Hiking Tour

Feel like getting some exercise, fresh air in your lungs, some spectacular views? Come and join us on our 6 day hike to see some of the most beautiful scenery in Lesotho.

The 6 day Waterfall Hike

Feel like getting some exercise, fresh air in your lungs, some spectacular views? Come and join us on our 6 day hike to see some of the most beautiful scenery in Lesotho.

What you can expect

Day 1

Arrive at Malealea Lodge around lunchtime, get shown to your basic but comfortable Basotho huts with outside facilities. Do a short hike if you like, to get used to the 1850 m altitude. Relax at the bar, the recently opened coffee shop or in the gardens. Enjoy the local choir and band at 6 p.m. At 7 p.m. Our chef, Mé Agnes and the ladies in the kitchen serve us their hearty good dinner. You will like it! Afterwards we gather together around the campfire where Mick and Antje will describe the hike ahead and answer any questions.

Day 2

After a good breakfast we collect our packed lunches and gather at the “Tack Room” to meet our Basotho guides, where they will load our food and belongings onto the pack horses. We start the hike by descending to the Makhaleng river and then begin a fairly long ascent, through the villages of Ha Griffith and Ha Lebona, where we hopefully can buy a cold soft drink. A sparkling little stream provides us with fresh water at lunchtime. We follow the scenic contour path to our first overnight stop, the village of Khorong, after crossing the Ribaneng river, where we’re able to wash off some of our travel grime. We arrive at about 5 p.m. and start cooking supper together after we’ve made ourselves comfortable in the two rustic Basotho huts, provided by the chief. We sleep on mattresses on traditional mud floors. Total distance: 18,5 kms Duration: 8 hrs hiking approx.

Day 3

After breakfast we ascend the Sibayeng pass, nicknamed “Slide your ass pass” by the Roof of Africa rally motorbikers, so named for its toughness. In times of the British Government the traders took this old bridle path and reached Semonkong in only one day, a distance you need 3 days to do nowadays. We view the top of the Ribaneng falls from the cliffs above, then continue to the nek, where we will have lunch. We find ourselves on a scenic contour path to our overnight stop at Ha Hlalele, where we share two huts belonging to Chief Matthias and his wife, Georgina. Their village is perched virtually on the edge of the beautiful Ketane falls gorge. We cook our supper together and invite Mé Georgina to tell us something about life in this remote part of Lesotho. Total distance: 20 km Duration: 8 hrs approx.

Day 4

We rise quite early, and after a tea and coffee and some rusks, we climb down to the Ketane falls (122m) viewpoint. After 1 ½ hrs we will be back in the huts. After breakfast we ascend to the nek, overlooking a tributary of the Qohohobeng River where we see the aloe polyphylla (spiral aloe) growing wild. We lunch before we ascend to a point where we have views of the Malealea Valley in the foothills. Hugging a contour path for a time, we descend into the valley of Sekoting sa Lifariki (the pigs trough) where we are shown to our next overnight accommodation. Distance: 18 kms Duration: 7 hrs approx.

Day 5

A long descent to the Ribaneng river, through scenic villages, where we can buy once again a cold soft drink. We cross the river, stop for lunch, before we hack the second last uphill of this hike. Over the ridge to the village of Ha Griffith again, where we cross the Makhaleng river and ascend to Malealea Lodge. The luxury of a hot shower, a hearty dinner, a cold beer and cameraderie around the campfire awaits. Distance: 20 kms Duration: 7 hrs

Day 6

We say good bye after a last good breakfast. Have a safe trip home and enjoy your pics and impressions for a long time until we perhaps meet again for another hike together.

What we provide

Malealea Trails provides all meals (camping breakfasts with muesli and toast, lunches, suppers with main course and desert), accommodation at Malealea Lodge in basic Basotho huts with outside facilities and traditionally built local huts in the villages. At Malealea Lodge couples or two people (of same gender) are sharing, in the villages we share two huts all together. In the huts we will find all facilities to cook. We provide local guides, packhorses and spare riding horses for those experiencing problems on the hike. Fresh water is available along the hike, but those who wish to use purification tablets are welcome to do so. We lead our hikes personally. The hike takes place with a minimum of 4 people.

What you should bring along

1) Good, well walked in hiking boots and crocs or water sandals

2) Stick, hat, sunglasses and day pack

3) Sleeping bag (?0°) and pillow case (without pillow, it’s too bulky)

4) Good water bottle with spare lid

5) Plate for lunch and your own knife, fork and spoon and rubbish bag

6) Rain jacket, rain pants and a hat if you have one

7) Change of clothing, warm fleeces, woolen hat, scarf and gloves

8) First aid kit, toiletries, face cloth, towel, sunscreen, toilet paper

9) Snacks for the trail and the evenings before supper

10) Alcoholic beverages if you want, but please don’t take beer. It’s too heavy for the packhorses. Wine and spirits are available for sale at Malealea Lodge.

How fit you should be

Lesotho is not for Sissies. This hike is quite strenuous. We walk 8 hrs a day on average, including steep up? and downhills. The paths can be rocky. You must be used to heights of up to 3000 m. We consider that this hike would get 6 points on a scale of 1 to 10 in terms of difficulty.

Despite the rustic accommodation this slack pack 6 day hike is a luxury type of hiking because you only carry your day pack. Food and spare clothing is transported by pack horses.

Go to contact us page to make your booking and for prices