This underrated route meanders through the Senqu (Orange) River Valley in the rustic and relatively dry southern highlands of Lesotho.

It is dominated by the Senqu River, which follows a spectacular gorge hemmed in by tall sandstone cliffs on its southward course to the border with South Africa.

The main surfaced road through the region can be covered in any roadworthy car and it is bookended by the towns of Quthing and Qacha’s Nek, both of which have decent hotels.

For adventurous 4×4 drivers, possible diversions include the Quthing Valley 4×4 Route to Lake Letsie and the prolific rock art in the Tsatsane Valley. From Qacha’s Nek, you could continue on to Sehlabathebe National Park to cover the Sani to Sehlabathebe 4×4 Route in reverse.

Highlights

The town of Quthing is known for the eponymous Dinosaur Footprint site on its outskirts, and the Masitise Cave House Museum built by the French missionary DF Ellenberger in 1866.

Between Quthing and Mount Moorosi stands Fort Hartley, a solid sandstone fortress constructed above the Senqu River in 1900

Mount Moorosi is the springboard for side trips to the Lake Letsie, which is Lesotho’s only Ramsar wetland, as well as the stunning Tsatsane Valley Bushman Paintings.

The Senqu (Orange) is the longest river south of the Zambezi, measuring 2,200km from its most remote source in Lesotho to its mouth on the South Africa-Namibia border.

A three-hour unsurfaced road running east from Qacha’s Nek leads to the fabulously scenic and remote Sehlabathebe National Park.