Lesotho experiences snowfall between May and August every year. The mountainous country has long south-facing slopes that offer opportunities for the development of ski slopes in Kotisephola, Mokhotlong district, and Sehlabathebe, Qacha’s Nek district.<\/p>\n
High in the Maluti Mountains of the Kingdom of Lesotho, sits Afriski, one of only two ski resorts in southern Africa (the other, Tiffindell, is in the same mountains, just over the border in South Africa.) The resort summit is about 10,600 feet (3,222 m) above sea level, with a slope running about 1 kilometer. Much of the winter, snow on the ground can be sparse, so snow-making machines fill in the gaps, creating a giant white stripe on the treeless landscape.<\/p>\n
Afriski<\/strong> is the only skiing resort in Lesotho, located 3050 m above sea-level (just below Mahlasela Pass, 3222 m) in the Maluti Mountains, operating in Southern Africa near the northern border of Lesotho and South Africa. It is one of only two ski resorts in southern Africa. The resort is a 4.5-hour drive from Johannesburg or Pretoria via the steep tarred Moteng pass and the Mahlasela pass; it sits along Highway A1. The resort can accommodate about 320 people and offers a 1 km ski slope, beginners slope and operates during the winter months (June\u2013August). Afriski also operates in the summer months and offer a variety of activities, from mountain biking, guided Enduro motorbike trips, paintball, hiking, trail running, and more.<\/p>\n Accommodation Facilities and Resort Developments<\/strong><\/p>\n There are opportunities for the development of accommodation establishments at key tourism destination in the country. The Lesotho Highlands Water Project area in the highlands experiences an influx of tourists daily, coming in from all over the world. An opportunity, therefore, exists for private investors to build hotels, lodges, and resorts at Katse, Mohale and other prime tourist destinations throughout the country. Tour Operating and Tour Guiding<\/strong><\/p>\n This sub-sector is an emerging, yet fast-growing segment of tourism in Lesotho. Presently, Lesotho depends heavily on South African-based tour operators to manage and co-ordinate tourist packages and to bring tourists into Lesotho. Boating Excursions on Dams, Canoeing, and other Water-related Recreational Activities<\/strong><\/p>\n Water in Lesotho, popularly known as “White Gold”, is in abundance in Lesotho. The completion of Phase 1A and Phase 1B of the Lesotho Highlands Water Project has left tourism infrastructure (including dams) which presents opportunities for water activities. Ski-resorts, Equipment and Related Services<\/strong><\/p>\n Lesotho, the Kingdom in the Sky, is characterized by rugged mountains with beautiful slopes, all adding to beautiful scenery that the country is proud of. These slopes, coupled with snow during winter and a cold but friendly climate, present an opportunity for the development of Ski Resorts. High altitude sports training facilities<\/strong><\/p>\n Lesotho is the only country in the world whose lowest altitude territory lies 1500m above sea level. This presents an opportunity for the development of high altitude sports training facilities.<\/p>\n The Lesotho Highlands Development Authority has identified an area at Mohale for the development of these facilities. Foreign investors are invited to explore this opportunity.<\/p>\n Other opportunities<\/strong><\/p>\n These other opportunities include development of heliports for panoramic views of the majestic Maloti Mountain range; parachuting and hot air ballooning facilities and services; adventure films shooting locations; development of traditional arts, crafts, pottery and wool \/ mohair products; business and information call centres; conferencing getaway venues and the establishment of golf estates.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" Lesotho experiences snowfall between May and August every year. The mountainous country has long south-facing slopes that offer opportunities for …<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":7112,"featured_media":7903,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","template":"","yst_prominent_words":[],"acf":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/loonglist.com\/cn\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/project\/7902"}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/loonglist.com\/cn\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/project"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/loonglist.com\/cn\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/project"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/loonglist.com\/cn\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/7112"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/loonglist.com\/cn\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=7902"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/loonglist.com\/cn\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/7903"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/loonglist.com\/cn\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=7902"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"yst_prominent_words","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/loonglist.com\/cn\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/yst_prominent_words?post=7902"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}
The Lejone Camp and Mohale Village which were used as accommodation during the construction phase of the project are now ready to be handed over to the private sector for development and management.
In addition, Tsehlanyane and Bokong Nature Reserves present an opportunity for the private sector to build up-market lodges and resorts.<\/p>\n
There exists an opportunity to develop a credible tour operation business in collaboration with local operators, to the different tourism destinations in the country.<\/p>\n
In addition to the beautiful rivers all over the country, Katse Dam has a wall that stands at 185m making it one of the tallest man-made structures in the continent. Katse Dam and the Mohale Dam are the biggest dams in Lesotho where opportunities for water-related tourism activities could be developed.<\/p>\n
The development of the now flourishing Mahlasela Ski is an eye-opener that shows skiing is an opportunity for investment in Lesotho. Koti-Sephora in the Mokhotlong district and Letseng-la-Letsie have also been identified as areas for the development of skiing resorts.<\/p>\n