For as long as I can remember I have thought about the continent of Africa as a warm and dry place where it was all just Sahara desert. Ofcourse that already is not right at all since there is proper rain forest in middle Africa and there are so many lush green forests to find.
The second bias that I had was that it was always warm in Africa. That it was always sunny and hardly any rain would fall and it would just be dry. Again the next idea based on nothing that was wrong. Especially around South Africa there are proper winter and summer seasons with very different temperatures going on.
And especially with the different altitudes in the middle of the country, this can really lead to lower temperatures when it is winter time.
I was impressed by the mountains. By the steepness and how desolate they were. In Lesotho this felt like even more desolate. Hardly any towns there and the views are widespread. The mountains just all have some bush form growing on there, trees are rather hard to find. Lesotho is on a big high altitude platform, which means the whole country is rather high.
But I didn't expect to find a skiing resort in the middle of Lesotho. Say what!!
Afriski skiing resort
There at 3266 meters above sealevel on the East side of Lesotho around a long corner there you can find Afriski skiing resort. In winter time this place has enough altitude to get the snow canons running and sometime there is even some actual snow falling.
Now ofcourse it is summer now in Lesotho so the resort is open for hiking and other stuff but not for snowy expeditions. Nevertheless I took a snack inside the lodge there which looked like a proper resort in the Alps, but then just 8000 kilometers away from it.
Just look at the inside of this lodge with all of this posters hanging there. Just get a woodfire going and you are set to go.
Or what about these wooden skis hanging there with some springbok and hartebeest skulls over there. (and did you check the prices of the food. Pork belly for 120? That is $6 bucks for really decent pork belly. Don't seeing you paying those kinds of prices in the Alps for something like that.
I can really see people spending a day here inside while the rest of the family is out on the slopes.
A talk about the resort
So I had a chat with one of the maintainance guys over there who was working on the renovations of the resort in summer time to get everything ready for next season again.
I was wondering on how busy this place would get during the season. It is far away from everything and most likely would also be kind of costy to run a place like this.
He told me that during season time there can be upto 2800 people per day visiting around there, which means a really decent income. Also they have places to sleep and ofcourse to eat so that means additional income popping in there as well.
Don't you just love these little details of the ladies room walking in?
I just had never expected that I would find anything like this here in the mountains. And it just looks like for instance Winterberg in Germany. A not too steep mountain which is all made for people learning how to ski.
With a towing lift that would make it able for you to get up onto the hill. The guy there also told me that they are working on getting a second slope there. which means preparing the hill and and trying to get funding for second lift.
I hope they do honestly and that they make it really a place to head out to. There is so much potential in this region and these kinds of thngs are really something that can boost the economy in a good kind of way.
Just look at these little skis standing here just waiting for people to come and learn on it!
I was just really surprised to find this place in the middle of the mountains just in Africa. Who would have thought that something would be there? Well atleast I didn't!
Afriski is located in the country of Lesotho. Lesotho is landlocked by the country of South Africa and is mountainranged. For more info you can find it here