Hlotse

Hlotse, often called Leribe after its district, is the main town of northern Lesotho, founded as a mission station in 1876, and a stone tower built in 1879 during the Gun War survives as its most visible piece of history. It is the base for the road east to Katse and the Bokong reserve, and dinosaur footprints at Subeng are a short drive away. Wool and mohair are the district's business. The Hlotse river the town is named for runs past it towards the Caledon, and the crossing there was the reason the mission chose the spot.

Background

Reverend John Widdicombe, a British missionary, founded the town in 1876 on the Hlotse River, close to the South African border. Its other name, Leribe, is borrowed from the French Protestant Leribe Mission beside it, set up in 1859 by François Coillard. Hlotse works as a market town and had 38,558 inhabitants in 2016, and the charity Help Lesotho keeps its main Basotho headquarters here. The Leribe Craft Centre is one of the sights in town. Records for 1981-2010 give January highs of 27.5 °C and July lows of -1.5 °C. The actress Jeanne de Casalis (1891-1966) was born in Hlotse into a missionary family.

Source: Wikipedia, "Hlotse"

What's there

• The 1879 tower - the stone blockhouse built during the Gun War.
• The mission foundation - the 1876 station the town grew from.
• The Katse road - the route east into the highlands from the town.
• The wool and mohair trade - the district's business.

When to go

September to April is the milder season. Winter mornings are cold. Market days bring the town to life.

Good to know

The tower is the only substantial historic survival and is not open. The town is workaday with limited facilities. Roads east into the highlands are long.

Nearby

Subeng is nearby, and Tsehlanyane is southeast.

Key facts