• Basotho woman and children in village of Malealea, south western Lesotho

    Basotho woman and children in village of Malealea, south western Lesotho

    © Di Jones

  • Trek guide in Ribaneng Pass, with 'Red Hot Poker' plants in foreground

    Trek guide in Ribaneng Pass, with 'Red Hot Poker' plants in foreground

    © Di Jones

  • Band from Malealea Lodge, a popular base for tourist hikers

    Band from Malealea Lodge, a popular base for tourist hikers

    © Di Jones

Lesotho: Overview

Although shunted to and from British and Boer control for almost 200 years, Lesotho's path to self-rule was comparatively smooth. Landlocked by South Africa, but distanced from it by huge mountain ranges, Lesotho is an often-surprising combination of rapidly-developing modernity and ancient culture.

FAST FACTS

Full name

Kingdom of Lesotho

Currency

Loti, LSL (L)

Population

2100000

Languages

  • English (official)
  • Sotho, Southern (official)

Time zone(s)

  • GMT/UTC: +2

Voltage

220V

Hertz

50Hz

Plugs

  • South African/Indian-style plug with two circular metal pins above a large circular grounding pin

    South African/Indian-style plug with two circular metal pins above a large circular grounding pin

MORE FEATURES

Pool at Almyra, Cyprus

Family fortunes

The school holidays may be over but if you feel ...

Val d'Isere, France

Sloping off in Val d'Isere

From its traditional Savoyarde architecture, to its fantastic restaurants, Val ...

Spa pool at Ritz-Carlton Berlin

The best in Berlin? Check out the Ritz

Since the Berlin Wall came down just over 20 years ...