Region Summary
National Name: Kingdom of Lesotho
Capital: Maseru
Language: Southern Sotho and English
Currency: Loti (LSL)
Highest Point: Thabana Ntlenyana (3,482m / 11,422ft)
Overview
Officially the Kingdom of Lesotho is a land-locked country and enclave entirely surrounded by the Republic of South Africa. Formerly known as Basutoland. Lesotho covers 30,355sq km and is the only independent state in the world that lies entirely above 1,000m in elevation. At this elevation the winters can be cold and therefore snow is common in the deserts and low valleys between May and September. The higher peaks can experience snowfalls year-round making skiing in Lesotho a real possibility.
Afri-Ski is a relatively new purpose built resort being developed for skiing and boarding in Lesotho. There is also the Oxbow resort which is very small with one lift and one trail. Another extremely small resort just beside Oxbow is Club Maluti, which was established in 1968 when the first hut was built in the northern Lesotho Highlands. Founder members negotiated with local chiefs to obtain the right to the land.
It would be a long way to travel just to go skiing but if you are traveling in and around South Africa and Lesotho anyway and happen to be really lucky with the weather it would be worth the experience to have a slide on Southern Africa powder!
