This historical three-day hike or pony trek through western Lesotho follows in the footsteps of King Moshoeshoe I, the founder of the Sotho Kingdom, as he sought a safer abode for his fledgling nation in the early 19th century. The route runs southward from Moshoeshoe’s birthplace to the mountain fortress of Thaba Bosiu, which served as his residence and military stronghold from his arrival there in 1824 until his death of natural causes in 1870.

Highlights

The firstborn son of a minor sub-chief, Moshoeshoe started his own chieftaincy c. 1810, when he and his followers settled at Butha-Buthe Mountain.

Pitseng and Liphofung both house caves where Moshoeshoe took shelter during the early years of his reign.

Thaba Bosiu (‘Mountain of Night’) was named by Moshoeshoe in the chilly midwinter of 1824 because he first arrived there after dark. It served as his capital for the next 46 years and he is buried at the summit.