"The Mountain Kingdom" a Lesotho Travel Page by Kanjoo

I was off for 2 days from my work in the first week of January. Lesotho lies only 140 km from Bloemfontein, and I have never been to the country however I had heard that it is mountainous little country and much rural than South Africa, so I had a longtime desire to explore it. I drove straight from Bloemfontein at about 12 oclock via Botshabello and Thaba Nchu and reached at the border at about 13.30. Some of the friends who have been to Lesotho and some of them even live there never told me anything that whether Pakistani passport holders need visas or not, and I always thought that one only needs an on arrival visa/entrance like South African and Bangladeshi passports so when I reached the Maseru Bridge border gate between South Africa and Lesotho, I exited through South African immigration and drove and parked the car infront Lesotho immigration office, and was shocked to learn that I need a visa to enter the country and it is only possible to get the visa for Lesotho at there embassy in Pretoria. I was disappointed but the lady told me that she can give me 24 hours visa and the fee would be R 100.00 but than I would have to go to the Immigration office in Maseru to obtain the visa there, she gave me the directions. I got the stamp valid until the next day. There was R 20.00 road permit fee which I had to pay. Anyway when I reached to there immigration office in Maseru, I was shocked again to learn that visa fee is R 700.00 and it is cash only (no credit cards), and it was much more than my budget so I decided to exit before 14.00 hours the next day.

Maseru is more rural town than its sister cities in South Africa.. more feelings of being in Africa can be found in Lesotho than in South Africa.. I though that one night which I have got in the country.. I should go and see the Morija museum which was approximately 20 km from Maseru and than should find a place to sleep somewhere there.. but when I reached the tourist information centre I met some other tourists and find out that it is really nothing instead of small compound filled with artistic articles and no accommodation or campsite.. I am not in arts at all.. So I asked the tourist information officer that what can I do in less than 20 hours left in the country, and she suggested me to drive through the most scenic Maluti Route up the mountains to Mohale Dam.

Second largest dam in this mountain kingdom was my destination. Lesotho is the only country in the world whose entire land is 1000 m above the sea level. My little Fiat Uno struggled alot on all those passes that I had to go though all the time up and down to reach this beautiful dam..