Maseru

Maseru sits on the Caledon at the point where Lesotho meets South Africa, founded as a police camp in 1869 when the country became a British protectorate and grown into the capital, with the government offices, the royal palace and the cathedral spread across low ground below the sandstone hills. The Basotho Hat building, shaped like the conical mokorotlo, houses a craft shop and has become the city's emblem. The name means place of the red sandstone, after the stone the first buildings were cut from, which is still the colour of much of the older fabric.

Background

Maseru is the largest city of Lesotho as well as the seat of the Maseru District, and the 2016 census counted 330,760 people. It began as a police camp in 1869 and kept its place as the capital when the country became independent in 1966. The city lies directly on the border with South Africa along the Caledon River, and its name is a Sesotho word for red sandstones, the stone of its first buildings.

Source: Wikipedia, "Maseru"

What to look for

• The Basotho Hat building - the craft shop shaped like the conical national hat.
• The Caledon crossing - the border bridge the city grew around.
• The sandstone hills - the ridges rising behind the low ground.
• The 1869 foundation - the police camp the capital developed from.

When to go

September to April is the milder season. Winter mornings are cold with frost. The border crossing is busiest at weekends.

Things to know

The city has few conventional sights and a day covers it. The border crossing can involve long waits. Facilities outside the centre are limited.

Nearby

Thaba Bosiu is east, and Roma is southeast.

Key facts