What animals will I see?

You might see antelope like eland and duiker and small predators like caracal and black-backed jackal. Birdwatchers should look out for specials like Drakensberg rockjumper, mountain pipit and bearded vulture. Lesotho is also home to some unique creatures like Maluti redfin in Sehlabathebe and Sloggett’s ice rat in Bokong.

The wind pushes its icy fingers down the back of my collar and makes my eyes water. I can’t feel my toes, but who cares? In front of me are rows upon rows of mountains, stacked all the way to the horizon. I’m a modern explorer, blazing a trail where few hiking boots have trod before. In Lesotho, a flat patch of land is as scarce as gluten-free bread in Brandvlei. Almost every road ends in a mountain pass. If you’re planning a visit, you’d better have your vehicle’s brakes tested and you should limber up your calf muscles because you’re going to have to hike to get to the most scenic spots. For such a small country, Lesotho has a surprising number of views. You have to visit at least twice to see the metamorphosis that happens when summer changes to winter. In summer, the landscape looks like a rumpled green blanket. In winter, the cold turns the green grass gold, dusts the peaks with snow and freezes the waterfalls into columns of ice. The best way to see the Mountain Kingdom is to visit one of Lesotho’s official conservation areas: There are two national parks and one nature reserve. Don’t expect SANParks-level efficiency. Everything has a more informal vibe. At the gate, the guard will wipe cobwebs from the permit book. Google will often tell you more about the local fauna and flora and you’ll probably have to figure out the hiking trails on your own. One afternoon, when I return from a hike just after lunch, I find that the park has closed because the two staff members on duty decided to leave early to enjoy the weekend! However, as far as scenery goes, Lesotho’s conservation areas can compete with the best. Each park has its own trump card: Bokong Nature Reserve is high in the mountains at the top of a 3 000 m pass; Ts’ehlanyane National Park is between valleys, full of fynbos and pockets of mountain bamboo forest; Sehlabathebe National Park has grassland, river pools and rock formations straight out of a David Attenborough documentary. Each reserve is small because Lesotho is small – Sehlabathebe is the biggest at 65 km² – but each also plays a crucial conservation role in a country where the majority of the residents are subsistence farmers. The highly endangered Maluti redfin fish, for example, is only found in Lesotho and would likely be extinct if it weren’t for the protection afforded by a park like Sehlabathebe. None of the reserves are fenced, but you won’t hear cattle bells or see a mielie field within their borders.

It used to be difficult to explore Lesotho if you didn’t have a 4x4 or a horse. But Chinese engineers have tarred hundreds of kilometres of gravel roads and these days you can drive your Ford Fiesta to Bokong and Ts’ehlanyane. If you get an early start in the Eastern Free State, you can even head to one of these parks as a day visitor. Bokong is about 80 km from Ficksburg and Ts’ehlanyane is about 55 km from Fouriesburg. Sehlabathebe is a whole different story. The gravel roads to the park are better than they were in the past, but it still takes at least six hours to reach the gate and you need a vehicle with high ground clearance. The reward at the end of the road is worth it, however: You can see the wind as it moves across the landscape, rippling through grassland and singing around sandstone cliffs before disappearing into the mountains. Here’s your guide to Lesotho’s conservation areas. Warning: If you’re a people person, you’ll have to invite your friends along for the trip because you probably won’t encounter any other visitors…