Lesotho’s most accessible national park, set in the southern Maluti Mountains 150km northeast of Maseru, is known for its rugged montane vistas, rich sub-Alpine floral diversity, beautiful waterfalls, diverse birdlife, and excellent network of hiking and horseback trails.
The upper slopes of Ts’ehlanyane support a cover of rare heath-like mountain fynbos studded with colourful aloes, irises and other flowering plants that bloom most prodigiously in spring. It is also the world’s most important stronghold for the berg bamboo Thamnocalamus tessellatus, a Maloti-Drakensberg endemic that lends its Sotho name Ts’ehlanyane not only to the park but also to the river along whose banks it is particularly prolific. By contrast, the Holomo River valley supports a gorgeous tract of forest dominated by Leucosidea sericea, anevergreen tree whose common Afrikaans name Ouhout (Old Wood) refers to the gnarled, timeworn appearance of its trunk.
The most conspicuous of 20-plus mammal species protected in Ts’ehlanyane are the majestic eland (the world’s largest antelope) and the endearing rock hyrax, which looks like an overgrown guinea pig but is more closely related to elephants than rodents. Birders will find the park highly rewarding: look out for bush blackcap, southern boubou, Cape batis and Drakensberg siskin in the riverine woodland, the iridescent malachite sunbird feeding on aloes and other flowers, and jackal buzzard, Cape vulture and possibly even the endangered bearded vulture soaring overhead.
Travel Tips
Eating: The restaurant at Maliba Lodge serves a la carte lunches and set three-course dinners. The nearest place for self-caterers to stock up is the Shoprite supermarket in Hlotse.
Access: The national park is reached along a 32km gravel road through a picturesque river valley that runs east from the surfaced A1 route about 23km northeast of Leribe and 8km southwest of Butha Buthe. Allow three hours coming from Maseru.
Preparations: Maliba Lodge is often full over weekends and during school holidays, so booking is highly recommended.
