Encounter Lesotho Kingdom’s Basotho culture with Semonkong Lodge
Our History
Armelle and Jonathan Halse took over Semonkong Lodge from the Frasers Trading Company in 1990. Africa has always been home for them. Armelle has South African-Mauritian roots, while Jonathan’s ancestors have been in Lesotho for five generations and he is fluent in seSotho. His third great grandfather was present at its historic founding as Lesotho Kingdom under King Moshoeshoe I in the late 19th century. Jonathan recounts fond childhood memories of holidaying along the banks of the Maletsunyane River after Sydney ‘Maluti Syd’ Chaplain established it as a camping base in 1962 for his pony trekking and trout fishing safari business called Maluti Treks.
The following year, a 10-metre-long wooden hut was built on the site. While much has changed since then, to this day Semonkong Lodge retains its heritage of being a comfortable and cosy resting place for pony trekkers and fly fishermen looking to catch brown and rainbow trout. Today, our campsite is complemented with 25 en-suite rooms and communal dormitories complete with self-catering kitchens.
We welcome a mix of adrenaline junkies, 4×4 enthusiasts, mountain bikers, hikers, rock climbers, high-altitude athletes and anyone wanting a real encounter with nature. We tip our hats to passersby looking for a homemade meal at our restaurant or a refreshing Maluti beer at our Duck and Donkey Tavern. From our stoep (porch), you can observe blanket-clad Basotho people going about their day – transporting supplies from town on horseback and being followed by a string of sheep, perhaps a goat or two, and a dog.
We are honoured that over the years, Semonkong Lodge has become an integral part of the greater community – not merely as the town’s largest employer and a driver of a sustainable ecotourism model, but as partners, neighbours, friends. In true African culture, we exist because of them.
We look forward to welcoming you to The Kingdom in the Sky.
Jonathan (Thabo) and Armelle (Masechaba) Halse
Community collaboration at Semonkong Lodge
As a family-owned and -run lodge, we’ve always placed responsible ecotourism at the heart of how we manage Semonkong Lodge. The natural environment – its ongoing conservation and the sustainable use of its resources – is the focal point of all our activities. We always do things consciously. We want our guests to have organic and meaningful interactions with the Basotho people who live around us, without anything being scripted or put on show. Our overnight pony trekking tours and three community tours are a true representation of daily life in the Kingdom of Lesotho. They allow our guests to learn about the history, heritage and culture of our beloved country.
Since 1990, we’ve endeavoured to foster learning opportunities, encourage hands-on skills development and training, while creating long-term employment in the tourism and hospitality industry. Our aim has always been to nurture mutually-beneficial relationships with our community to create a sustainable income for as many people as possible. Ninety-five per cent of our 40-odd salaried staff come from and live in Semonkong town. As do all of our 10 contracted horse guides, who lead our pony trekking, overnight fishing expeditions, 4×4 routes, guided hiking holidays, and abseiling experiences.
We focus on each individual’s skills, talents and interests to incorporate them into our local economy in whatever way we can, whether it’s buying bundles of cut grass for our thatch roofs, chopped wood from invasive/alien trees for our fireplaces, or home-made traditional flat bread (liphaphatha) for our restaurant.
Meanwhile, the 50 Basotho ponies and 20 donkeys we use for many of our activities are owned by individuals from Semonkong town and nearby mountain villages. When not in use by their owners, these are hired to us on a rotating basis (so that everyone gets a fair turn), on the condition that the animals are healthy and properly cared for. To play our part, we pay for and administer bi-annual deworming and parasite vaccinations to each of the horses and donkeys we use in our activities. Similarly, the fly-fishing permit fee employs community members through the Maletsunyane River Conservation Fund that we established to clean and maintain the rivers.
By partaking in our activities, you help us provide vital jobs and further our initiatives to conserve the environment. Thanks to your support, during the 2019 financial year, these activities paid out in excess of LSL/ZAR 1 million to our contracted guides, horse owners, and the villages where we overnight.
