Semonkong Lodge in Lesotho welcomes you to ‘The place of smoke’

During a stay at Semonkong Lodge, you can explore Lesotho’s picturesque Maluti Mountains to experience firsthand why this small, land-locked African country is called ‘The Kingdom in the Sky’. In fact, Lesotho’s lowest point (1 400m) is the highest low point of any country. Located in a valley on the banks of the Maletsunyane River, this Lesotho lodge is encircled by peaks measuring some 3 000 metres. 

The rustic stone-and-thatch lodge offers an elegant mountain retreat from which to explore the area with various activities– whether it’s on the back of a Basotho pony, from the saddle of a mountain bike, or during a donkey pub crawl. Perhaps, you’ll brave the world’s longest single-drop commercial abseil according to Guinness World Records, as you rappel 204 metres down a basalt cliff amidst Bearded and Cape Vultures. The Maluti Mountains ecosystem boasts around 250 bird species and more than 300 endemic plants, including the spiral aloe – Lesotho’s national plant – that form alpine floral communities.

Downstream of the lodge, the mighty Maletsunyane Falls is the second highest single-drop waterfall in Africa. It’s enveloped in a plume of mist from the water that plummets into the gorge below. This is how Semonkong, The Place of Smoke, got its name. Fishermen wade through the waters on either side of the waterfall attempting a ‘grand slam’ of catching browns, rainbow trout and endemic yellow fish during a multi-day fishing and camping trip.

By nightfall, our Duck and Donkey Tavern is a popular meeting spot for a wholesome, home-cooked meal where guests recount stories of their day hikes, 4×4 trails and community tours over a chilled Maluti beer, before retreating to the fireplace in some of our stone rondavels.