Mount Moorosi

Moorosi was chief of the Baphuthi in southern Lesotho, and in 1879 he fortified the flat-topped mountain that now carries his name and held it against a Cape colonial force for eight months before it fell, a siege that fed directly into the Gun War that followed across the country. The mountain rises above the Orange river with the town of the same name below it, and the defences can still be traced on the summit. Moorosi was killed when the mountain finally fell, and the outcome of the siege was one of the grievances that fed the wider conflict of the following year.

What you actually see

• The flat summit - the plateau Moorosi fortified and defended.
• The defensive traces - the remains of the works on the top.
• The 1879 siege - the eight-month defence against the colonial force.
• The Orange river - the valley the mountain rises above.

When to go

September to April is the milder season. The climb is hot in midsummer. Winter mornings are frosty.

Honest expectations

The climb is steep and the route is unmarked; a local guide is worth taking. There is no interpretation on the summit. The town below has minimal facilities.

Nearby

Quthing is southeast, and Malealea is north.