“Ummm….are we going to try to go down that on our ponies?” I heard Mariella ask our guide as my horse pulled up to the edge of a canyon.

I looked at the road in front of me—at the loose scree, the vertical slope and the twisting path. “I hope not” the voice inside my head replied.

Our guide dismissed our fears and assured us we would be okay. Lesotho’s ponies are meant for this kind of terrain, he assured us.

Lesotho Pony Trekking

The sure-footed Basotho ponies have adapted miraculously to Lesotho’s mountainous terrain. For centuries, the Basotho people have relied on this unique breed of horse as their primary means of transportation.

Today, inaccessible terrain, coupled with Lesotho’s poverty, have resulted in a sparse network of roads and many communities that lay a long ways off the infrastructure grid. As a result, to reach many of the smaller villages, one can only follow footpaths that wind through valleys and around mountain peaks.

Since Lesotho is a largely rural country and many people live away from the main arteries of infrastructure, horseback riding remains the preferred method of transportation for many people. For us, horse riding in Lesotho proved to be a memorable way of soaking in the Drakensberg Mountain scenery.

Exploring Lesotho on Horseback is the best way to experience Africa‘s Kingdom in the Sky. By riding horses along the narrow paths that weave through the Drakensberg Mountains, we were able to see landscapes and villages that are largely inaccessible by car.

Our Pony Trek from Malealea Lodge to Ribaneng

Despite the uneven mountainous terrain, our Basotho ponies were sure-footed and confident.

On numerous times during our overnight trek from Malealea to Ribaneng, we had to put our trust in our horse. Throughout the entire two days, there were many instances in which we would look at our guide incredulously and ask, “are we really going to go there on horseback?”

One such instance occurred on our first day of riding, shortly after we got back on our horses following the descent into the canyon. When we reached the bottom, our guide told that we would need to ford a river.

Each village we passed seemed more picturesque than the last and each vista was so awe-inspiring, that I didn’t notice just how sore my bottom was until we reached Ribaneng Village—our final destination.

• Ribaneng Village Lesotho

Ribaneng is a tiny village perched halfway up a mountain. The village consists of a small cluster of round, stone huts called rondavels, a sheep corral and a surprisingly clean pit toilet for overnight visitors. It overlooks a valley and is only a few kilometers away from the lovely Ribaneng waterfall.

Our tour included accommodation in a basic Basotho hut. Travelers seeking a slightly less ‘rustic’ experience have the option of staying at the Ribaneng Lodge.

In the evening, we cooked a generous portion of bland spaghetti by torchlight, chatted with a wonderful Belgian couple who had joined us for the first day of the trek and absorbed our surroundings, as the setting sun finally emerged from behind the clouds and blanketed the countryside with a sun-drenched glow.

Mariella and I opted out of hiking to the falls that afternoon and, instead, decided to spend  the rest of our day exploring the village. We played various games of peek-a-boo with the charismatic village baby, watched the sheep herders scamper up mountains with remarkable agility and witnessed village life unfold before our eyes.

The next morning, we woke up at sunrise for an early hike to the waterfall. The hike was about two miles long and afforded us breathtaking views of Ribaneng village and the surrounding mountains.

• Ribaneng Waterfall

The path to the waterfall wound down the mountainside to the river. Once we reached the bottom, our guide advised us to take off our shoes and stash them behind a bush so that we could wade through the river toward the base of the falls.

The water was frigid and sent daggers flying through my body. I was not accustomed to such icy temperatures–not after spending a year in one of the world’s hottest countries.

Mariella and I navigated the slippery rocks at the base of the waterfall with numb feet and relished the views. It felt incredible to have such a beautiful spot completely to ourselves. There were no hoards of camera-toting tourists talking loudly or complaining about the lack of WiFi or cell reception. It was just us and nature. And the occasional goat or sheep that ran in and out of the scene.

Yet as pleasant as the journey was, when our horses finally galloped through the gates of the lodge after a second long day of trekking, we were ready to be back. As a result of our decision, we spent the rest of the day and the next hiking to the Paradise Pass, mingling with fellow travelers and feasting on carrot-cake and amarula milkshakes—a blissful end to a wonderful five days in the Mountain Kingdom.

We had debated tacking on another day to the trek, since it would have been nice to explore remote villages further afield, but Mariella and I were more than satisfied with our decision to spend our last day around the lodge instead.

I think our sore bums were thankful, too.

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Throughout the year I spent living in Southern Africa, I was constantly struck by the disparity between the continent’s luxurious hotels and the living conditions of the local population. I began to question the efficacy of tourism in Africa as a vehicle of providing upward mobility to the continent’s residents. I’d seen the failure of international aid time and time again. And when travelers to Africa passed out candies to children and brought ‘gifts’ for their host communities, I often found myself often questioning whether international visitors—while well-intentioned—were truly helping.

But I truly believe that there are countless wonderful development initiatives around Africa and that tourism, if executed correctly, can have positive impacts.

Malealea Lodge in Lesotho provides the perfect example of how tourism and charity can truly benefit a community in a sustainable way.

Malealea Lodge in Lesotho

Malealea is a small, environmentally friendly, no-frills lodge, tucked away amongst Lesotho’s tallest peaks. The lodge is a destination in its own right, and a gateway to the beautiful hiking trails in Africa’s Kingdom in the Sky. It is a blissful place to stay, and a cornerstone of the Malealea village community.

The owners of the Malealea Lodge have created a development trust that works closely with the local community to assess areas of need.

Malealea is a shining example of a well-orchestrated interplay between development and tourism. It represents what the travel industry could do.

Malealea works closely with the local village to expand employment opportunities in the community and give back in a sustainable and environmentally friendly manner. Proceeds from the lodge have funded schools, land reclamation projects, recycling initiatives and orphan care. The lodge seeks to promote sustainability both among its visitors and in the surrounding community. It employs many local individuals as hiking and pony trekking guides.

Malealea Lodge Tours and Activities

Mariella and I fell in love with Malealea the moment we arrived at the lodge and absorbed the sweeping views around us. We had five days in the village and immediately sat down to map them out, agreeing that the plethora of activities would likely keep our days occupied to maximum capacity.

During our five day stay at Malealea Lodge, Mariella and I signed up for an overnight pony trekking excursion into the surrounding villages and participated in many hikes around the area.

We filled our agenda to the brim partly because the activities were of such great value and partly because we felt good about where our tourist dollars would be going.

Sustainable Tourism in Africa

I visited Malealea Lodge in Lesotho with Mariella shortly after the close of my volunteer service in Namibia. It was at a time in which I began to really start thinking about the interplay between tourism, volunteerism and development. As a backpacker and avid explorer of the world, I like to think that there is a big distinction between tourists and travelers. I like to think that by traveling on public transport, eating in local establishments and purchasing goods directly from street vendors, I am impacting my host community in a positive way.

And I truly do believe that travel can be beneficial in many ways–both to the individual explorer and to his or her host community. Tourism has extraordinary potential in Africa. The continent’s abundance of wonderful destinations has the potential to draw millions of vacationers who could bring valuable dollars to local economies.

But the tourist dollars that enter the country rarely fall into the right hands.

I think tourism in many parts of Africa provides a perfect example of how the travel industry can take strides toward advancing the well-being of the host country. When I traveled around parts of Namibia and Botswana, it saddened me to see how many luxury resorts coexisted with destitute poverty and how little this high-end tourism really benefitted locals.

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