Maletsunyane Falls of Central Lesotho (Recall #1)

My first post. A friend of mine told me about steemit and thought I should share some of my travel stories here as I don't often write them down. I am fortunate enough to work remotely which allows me to travel a good portion of the year to places around the world. Having been to 70+ countries I always encourage people to travel slow. Trying to rush to see and do everything isn't worth the headache and stress. I hope to use Steemit as a mode for my own personal journal of stories and pictures as well as a means to share it easily with others.

Some stories will be recent, some will be old, all depends on the day or if there are any requests. I encourage questions! I love sharing new places an helping other travelers. I'll share more about myself and lifestyle in time. This journey was fresh in my mind and wanted to share it.

Story time...

A couple weeks ago I was in Lesotho (pronounced leh-sue-too). I had a few days in the country before heading back into South Africa. Maseru the capital of Lesotho is a bustling city. Traffic is nightmare in the relatively small city as the speed limit is only 40 km/hr, but also because trucks, animals, and people pulling all kinds of objects blockade the roads.

The goal of the day was to get to Maletsunyane Falls for the day and return to Maseru by evening. Located roughly 110 km Maseru the drive was stunning. It took around 3 hrs mostly due to traffic getting out of the city, winding roads, and incredible panoramic views. For the most part the newly paved road was nearly empty once I was out of Maseru. There are no gas stations once you leave Maseru, so make sure you fill up before you leave.

At 8km away from the falls there is a gravel road turn off to the right just before the river crossing. There weren't any signs for the waterfall. It honestly felt like I was going the wrong way. Thankfully I had downloaded Lesotho on maps.me (I do not work for this app, but if I could only have 1 travel related app on my phone this would be it) which shows exactly where the waterfall is so I knew I was going the right way. The road is rough. There are some massive rocks and holes as well as steep inclines and declines along the rocky road. I was able to get by in my super cheap compact rental car.

After rumbling and tumbling for nearly 30min I reached a little pull off where I could park my car. Thankfully I saw a distant glimpse of the top of falls as I was driving along the road and I had the location on my phone otherwise I would have passed right by it. There were no sign postings for the falls and no people around, only sheep. From the car it is a short 10 minute walk down the hill. As you begin to descend you can for the first time begin to hear the crashing water. After walking a little longer and coming around the surrounding hills you get your first full view of the falls and the sound. Even from across the valley wall the sound is drowning. The basin of the falls and the sharp wall the water falls from creates a thunderous reverberating echo.

I stayed a couple hours enjoying the view, eating my lunch, doing some meditating, performing some stretching and yoga, and of course taking a couple pictures. I saw zero people the entire time I was at the falls. For such a beautiful place I'm happy it remains as raw and touched as it is. After exploring a bit along and going in the gorge I headed back to Maseru. I picked up a local hitchhiker walking the rocky road on my way back to the main road. Just as the rest of the people I met in Lesotho they are all heartwarming, welcoming, and incredibly thankful for everything they have.

I arrived back to my bed and breakfast in Maseru just as the sun was beginning to set. All in all the day trip to Maletsunyane Falls is one I cannot recommend enough. If I wasn't heading to Northern Lesotho the following day I would have stayed a night in the town of Semonkong next to the falls. The falls were beautiful but you can also go on a long hike in the gorge as well as the longest single-drop abseil in the world at 204m from the top of the falls.

Next time.

Happy New Year wherever you are in this small world! :)