Pony Trekking – Learn how to plan your adventure!

The horse is a source of pride in Lesotho and the Basotho are renowned as a nation of horsemen. For generations, the sure-footed Basotho ‘pony’ has been bred as the ideal form of transport in the rugged mountains. Pony trekking holidays on the hardy Basotho ponies are immensely popular and a fantastic way of exploring Lesotho’s beautifully rugged terrain as the bridle paths that criss-cross Lesotho are barely wide enough for vehicles but the ponies effortlessly dodge obstacles and loose rocks.

It is available all around Lesotho to experience beautiful scenery and unique mountain experience. Here is a beautiful video shot around Maliba Lodge to give you a preview.

Prices and Locations

There are a number of places that provides the Pony Trekking in Lesotho, below are the overview of the pony trekking in Lesotho. This is, however, is not a comprehensive list.

Place	Tours	Time		Price(Approx)
Maliba Lodge	Ts’ehlanyane National Park	2-4 Hrs		R495-R750(Per Ride)
Sani Lodge	Sani Pass	2-4 Days		R2675-R7900(Packages)
Malealea Lodge	Ribaneng Waterfall and More	2hrs – 7Days		Short Duration – On request Set Tour- R935-R990(per day)
Semonkong Lodge	Maletsunyane Falls	1 hr – 4days		Short Duration – R440(start from) Overnight – On Request

Pony Trekking is the best way to see the highlands of Lesotho. However, it’s up to you if you want to do a few hours or a few days of wilderness and get connected to nature.

Notes

Below are the basic things you need to be aware of while doing the Pony Trekking if you want to venture into overnight Pony Rides:

1. Some Accommodations Provides guided hiking, Please read their website to know the kit lists and food lists to help you. One such example is: https://sanilodge.co.za/DAhikeovernight.htm
2. Please read carefully about the sleeping arrangements and the types of equipment. Thoroughly check the arrangements and then only book your adventure.
3. Most of them will require you to sign Indemnity Forms, so be prepared.
4. All Lodges has different requirements what to bring during trekking, please read carefully and enquire from respective lodges.
5. Be careful about the weight limits that you can carry. For example from one of the Malealea Lodge website :

” The weight limit per pannier bag is 25 kg (50 kg per packhorse, usually 4 persons to 1 packhorse). In the case of excess weight, an extra packhorse will have to be hired by the group. “