Louis Stevenson<\/span><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

A trip to Lesotho country can easily be incorporated into a South African trip provided that you have your own vehicle with a good ground clearance, but preferably a 4×4 as the roads can become treacherous at times. Lesotho is not called the \u201cmountain Kingdom\u201d for nothing.\u00a0 Everywhere you travel you will encounter mountains, mountains and some more mountains in every shape and size.\u00a0 There is no way that you can avoid them when travelling so please take care on the narrow winding roads as you will also encounter men on horseback and pedestrians sharing the road with you.\u00a0 So be considerate. The highest dam in Africa is located here \u2013\u00a0 Katse Dam \u2013 which also supplies water to Gauteng in South Africa.\u00a0 Please take care not to pollute any of the streams as this has a ripple effect. Due to the high altitude temperatures can suddenly plummet to freezing… Read more ><\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":2202,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_mi_skip_tracking":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[156],"tags":[372,848,441,159,513,371,440,847],"class_list":["post-2191","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-lesotho-countries","tag-basotho-hat","tag-coordinates-lesotho-border-posts","tag-katse-dam","tag-lesotho","tag-lesotho-border-posts","tag-loti","tag-mountain-kingdon","tag-visit-lesotho"],"geo":null,"yoast_head":"\nSOME LESOTHO FACTS - TRAVELBUCKET<\/title>\n<meta name=\"description\" content=\"Lesotho is not called the \u201cmountain Kingdom\u201d for nothing.\u00a0 Everywhere you travel you will encounter mountains, mountains and some more mountains in every shape and size.\u00a0\" \/>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"http:\/\/travelbucket.co.za\/facts-about-lesotho\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"SOME LESOTHO FACTS - 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