10 best places in Maseru

Maseru sits at about 1,500 metres, so the climate is milder than southern Africa's reputation suggests. September to April is warm with thunderstorms from November to March, while winter nights in June to August drop below freezing and the highlands get snow. For mountain trips the drier months of April to May and September work best.

The capital itself is a one-day stop: the Basotho Hat monument, the royal palace area, the craft stalls around Pioneer Mall and the Banes gardens. Just outside is Thaba Bosiu, the mountain where the Basotho nation was founded. What people really come to Lesotho for is the highlands: Semonkong, Malealea, Katse Dam and the Sani Pass.

Almost everyone arrives overland from South Africa, driving to the Maseru Bridge border from Bloemfontein or Johannesburg. Air links are thin and flights are few. Minibuses handle domestic routes, but a high-clearance vehicle is safer for the mountains.

Many nationalities enter visa-free for short stays and there is an online option for the rest, but reaching Lesotho almost always means crossing South Africa too, so check both sets of rules. The loti is pegged to the rand and rand is accepted everywhere. Sesotho and English are official, so communication is easy, though Lesotho is rarely a relocation target and most people base themselves in South Africa.