Lesotho, the magic mountain  kingdom in the sky

Photos: Pierre Virot, Photographer of the World Health Organization HQ in Geneva

Textes: Pierre Virot, the Lesotho Tourist Office, D. Schwager

The Uniqueness of Lesotho is not confined to its scenic beauty and tranquillity alone nor to the four seasons that express themselves in different moods in the open nature that surrounds. The people of Lesotho, the Basotho, will themselves add an inimitable flavour to the experience of each traveller visiting Lesotho. The Kingdom is a fenceless country; a whole 11716 square miles of land surface, about the size of Belgium and completely surrounded by the Republic of South Africa. Lesotho has one of the most inspiring landscapes in Africa, the altitude never drops below 1000m above sea-level. Sculpted into the spectacular, mountainous terrain of the highlands are soaring peaks, deep valleys, gushing waterfalls and mighty rivers.

It is estimated that there are over 60’000 herd boys and shepherds in Lesotho. Theirs is often a lonely and dangerous life as in certain seasons the herds are taken to high- lying pastures far from home for months on end.