How to Visit Maletsunyane Falls and Semonkong (2024)

Ahhh… Maletsunyane Falls. One of Africa’s top hidden gems and a place we remember fondly. An epic single-drop waterfall straight into a gorge (which you can hike down to)? Yes, please!

And the best part? It’s Lesotho, so no one knows about it. What more could you ask for? Maybe camping at the viewpoint? Well, you’re in luck, because you can actually do that too. 

Sound epic? It is. Get ready for an adventure and read on for our guide to Maletsunyane Falls.

What is Maletsunyane Falls and Semonkong

Maletsunyane Falls is a 192-metre single-drop waterfall in Lesotho’s Central Highlands. It’s the highest waterfall in Lesotho and one of the highest single-drop waterfalls in Africa. We’ve seen a lot of waterfalls in our time, and we still think this one is pretty epic. 

The waterfall drops into a deep gorge surrounded by high cliffs. So, while Maletsunyane Falls itself is amazing, it’s the whole package that makes it really special – the falls, the valley and the cliffs surrounding it. 

Read: 15 Awesome Things to Do in Lesotho + Essential Guide

Maletsunyane Falls is one of Lesotho’s most popular attractions. But it’s Lesotho, so by popular, we mean maybe a couple of visitors a day. 

Semonkong is the nearest town to Maletsunyane Falls. Semonkong means ‘place of smoke’, given to it from the spray created by the falls. It’s a bustling little village and absolutely worth strolling around for an hour or so to get a taste of local Basotho culture and life. 

Where are Semonkong and Maletsunyane Falls

Semonkong is located in the Maseru District in Central Lesotho, part of Lesotho’s Central Highlands. Semonkong is approximately 120 km from Maseru (the capital of Lesotho). 

Heading to South Africa? Check out Golden Gate Highlands National Park

Best Time to Visit Maletsunyane Falls

The best time to visit Maletsunyane Falls is in March and April. This is just after the rainy season, so the landscape will be green and the falls will be pumping. 

Of course, you can visit Maletsunyane Falls at any time of the year, but as you go deeper into the dry season, the volume of water will decrease. 

If you visit between April and October, it will be winter in Lesotho, so make sure you pack some warm clothes!

Where to next? Check out Ts’ehlanyane National Park

How to Get to Semonkong 

To get to Semonkong, you can drive yourself, hire a driver, take a tour or use public transportation. 

Drive 

The most common way for visitors to travel around Lesotho is to rent a car in South Africa and drive overland.

Pro tip: use Discover Cars to find the best deals on rentals.

Semonkong is about 120km from Maseru. The drive is really scenic, so take your time and enjoy the ride. 

From Maseru, follow the signs to Roma, home to the National University of Lesotho. 

Be sure to fill up in Roma, which is a pleasant place to stop and have lunch. As it’s home to Lesotho’s university, it’s filled with students milling about and has a nice vibe to it. There’s also a small supermarket if you need some basic supplies. 

Once you hit Roma, the drive to Semonkong is approximately 1.5 hours. Again, scenic. 

Lesotho is best explored by road-tripping! Check out our epic 8-day Lesotho road trip itinerary.

Hire a driver

Due to Lesotho’s limited public transportation network, it’s very common for travellers to hire a driver to shuttle them around the country. In fact, most of the tourists we met were doing just this. If this is what you’re looking for, you can hire a top-rated driver here. 

Take a tour

If you’re short on time or just like your activities well-organised, you can visit Maletsunyane as part of a tour.

Again, we met a lot of other people travelling this way. If you’re looking for a good option, there is a fantastic 3-day tour of Lesotho that includes Maletsunyane Falls or a big day out from Maseru.

Public Transport

Lesotho’s public transport is pretty limited, but we’ve heard reports that two daily buses travel to Semonkong each day from Maseru’s bus station. If you’ve done this, please let us know in the comments below! 

You can also get to Semonkong by shared taxi. Shared taxis can be picked up in all decent-sized towns in Lesotho and leave when full. 

How to Get to Maletsunyane Falls From Semonkong

Once you’ve made your way to Semonkong, it’s a rough, 4WD-only road to Maletsunyane Falls. From the highway, it’ll take around 45 minutes to travel around 7 or 8 km to the falls. 

You can drive down to the upper and lower viewpoints, however, these require high clearance and can get very boggy after rain. 

If you don’t have a 4WD to take you directly to Maletsunyane Falls, it’s an easy walk from Semonkong Lodge along a walking trail. Alternatively, you can ride a pony (it’s Lesotho, you can ride a pony anywhere). 

Related: How to Conquer Sani Pass

Maletsunyane Falls Cost

The entrance fee to Maletsunyane Falls is officially 130 LSL.

However, you can expect to be charged anywhere from 100 – 130 LSL, depending on how the guide feels at the time and whether you’re paying in cash (discounts for cash – you know the deal). 

Facilities at Maletsunyane Falls 

There is a work-in-progress big tourist centre at the Maletsunyane Falls viewpoint. At the moment, there’s not much there in the way of facilities – just a restaurant with limited options and high prices. 

We saw (nice) mountain bikes there, but it was unclear how much they were, who had the authority to rent them out, or even where to go. If this has changed, again please let us know. 

Semonkong Lodge

You’ll find much more in the way of facilities at Semonkong Lodge. Semonkong Lodge is a pretty well-set-up lodge, with all the amenities you could expect in isolated Central Lesotho. 

The Duck and Donkey Tavern attached to Semonkong Lodge has a warm, cozy feel to it and some good ambience going on. There’s a terrace overlooking the river, which is a great place to watch the world (and tons of locals on donkeys) go by. It’s pretty expensive (we paid 80 LTL for two hot chocolates), but still worth spending a few hours in. 

Semonkong Lodge offers a wide variety of activities, including hiking, pony treks, cultural tours, donkey pub crawl (yes, really) and the infamous Maletsunyane Falls abseil (see below). 

What To Do At Maletsunyane Falls

Hike to the Base of Maletsunyane Falls

From the viewpoint, you can hike down to the base of Maletsunyane Falls. If you’re fit and physically able, we highly recommend doing this. 

The hike is moderate. There is a clear trail, but it is steep and slippery, so take your time. We both had a couple of slips. 

The trail can be found on Wikiloc and maps.me, or you can hire a guide from the neighbouring communities or Semonkong Lodge to take you down. 

Budget around 1 hour to get down, and 2-3 hours roundtrip, including a break at the bottom. 

Abseil Down Maletsunyane Falls

If extreme adventure sports are more your thing, you’re well-catered for at Maletsunyane Falls. Semonkong Lodge operates an abseil down the falls. It’s the longest commercially operated single-drop abseil in the world (is that a thing?). 

Where to Stay When Visiting Maletsunyane Falls

When visiting Maletsunyane Falls, you have two options: you can camp (either directly at Maletsunyane Falls or Semonkong Lodge) or you can get a room at Semonkong Lodge. 

Camping at Maletsunyane Falls

If you’re completely set up for self-sufficient camping and have a sturdy 4×4, then lucky you! By far the best option is open to you: camping directly at Maletsunyane Falls.

So long as your car can make it and you’re equipped to do so, you can camp directly at the upper or lower viewpoint at Maletsunyane Falls. This is just a flat, grassy spot, with no amenities to speak of, but man is it something beautiful. 

Camping at the Maletsunyane Falls viewpoint is a really, really special experience. To this day, it still ranks as one of our favourite camping sites in Africa. 

There’s no ‘campground’ to speak of and it’s entirely wild camping, so you need to be prepared. This means having enough water, food and the ability to prepare it. There’s no official bathroom for campers, but if you’re polite, then you can probably use the ones in the new, gaudy tourist centre. 

Besides the Maletsunyane Falls entrance fee (see above), there is no extra charge to spend the night at the viewpoint. Score!

Staying at Semonkong Lodge

Semonkong Lodge is the other option for accommodation in the area. The lodge is located just on the outskirts of town. 

Semonkong Lodge offers camping, dorms and rondavels. 

Camping at Semonkong Lodge costs 180 LTL pppn and there is a dedicated camping area just by the river. 

Honestly, we didn’t love the Semonkong Lodge camping area. It felt overpriced and there was a bunch of refuse around, so not the most welcoming vibe. On a positive note, the bathrooms are clean and have consistent hot water. 

By all accounts, people are much happier with the dorms/rondavels at Semonkong Lodge, so if it’s a room you’re after, you’ll probably enjoy it here. 

Maletsunyane Falls and Semonkong: Good to Know

• Pack warm clothes. It gets really cold up in Lesotho’s highlands, so make sure you have a warm jacket and layers. If you’re camping, you’ll want a sleeping bag rated to at least -5C. 
• If you’re coming from South Africa (which, you probably are), you can use South African rand if you don’t want to use an ATM in Lesotho or change money. The Lesotho Loti (LTL) is par with the South African rand and is accepted everywhere.
• Learn a couple of words in Sesotho. Well, try. It’s freakin hard to pronounce. “Dumela” is hello.
• Travel insurance, as always, is essential. If something goes wrong, you want to be covered. We use and recommend SafetyWing. Trust us, we’ve used a lot of travel insurance and they really are the best.

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