ليسوتو

Respect

thumb|Lamb shepherd in Lesotho Try to learn a few Sesotho words before travelling to Lesotho. The locals appreciate a foreigner who has made the effort to learn their language. Always refer to an elder person, or a person of higher social standing as "Ntate" (male) or " 'Me " (female).

Dumela (pronounced due-mela) is hello. So you would say Dumela Ntate or Dumela 'Me. Kea leboha (sounds like kia-lebh-oha) — thank you U phela joang (O-phela-joang) — how are you Respond with either hantle (well) or Ke phela hantle (I am well) Sala hantle (as it is written) is "stay well" if they are staying and you are going. Equivalent to goodbye. Tsamaea hantle is "go well" if they are going and you are staying

Always respond to people: It is very offensive to ignore someone who greets you. As a foreigner, locals will be keen to say hello and ask you what you're up to in their country.

Never get angry at anyone; in the Basotho culture, people never show frustration towards others, and if you do, then you can easily offend someone. You will almost certainly get frustrated when dealing with Lesotho officialdom, always keep your cool no matter how much buffoonery you are subjected to. To show respect when giving and receiving items, use both hands. Also show a respect for food: don't throw it around, or eat whilst walking. Overall, Basotho people are humble and down to earth.

Connect

In Maseru, there are several internet cafes, although fairly cheap (usually LSL0.20-0.50 per min) they are pretty slow at best.

The mobile phone network is OK in the towns, but fair out in the countryside. The only British mobile phone network that has a roaming agreement is Vodafone. There are two mobile operators in Lesotho, Vodacom and Econet Telecom Lesoth . Vodacom has the widest coverage outside the towns, but is the (more) oversubscribed, and hence the less reliable. You can buy a Vodacom or Ezicel Buddie pay as you go sim card for under M50 in Maseru: worthwhile if you are staying for a while. Mobile phones are available for hire in Maseru. Lesotho uses GSM900. The networks are good, and both have 4G options.

If you have a South African Vodacom SIM Card, you can use it in Lesotho only on the Vodacom network. Be sure to enable roaming.

Go next

Ukhahlamba Drakensberg — mountainous region in South Africa, close to Lesotho