Semonkong Lodge

My trip to Semonkong Lodge came at the perfect time. While Lesotho hasn’t been under a lockdown since  early May, work was becoming more stressful and I felt like I was at my wits end. Then came the perfect little 4 day break…

• The drive up wasn’t bad, it’s about 2 hours from Maseru’s city center and the route is scenic. There was snow along the way so it made for some very picturesque moments.

• The en-suite rondavel we stayed in has a fire place and they top up the firewood every day so it was no where near as cold as I’d anticipated.

• The hosts are a wonderful family who went out of their way to make us feel very comfortable, ensuring that despite the limited services offered due to COVID-19, we always felt like we were on vacation.

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The activities 

• The first day was all about rest for me. I wanted to eat and relax (read drink an entire bottle of wine).
• On the second day, we took a horse ride to the famous Maletsunyane Falls. The gorgeous waterfall was surrounded by ice but it was still worth admiring. It hosts the longest commercial abseil in the world, unfortunately because of COVID-19, they’ve suspended the abseil for now. Next time!
• On the third day, the wonderful tour guide took us on a 4×4 ride in the roughest dirt roads and gave us a history of Semonkong. It would have been my favourite part were it not for the Skype meeting I’d dialed into. The 4×4 ride included a tour at a wool and mohair shearing factory. We were shown the ins and outs of sheep and goat shearing; the banker in me couldn’t wait to examine the export opportunities.
• The rest of the time was spent relaxing and trying to eat as much of their lovely trout as I could manage.
• Overall, it was a relaxing trip with a little bit of everything I love. Rest, nature, horses and good food. I recommend this place for anyone looking for some good R&R.

The special takeaway is how dear the community is to the owners of the lodge. The staff as well as the local residents all expressed the same admiration for the efforts of the family to empower the local community and there’s something special to be said about that.

Semonkong Lodge
+266 – 2700 6037
+266 – 6202 1021 / 5888 1021
http://www.semonkonglodge.com/