Best Time to Visit Lesotho

Geographical location

The enclave Lesotho is located in the southeast of South Africa and is also called the”kingdom in heaven” because of its altitude and form of government.

Around 1.95 million people live in an area of 19000 square miles in Lesotho. This results in a population density of about 64 inhabitants per square kilometre.

On the Human Development Index, Lesotho ranks 162 out of 187, making it one of the least developed countries in the world.

Lesotho borders on the South African provinces of Free State, KwaZulu-Natal and Eastern Cape. The lowest elevation in the country is at the intersection of the two rivers Oranje and Makhaleng at an altitude of 1390 metres above sea level. 80 percent of the country’s territory is at an altitude above 1800 metres.

The capital Maseru is an interesting tourist destination. The higher regions such as the Sani Pass and the Sehlabathebe National Park in the south-east of the country are also increasingly being developed by tourism. With the so-called Afri-Ski area in the east of the country, Lesotho even has its own ski area.

Maseru has an airport, most of which is served by South Africa.

Climate in Lesotho

Lesotho has a temperate warm climate almost throughout the country. Due to the enormous altitudes, the temperatures are comparatively low by African standards. The daily values in Maseru range between 16 °C to 28 °C during the year. The differences between day and night are relatively high. At night the temperatures cool down strongly, in the African winter it even comes to frost in the high altitudes.

Lesotho is located in the southern hemisphere, therefore the seasons are opposite to the European ones. In the winter months of June to August it gets relatively cool even during the day with a maximum of 16 °C. Only from September the values climb back above the 20 °C mark and remain mild until the end of April. The hottest months are December and January – but it is also the wettest time of the year.

With peak values of up to 30 °C and up to 10 hours of sunshine, short but strong summer thunderstorms with increased rainfall can occur time and again. Rainfall reaches a maximum of 4.37 in in January and is distributed over an average of 10 rainy days per month. During this time, nature blossoms enormously and an impressive colourful atmosphere is created. In the winter months the expanses of Lesotho appear rather dull and bare.