Tsehlanyane

Maliba Lodge

Wedding Day

Wedding

Reception

Attire

Wea(the)r 

Attire: wear whatever you want.&nbsp;casual and colorful.

It is hot in Lesotho in the summer (historical average according to the internet is high of 88 and low of 58). Lesotho/Maliba&nbsp;is also at altitude so wear sunscreen and bring something for the evenings

Our Story

Our Wedding

Lesotho 

We have rented out the entire lodge from Dec 27 - Dec 30.&nbsp;

We are hoping that we will be able to accommodate everyone coming from out of the country at Maliba for the whole weekend. We will treat your RSVP as a request to stay at Maliba unless otherwise noted. We will do our best to organize rooms as best&nbsp;we&nbsp;can.&nbsp;

Mahlakapese Guesthouse

A1 opposite Masjid Mosque, Hlotse, Lesotho If additional accommodations are necessary,&nbsp;Mahlakapese&nbsp;Guest House is an hour from the venue.&nbsp;

Guest Accommodations

Photos

Registry

Wedding Party

Getting to Lesotho

Maseru

The main airport in Lesotho is Moshoeshoe I International Airport in Maseru. It has flights to/from Johannesburg. From Maseru it&nbsp;is about a <a href="https://www.google.com/maps/dir/Maseru+%2F+Moshoeshoe+I+International+Airport,+Lesotho/Maliba+Lodge,+Lesotho/@-29.1215226,27.6905479,10z/data=!3m1!4b1!4m14!4m13!1m5!1m1!1s0x1e8c482936985183:0x3953396156a28d0d!2m2!1d27.559059!2d-29.4554631!1m5!1m1!1s0x1e8d3b031e01bdfb:0x5aedebd21b0b6143!2m2!1d28.437294!2d-28.914721!3e0">3 hour drive</a> to Maliba. Flying into Maseru can be expensive, especially around the holidays. We don't recommend flying into Maseru unless&nbsp;you also want to see other parts of Lesotho or you are worried about long car rides

Johannesburg

O.R. Tambo International Airport is the biggest/easiest to fly into. We usually fly to Joburg and then drive into Lesotho. There is a direct flight from JFK, for example. It is a <a href="https://www.google.com/maps/dir/O.R.+Tambo+Airport+Rd,+O.R.+Tambo,+Kempton+Park,+1627,+South+Africa/Maliba+Lodge,+Lesotho/@-27.5231048,27.250673,8z/data=!3m1!4b1!4m14!4m13!1m5!1m1!1s0x1e9514421fc45881:0x4d1ce3dbce8ae88!2m2!1d28.2313121!2d-26.1319929!1m5!1m1!1s0x1e8d3b031e01bdfb:0x5aedebd21b0b6143!2m2!1d28.437294!2d-28.914721!3e0">4.5 hour drive</a> to Maliba from Joburg.&nbsp;

BE&nbsp;CAREFUL&nbsp;with your luggage at Joburg - particularly with connecting flights. We have had things taken out of checked bags connecting through Joburg and have heard other similar stories.&nbsp;

We are organizing&nbsp;transportation from Joburg to Maliba on Friday Dec. 27. If you would like transportation PLEASE&nbsp;let us know about your fight info.

Bloemfontein

Bloem is the nearest big city in South Africa to Maseru. There are flights into Bloem from other cities around SA, so it's a reasonable option if you start in Cape Town. Bloem is a <a href="https://www.google.com/maps/dir/Bloemfontein+Airport+(BFN),+Bloemfontein,+South+Africa/Maliba+Lodge,+Lesotho/@-28.8160009,26.7828843,9z/data=!3m1!4b1!4m14!4m13!1m5!1m1!1s0x1e8fce1605bbc93b:0xcc6b26568ba59856!2m2!1d26.2987666!2d-29.0927358!1m5!1m1!1s0x1e8d3b031e01bdfb:0x5aedebd21b0b6143!2m2!1d28.437294!2d-28.914721!3e0">3.5 hour drive</a> from Maliba and <a href="https://www.google.com/maps/dir/Bloemfontein+Airport+(BFN),+Bloemfontein,+South+Africa/Khubetsoana,+Maseru,+Lesotho/@-29.2027995,26.3520008,9z/data=!3m1!4b1!4m14!4m13!1m5!1m1!1s0x1e8fce1605bbc93b:0xcc6b26568ba59856!2m2!1d26.2987666!2d-29.0927358!1m5!1m1!1s0x1e8dca69ca696a19:0x8836beb25522629a!2m2!1d27.5274953!2d-29.2717426!3e0">under two hours</a> to Maseru.

Driving in

If you rent a car in South Africa, you may need special documentation to cross the border into Lesotho. Talk to the rental agency people (and pay some money).&nbsp;

If you are driving to Maliba, Maseru, or Semonkong, the roads will be fine, with a &nbsp;gravel/dirt section at the end.&nbsp;

Visas

South Africa

For anyone traveling through South Africa, you must have a passport with more than 6 months before it expires and two blank pages.&nbsp;U.S. citizens are visa-exempt. Other visa exempt countries are listed here:&nbsp;<a href="http://www.dha.gov.za/index.php/immigration-services/exempt-countries">http://www.dha.gov.za/index.ph...</a>

Lesotho

U.S. citizens do not require a visa to enter Lesotho. Other visa exempt countries are listed here:&nbsp;<a href="http://evisalesotho.com/visa-exemptions/">http://evisalesotho.com/visa-e...</a>

Vaccines

There are <a href="https://wwwnc.cdc.gov/travel/yellowbook/2018/infectious-diseases-related-to-travel/yellow-fever#5291">no special vaccines required,</a> but it's a good idea to have hepA and tetanus.&nbsp;If you are coming from a country with a&nbsp;Yellow Fever risk, Lesotho requires a Yellow&nbsp;Fever&nbsp;vaccine.&nbsp;&nbsp;Lesotho doesn't require malaria because it is at altitude, but if you are traveling elsewhere in Africa as well it may be recommended.

Traveling to Lesotho

Q + A

We know Lesotho can be difficult to get to, so we're providing&nbsp;<a href="https://www.visitlesotho.travel/">a list</a>&nbsp;for other parts of Lesotho to visit while you’re there.&nbsp;

<a href="https://whc.unesco.org/en/tentativelists/5392/">Thaba Bosiu</a>&nbsp;- historic cultural center outside of Maseru&nbsp;





<a href="http://www.semonkonglodge.com/">Semonkong</a>/Malestunyane - waterfall and lodge, among the most accessible of Lesotho's natural wonders (pictured below)





<a href="https://www.google.com/search?q=sehlabathebe+national+park&amp;tbm=isch&amp;source=univ&amp;sa=X&amp;ved=2ahUKEwie36-Sm4zgAhVvh-AKHWYMDyYQiR56BAgGEBM&amp;biw=1305&amp;bih=661">Sehlabathebe National Park</a>&nbsp;- remote, untouched national park in the Drakensburg mountains





<a href="https://www.dangerousroads.org/africa/south-africa/559-sani-pass-lesotho.html">Sani Pass</a>- a notoriously windy road





<a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Katse_Dam">Katse Dam</a>&nbsp;- an intro to water geopolitics, also peaceful with some water sports and cultural options

Rent a 4x4 for Rural Areas

If you are driving &nbsp;into the rural areas of Lesotho, say to Sehlabathebe, we HIGHLY&nbsp;recommend a lot of clearance and some spare tires. Or you can just give our bests to my buddy the tire guy on the road from Qacha's Nek to Sehlabathebe.&nbsp;

Most of the country has well-paved roads that connect parts of the country - primarily where there are mines or dams that require heavy equipment and have money. So for places like Maseru, Semonkong, and Maliba much of the access will be paved roads but the last stretch can often still be dirt.&nbsp;

South(ern) Africa

Cape Town

Cape Town makes a great additional stop&nbsp;on your way to/from Lesotho. We particularly like Table Mountain, the Cape of Good Hope itself, the penguin beach, and the&nbsp;botanical gardens.

Victoria Falls

Naomi and her mother have visited Victoria Falls on the Zimbabwe/Zambia border. We had a blast rafting the Zambezi River and added in some safari days as well.&nbsp;

Safari

Safaris roughly divide between private game reserves and national parks. Private reserves know what animals are there and can better guarantee what you'll see. National parks are more varied and less certain.&nbsp;

Naomi has been to Zambezi National Park in Zimbabwe and Chobe National Park in Botswana (known for elephants, as in the photo). The classic South African safari is Kruger National Park.

Naomi & Kopano

Naomi & Kopano

Guest Accommodations

Maliba Lodge

Maliba Lodge

Mahlakapese Guesthouse

Mahlakapese Guesthouse