Lesotho: good to know
The general-information half of trip planning: how expensive Lesotho feels, what is considered polite, what is not, and the everyday practicalities - alongside our 35 written places.
Gentle mountain courtesy; greetings come first, elders are honoured and horses still count as transport.
✓ Considered polite
- Open every interaction with Lumela - hello - before asking anything
- Give and receive with the right hand, or both hands for extra respect
- Show deference to elders and village chiefs - protocol matters in rural areas
- Ask before photographing people, herders or their livestock
✗ Better avoided
- Skip greetings and get straight to business - it reads as rude
- Treat the Basotho blanket as a costume - it is dignified formal wear
- Wear revealing clothes in villages - modest dress is the norm
- Refuse food or drink offered in a home without at least tasting
Worth knowing
- The loti is pegged to the South African rand and rand notes are accepted everywhere - carry cash outside Maseru
- Tipping around 10% is welcome in restaurants; a few maloti for guides and porters goes a long way
- Sundays are for church - villages empty into services and much of Maseru closes
- Nowhere in the country dips below about 1400 metres - weather flips fast, so pack warm layers even in summer
Plugs and voltage: Wikipedia, «Mains electricity by country» (after the IEC World Plugs list), read 15 October 2026.
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Keep planning
Customs are living things - regions differ, cities relax, generations shift. Take these notes as a friendly head start, watch what locals do, and when in doubt a smile and a greeting in the local language cover almost everything.