Sehlabathebe

Lesotho's oldest park

Between November and February, Sehlabathebe's rolling grassland fills with wildflowers — among them the Sehlabathebe waterlily, an endangered endemic that grows in the muddy base of shallow sandstone rock pools, its white-and-yellow petals appearing where most plants wouldn't survive. The park runs along the foot of the Drakensberg ridge, with the South African border tracing the ridgeline and open sky in every direction.

The Tsoelikana River cuts through the grassland, its waterfall dropping into a natural pool cold enough to remind you how high up you are. Trails wind through the park — on foot or on horseback — and rock art sites dot the hillsides, some of the best-preserved in the country. Very few tourists make it up here.