Kome Cave Dwellings

Under a long sandstone overhang at Ha Kome, houses grow out of the rock: smooth-shouldered dwellings of mud and dung built in the early nineteenth century, when Basia and Bataung families sheltered here through the upheavals of the Lifaqane era, their rounded walls curving to meet the stone roof above. The dwellings are a national heritage site with a visitor centre and village guides - and, remarkably, descendants of the builders still live in some of them, keeping the site a home rather than a museum piece. The surrounding Berea badlands of eroded sandstone add a strange, sculpted backdrop to the visit.

What you actually see

• The cave houses - rounded mud dwellings fused to the overhang.
• The living village - descendants keeping homes in the rock today.
• The overhang line - the full sweep of shelter and dwellings.
• The Berea sandstone country - eroded ridges and hoodoos around the site.

When to go

March to November avoids the worst of the summer storm mud on the village roads; winter days are clear and cold. Mornings light the overhang best. The guides live locally - visits support them directly.

Honest expectations

People live here: this is a guided visit to someone's home ground, and photography of residents needs asking, not assuming. The site is modest in size - the story and setting carry it. Roads in are rough after rain; the last stretch may prefer high clearance.

Nearby

Teyateyaneng's weaving houses, Maseru and Thaba Bosiu across the lowlands.