Our Lesotho transportation guide tells you all you need to know about getting into and around Lesotho. Use our Lesotho destination guide to research some of the many Lesotho highlights, and book a tour that lets you explore them all.

Lesotho Transportation Guide

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Getting to Lesotho

By Plane

Lesotho is rugged mountainous terrain and most of the places you want to visit will be in the highlands. Hiking and flying are the only two ways of reaching these places. And flying is by far the easier, though more expensive, option!

An 18 km ride from Maseru will bring you to the Moshoeshoe Airport. South African Airways operates a few daily flights from Maseru to Johannesburg. The cost of a ticket would be roughly 2200 ZAR. Lost luggage is very common and there is no proper system in place for locating lost luggage. Taxis are not available at the airport so you need to make advance arrangements for taxis. A taxi ride from the airport will cost approximately 50-80 ZAR.

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Flights to Lesotho

Lesotho Transportation Guide

Click on the Budget rent a car icon on our first page to book your car rental directly with them!

Getting to Lesotho

By Plane

Lesotho is rugged mountainous terrain and most of the places you want to visit will be in the highlands. Hiking and flying are the only two ways of reaching these places. And flying is by far the easier, though more expensive, option!

An 18 km ride from Maseru will bring you to the Moshoeshoe Airport. South African Airways operates a few daily flights from Maseru to Johannesburg. The cost of a ticket would be roughly 2200 ZAR. Lost luggage is very common and there is no proper system in place for locating lost luggage. Taxis are not available at the airport so you need to make advance arrangements for taxis. A taxi ride from the airport will cost approximately 50-80 ZAR.

By Train

Getting around Lesotho by train is not a feasible option as Lesotho does not have an internal train line. However, Bloemfontein Bohlokong, a South African freight railway line stops at Meqheleng while running along the north-western Lesotho border.

By Car

If you are travelling by car you will be entering Lesotho from South Africa. The main border posts you will cross are Makhaleng Bridge, Sephaphos Gate, Caledonspoort, Maseru Bridge, Peka Bridge, Ficksburg Bridge, Tele Bridge, Qacha's Nek, Sani Pass and Van Rooyen's Gate.Ficksburg Bridge and Maseru Bridge are always open. Some of the border posts can be reached only by four-wheel drives. So do choose your vehicle accordingly.

The 'Main North' or A1 road has a tarred surface from Maseru to Mokhotlong. The A2 or 'Main South' is tarred from Maseru to Qacha's Nek. Tarred roads greet you on the way to Katse Dam, Mohale Dam and Roma. The road to Semonkong is not sealed and is best negotiated in a high clearance vehicle. The last part of the road to Malealea measuring 20 km is also a tough stretch but can be negotiated easily in a saloon car. The road in the east-west direction headed to Thaba Tseka is also unsealed . It is better to take the A1 and reach Katse, Sani Pass and Thaba Tseka.

Before starting have the car checked thoroughly. You will be facing steep climbs so overcrowded vehicles unsuited for mountainous terrain would be a very bad idea. Take local advice about the roads, especially if it is winter. Keeping to the main roads is a fairly safe bet.

Fill up your petrol tanks in South Africa or Maseru. Once you leave Maseru you might not find unleaded petrol, or even diesel for that matter.

By Bus

You can opt for either the Vaal-Maseru coach service or minibuses to travel between Maseru and Johannesburg. If you are headed to or from Bloemfontein you will have to change a minibus halfway. This trip takes close to 3 or 4 hours. It is easy to board a minibus for almost any direction from the Maseru Bridge border. However, do get there early enough, say around 7 am, to be sure to get a ride.

By Coach

You can board a coach and get off at the Maseru Bridge Border Post on the South African side. From this point taxis will take you to downtown Maseru.

Getting around Lesotho

By Taxi

You will find the ubiquitous African minibus taxi in Lesotho also. However, regular taxis are also available. You can recognise these by the yellow stripe down the side. Each taxi takes four passengers and the taxi goes to specific destinations. Ask for the destination before you hop on. Minibuses display destinations at the front; still, it is better to ask before you climb in. Fares are to be passed on to the conductor through the other passengers. A useful tip - the front seat near the driver has more leg room. The taxi fares are fixed by the government and local travel might cost you R2-3, with R50 being charged for long distance travel. There is a tendency to overcharge tourists, so make it a point to find out what locals are charged and pay only that.

Minibus taxis have both a driver and a conductor on board. The conductor looks after passengers boarding and getting off, and collects fares. Minibus taxis in Lesotho take on a lot of passengers. They can get very crowded, so be prepared. You may be asked to hold a child or two or maybe lend your lap for someone's luggage. Don't look for high standards here. The minibuses are poorly maintained and most are not covered by insurance. However, Maseru has very few accidents involving taxis, so travel in peace.

Intercity taxi trips will cost around 50 LSL, one way. Inner city travel will cost you about 2. 50 LSL. Taxis seating 4+1 passengers are more expensive and will cost 20 LSL within the city. Talk to the driver/conductor about the fare before you get on to a taxi. There are chances that you will be overcharged when you get off if there has been no prior agreement. Larger groups can hire a whole taxi for cheaper and more comfortable rides.

Finding a Taxi

Minibuses that operate like taxis are a major mode of transport in the main towns of Lesotho. Loud horns from minibuses are an indication that they can accommodate more passengers. Waving to a passing minibus will make it stop. It would be wise to ask where the taxi is headed before getting in. Usually the conductor shouts out the name of the destination the taxi is headed for. Just getting the right Lesotho transport option can be fun!

If you are looking for a taxi to go out of town head straight for Shoprite near the Circle/ Cathedral near Stoppo on Moeshoeshoe Road in Maseru. This is where all minibus taxis start. You may even find a taxi before actually reaching Stoppo. A good place to look would be the lay-by near the pedestrian bridge. Do be on your guard as incidents of pick pocketing are not uncommon.

By Car

Tourists can also hire a car for getting around Lesotho. Cars can be hired from the Sun hotels in Maseru. Another option is to hire a car in South Africa and drive it down to Lesotho. This might be cheaper but permission for driving in Lesotho will have to be obtained. The car hire insurance may or may not cover the permit charges. Tourists will find it enjoyable to interact with the locals.

Travel on the road to Semonkong will necessitate a high clearance vehicle. Well laid roads all the way to Mokhotlong (via Leribe) and Qacha's Nek (south from Maseru) make road travel smooth. Some side roads may not be tarred, but sturdy saloons can travel over these easily for other roads you will need a 4x4.

Walking in Maseru

Maseru is a small place and most of it can be covered by walking. Walking at night is, however, not advisable. You can use a telephone to summon a taxi if you do have to go out at night.