Geography

Climate

Because of the altitude, the climate is well described as invigorating. Clean mountain air, spectacular blue skies, and brilliant sunshine for more than 300 days each year provide a wonderful climate that will restore even the most jaded traveller.

Summer extends from November to January and is usually hot, while winter lasts from May to July and brings snow to the mountains (although snow can fall on the highest peaks at any time of the year). Autumn days are long and warm, and are great for hiking and pony-trekking, while in the springtime (about August) the mountains are covered with alpine flowers and the valleys are decked with peach blossom and mimosa.

The weather in Lesotho varies considerably between the seasons and can also change very rapidly on any given day. This can be very dangerous unless one is prepared. Summer is the wet season, with rains possible between October and March. Rains come either as general cloudy and rainy conditions, covering the whole country and setting in for a few days or, more commonly as localised thunderstorms. If you are hiking in the summer, it is thus wise to make the most of the mornings. If you are caught out in an electrical storm, and they can be fierce, the main thing is to keep off the high ground as lightning usually seeks out the highest point. Also, do not camp in exposed positions. River beds are also to be avoided as flash floods rise very suddenly and can wash you and your camp away.

Winter is the dry season, and consists in the main of clear, crisp days, and nights where the temperature often drops below zero degrees. The contrast from fairly warm sunny days to nights below freezing is stark. If a frontal weather system with sufficient moisture in it does move across the country in the winter (an infrequent occurrence), this usually results in snow. July 1996 saw the heaviest snowfall in 35 years. The Mokhotlong district was cut off for weeks from the rest of the country. Supplies had to be airlifted in. The Sam Pass was closed for nearly two months. The toll on shepherds and livestock has never fully been calculated. Until recently, Lesotho had the only ski-lift in Southern Africa near Oxbow Lodge, but this has now been moved to the ski resort at Tiffendell near the town of Rhodes in the Eastern Cape.

It must be borne in mind that at over 2000m, temperatures can drop below freezing at any time of the year. Thus the Lesotho traveller must be equipped for the cold and snow at any time of the year. Do not even consider camping out in winter unless your sleeping bag is designed for sub zero conditions.

The country looks different according to the season. In summer the rains and warmer conditions turn all the grasses and shrubs luxuriant green. Spring flowers and newly tilled fields make early summer a beautiful time. Later in the season, fields of ripe maize and wheat abound. As the first frosts of winter bite in April/May, everything changes. Fields are harvested and the grasses turn a golden brown as they go dormant through the cold, dry winter months.

For the traveller, both seasons have their attractions. The longer and warmer days of summer expand the travel options, but rains can often put a severe damper on things. Winter, though the days are shorter and the nights cold, offers mostly stable and sunny weather, with the possibility of the spectacular sight of the mountains under snow.

Blue Skies cc-img_2151.jpg Spring cd47--peach-bl-village-scen.jpg Winter Caps i67-malealea-valley-snow.jpg