Important Travel Tips for Lesotho

Important Travel Tips for Lesotho

Cell Phones & Internet

Free Wifi - šŸš€āœØ Starlink Has Arrived at Malealea Lodge, Lesotho! šŸŒšŸ“”. You will have a good interned connection whilst you're at Malealea Lodge. If you need to stay connected whilst travelling in Lesotho, we recommend you buy an Econet Starter Pack as you enter the country. You need to register this with your passport. Insert the sim card into your phone and buy airtime which you can transfer to data. We recommend that you insert this sim card into a Wifi dongle (if you have one) and use this as your Wifi connection. If you have a South African sim card, remember to activate roaming before you leave South Africa. However, roaming doesn't alway work in Lesotho. Check the requirements with your cell phone provider.

Crossing the Border

Please note that foreign passport holders (including South Africans) crossing into Lesotho will be required to pay an Attraction and Tourism Levy of R100 per adult (over 13) payable to the border authorities. The toll gate fee is R90 per vehicle. Payments can only be made in cash.

If you are driving a South African Registered Vehicle, you may need to show your vehicle registration certificate.Ā  Keep a certified copy in your car and a copy of the original on your phone.Ā 

Please ensure your passport is stamped at both borders - the South African and the Lesotho side otherwise you will have problems on your way out of the country.Ā  Keep grocery receipts for food that you are bringing into Lesotho in case you asked to show the receipts. It is illegal to bring alcohol into Lesotho.

Children U/18 need full unabridged birth certificates when travelling with their parents. If the children are travelling with one parent or with friends, the necessary documents and affidavits are also required. Please click on this link for more information: http://www.dha.gov.za/files/Brochures/Immigrationleaflet.pdf

Travelling with Children U/18

Children U/18 need full unabridged birth certificates when travelling with their parents. If the children are travelling with one parent or with friends, the necessary documents and affidavits are also required. Please click on this link for more information: http://www.dha.gov.za/files/Brochures/Immigrationleaflet.pdf

Police Road Blocks

PLEASE STOP AT THE STOP SIGN AND WAIT FOR THE TRAFFIC OFFICIAL TO SIGNAL TO YOU TO DRIVE FORWARD TO WHERE HE IS STANDING OR WAVE YOU THROUGH! THE TRAFFIC OFFICIALS ARE VERY FRIENDLY, IF YOU FOLLOW THESE INSTRUCTIONS - THERE IS NO PROBLEM AT ALL

KEEP 2 RED TRIANGLES IN VEHICLE FOR LESOTHO

When Driving in Lesotho

Distance is measured more by time than by kilometers.Ā  You can expect to cover roughly 240kms in a full day of driving with will take anywhere from 6 - 8 hours.Ā Ā 

On gravel roads, travel times increase significantly - if a section is marked 60kms, you should plan for it to take about 3 hrs to complete

PLEASE DO NOT GIVE SWEETS OR STATIONERY OR ANYTHING TO CHILDREN ON THE SIDE OF THE ROAD

Please do not give sweets or stationery or anything to children on the side of the road.Ā 

While we understand this is done with good intentions, we must urgently ask that this practice stop immediately.

Over many years, we have worked closely with community leaders and chiefs to discourage roadside begging. Unfortunately, these actions are undoing that progress and creating serious risks:

Safety:Ā Children are now running alongside buses and vehicles, and we fear that one day there could be a tragic accident.
Community Impact:Ā Giving out sweets encourages begging, which harms both the children and the relationship between our lodge, our guests, and the surrounding villages.
If you or your clients would like to donate sweets, biscuits, or any other items, please deliver them to theĀ Malealea Development TrustĀ when you arrive at the lodge. The Trust will ensure they are distributed responsibly and at the right time to children who are genuinely in need.

For the wellbeing of the children and the sustainability of tourism in Malealea, we kindly urge you to instruct all groups and individuals not to hand out sweets or food along the road.

We greatly appreciate your cooperation and understanding in this matter. Together, we can ensure a safe and respectful experience for both guests and the communities we all value.