Lesotho? Lesotho! Never heard of this country that is as big as Belgium but only has half of the population of Berlin? It’s actually a kingdom in the Drakensberg area and is surrounded by South Africa. It’s never been a colony and it didn’t suffer Apartheid. But it suffers from a 23% rate of HIV among the people which is the second highest rate in the world and therefore has a low life expectancy of only about 53 years.
Why go? I went because it’s also called the kingdom of sky as most of the country is mountains. A stretch of the Drakensberge is also in this country. So it’s quite perfect for some high altitude hiking.
So I spend one day with a very knowledgeable guide (@mountainwonders) hiking up to Hodgsons Peak which is about 3200 m above sea level. It’s been an easy but fantastic hike in a stunning scenery: dramatic rocks and cliffs, wide brown valleys (its winter at the moment), hardly people around – we only met one herderer with his flock of sheep and goats. He was wearing the typical clothes for herderers from the people of the Basotho: rubber boots, short pants, a balaclava and a number of blankets.
The whole scenery in Lesotho felt like I was on a different planet
