Hospitable and almost entirely fenceless, Lesotho is a hiker's paradise . It's possible to set off into the hills and hike for as long as you like, with no prospect of an angry farmer yelling at you to get off his land - quite a change from South Africa. In the Highlands there is a vast network of informal tracks and paths between all the villages, and anyone you meet on the way is normally delighted to point you in the direction you want to go. If you're camping, it's important to ask permission, preferably from the chief, although it's normally fine just to pitch your tent if there's no one around. A cosier alternative, where its available, is to stay in a rondavel, for which you will definitely need to ask permission, and to pay a token fee - M10-20 per person.

 

Always prepare adequately before setting out, and bring supplies for at least a day more than you think the hike will take. Be warned that in the highest reaches of the Drakensberg there are very few villages, and you can walk for days without seeing anyone. Lovely as this is, it is also risky, so make sure someone knows where you have gone, and don't hike there on your own. Lesotho's weather is notoriously fickle, and you should bring a sunhat and sunblock, as well as warm clothing and waterproofs, whatever the season.

Other basics include a torch, plenty of food (there aren't many stores in very rural areas, and those there are usually poorly stocked), a water container, water purifying tablets, an all-weather cooker with fuel (don't count on finding firewood), a genuinely waterproof tent, a sleeping mat and a warm sleeping bag. Also invaluable is a decent map and a compass. The 1:250,000 map available from tourist outlets in Maseru marks most trails and topography, although the really detailed 1:50,000 maps of specific regions of Lesotho, available from the Department of Lands, Surveys and Physical Planning (tel 32 2376), on Lerotholi Road, near the corner of Constitution Road in Maseru, are far better.