Pony Trekking

Multi-day highland treks on Basotho ponies to remote villages

The Malealea Lodge has been organising pony treks into the surrounding Maluti Mountains since the 1980s and has developed a network of trails linking remote villages that are unreachable by road. Treks range from three hours to four days or more, with overnight stays in traditional Basotho rondavels or under canvas in mountain camps.

The multi-day treks are the most rewarding. You ride through landscapes of sandstone cliffs, river valleys, and highland grasslands, stopping at villages where the lodge has established relationships with local families. It's one of the few ways in southern Africa to experience genuinely remote mountain communities at close quarters. Guides lead every trek; booking through the lodge ensures the income stays in the community.

things to do sight
A story
The Basotho pony is a breed developed from horses brought to southern Africa in the early 19th century and shaped by generations of mountain life. Smaller and hardier than most riding horses, they navigate the steep rocky trails of the Maluti Mountains with a sureness that larger breeds cannot match — and they have been the primary transport for highland Basotho communities for nearly two centuries.

Other places in Things to Do