Ramabanta

Ramabanta sits in a valley on the mountain road east of Maseru beyond the Molimo Nthuse pass, and a trading post lodge there has been a base for pony trekking into the surrounding country for decades, with routes over the ridges to Malealea and down to Semonkong. The country around is high grassland and gorges with villages scattered through it, worked by horse rather than by vehicle. The lodge was originally a trading store serving the surrounding villages, and it kept that function alongside the trekking for many years.

What you actually see

• The pony trekking - the routes over the ridges into the surrounding highlands.
• The valley setting - the village on the mountain road beyond the pass.
• The trading post lodge - the base the trekking operates from.
• The horse country - highland villages where the horse is still the transport.

When to go

September to April is the milder trekking season. Winter brings frost and snow at altitude. Summer afternoons bring thunderstorms.

Honest expectations

The road in crosses the pass and is winding. Trekking is uncomfortable for anyone unused to riding. Village accommodation on longer routes is basic.

Nearby

Molimo Nthuse is west, and Semonkong is southeast.