{"id":6599,"date":"2026-07-21T07:34:17","date_gmt":"2026-07-21T07:34:17","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/raleighmovingnews.com\/?p=6599"},"modified":"2026-07-21T07:34:17","modified_gmt":"2026-07-21T07:34:17","slug":"ski-enthusiasts-flock-to-sub-saharan-africa-and-a-snowy-mountain-resort-in-lesotho","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/raleighmovingnews.com\/?p=6599","title":{"rendered":"Ski enthusiasts flock to sub-Saharan Africa and a snowy mountain resort in Lesotho"},"content":{"rendered":"
\n

BUTHA-BUTHE, Lesotho (AP) \u2014 One may not expect thousands to flock each winter to Lesotho but for many ski enthusiasts from across southern Africa, the small, landlocked mountain kingdom has become the go-to place in recent years. <\/p>\n

Read more Man stabs tourists near the Acropolis in Athens, Greece<\/a><\/p>\n

Lesotho\u2019s high elevation and mountainous terrain combine to make it the coldest country on the continent, with temperatures in the highlands typically plunging to minus 8 degrees Celsius (about 18 degrees Fahrenheit) between June and August.<\/p>\n

The Afriski Mountain Resort, some 3,200 meters (10,499 feet) above sea level, nestled in the northern Maluti Mountains, is Lesotho\u2019s single fully operational ski resort \u2014 and the only one in sub-Saharan Africa. <\/p>\n

The majestic snow-covered landscape is ideal for skiing, and both seasoned and new visitors enjoy the slopes that are spread over 17 hectares (42 acres) surrounding the resort \u2014 about the size of 24 standard soccer pitches. The resort opened 25 years ago, a short bus or car ride from the nearest major town of Butha-Buthe, about 80 kilometers (50 miles) away. <\/p>\n

Last year, tourism contributed about 7% to Lesotho\u2019s annual GDP of some $2.6 billion. For its part, Afriski provides a chunk of needed cash in a country cited by the World Bank as one of the poorest in the world \u2014 and its artificial snow machines ensure it stays open throughout the Southern Hemisphere\u2019s winter. <\/p>\n

Thousands come to the country Trump says no one\u2019s heard of<\/h3>\n

U.S. President Donald Trump may have joked in 2025 about Lesotho being a country that \u201cnobody has ever heard of\u201d but just a year earlier, the kingdom, bordered on all sides by South Africa and with a population of 2.3 million, celebrated 200 years of the founding of the Basotho nation and 58 years of independence from British rule.<\/p>\n

Located in its entirety at and over 1,000 meters (3,280 feet) above sea level, Lesotho sees a lot of snow \u2014 and skiing is growing in popularity here from a rare sport previously mainly associated with North America and the European Alps.<\/p>\n

Most people drive into Lesotho from neighboring South Africa but international visitors can also fly in to the airport in Maseru, the country\u2019s capital. <\/p>\n

Afriski\u2019s CEO, Theo Ferreira, says almost 70% of the visitors come from South Africa; the rest are mostly from Lesotho or elsewhere in southern Africa. The resort now has 227 full-time and seasonal employees, nearly all Lesotho nationals, with about 30 South Africans, working mainly as skiing instructors, he said. <\/p>\n

While the resort has rooms for 420 overnight guests, the nearby Butha-Buthe and Mohlokong towns can offer extra accommodations in peak season. The busiest day so far this year saw over 1,400 visitors while in 2025, the record was over 1,600 day visitors and those staying overnight or longer, Ferreira said. <\/p>\n

Read more Lebanon\u2019s president will meet with Trump in Washington to push for Israeli troop withdrawal<\/a><\/p>\n

Because unreliable weather patterns can make natural snow scarce, the resort relies on artificial snow to make skiing possible all winter long. <\/p>\n

Lesotho\u2019s snow may not be how you imagine Africa <\/h3>\n

The resort has played role in helping ski tourism emerge as another attraction in southern Africa, known for its wildlife and scenic coastlines along the Indian and Atlantic Oceans.<\/p>\n

For many visitors, Afriski is where they had their first ski lessons, braving falls and dusting themselves off before having another try, and another \u2014 until making that first, full glide down without falling.<\/p>\n

Janko Smits, a student from Cape Town, South Africa, describes it as \u201can amazing slope to learn on.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cAt the start it was a little discouraging because you fall, and you fall hard,\u201d he said. \u201cBut the people here, they gave me one lesson and after an hour, honestly, I felt confident.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cWhen you think of the African continent, you don\u2019t think of snow. You think about \u2026 the sun and the Sahara (Desert),\u201d said Thato Ramaphoko, a first-timer at the resort from Pretoria, South Africa\u2019s capital. \u201cBut that you can actually go to all that and also come here and it also snows at the same time, it is just mind-blowing, so I just had to see it for myself.\u201d<\/p>\n

Visitors at Afriski can also sample a taste of Lesotho in the form of traditional sausage rolls and Maluti Lager, the country\u2019s proudly home-brewed beer. <\/p>\n

As for a souvenir to take home, try the colorful Basotho blanket, which comes in vibrant colors and patterns that also pop up in local garments and are creatively integrated into various skiing jackets and gear.<\/p>\n

Read more Topps to release a trading card of the photo of a young Messi holding infant Lamine Yamal<\/a><\/p>\n

___<\/p>\n

For more on Africa and development: https:\/\/apnews.com\/hub\/africa-pulse<\/p>\n<\/div>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

BUTHA-BUTHE, Lesotho (AP) \u2014 One may not expect thousands to flock each winter to Lesotho…<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":6598,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[2],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-6599","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-news"],"yoast_head":"\nSki enthusiasts flock to sub-Saharan Africa and a snowy mountain resort in Lesotho - Raleigh Moving News<\/title>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/raleighmovingnews.com\/?p=6599\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"Ski enthusiasts flock to sub-Saharan Africa and a snowy mountain resort in Lesotho - Raleigh Moving News\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:description\" content=\"BUTHA-BUTHE, Lesotho (AP) \u2014 One may not expect thousands to flock each winter to Lesotho...\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:url\" content=\"https:\/\/raleighmovingnews.com\/?p=6599\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:site_name\" content=\"Raleigh Moving News\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:published_time\" content=\"2026-07-21T07:34:17+00:00\" \/>\n<meta name=\"author\" content=\"admin\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:card\" content=\"summary_large_image\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:label1\" content=\"Written by\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data1\" content=\"admin\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:label2\" content=\"Est. reading time\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data2\" content=\"4 minutes\" \/>\n<script type=\"application\/ld+json\" class=\"yoast-schema-graph\">{\"@context\":\"https:\\\/\\\/schema.org\",\"@graph\":[{\"@type\":\"Article\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/raleighmovingnews.com\\\/?p=6599#article\",\"isPartOf\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/raleighmovingnews.com\\\/?p=6599\"},\"author\":{\"name\":\"admin\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/raleighmovingnews.com\\\/#\\\/schema\\\/person\\\/eda87157c0d9ccdbb002a999547a6a60\"},\"headline\":\"Ski enthusiasts flock to sub-Saharan Africa and a snowy mountain resort in Lesotho\",\"datePublished\":\"2026-07-21T07:34:17+00:00\",\"mainEntityOfPage\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/raleighmovingnews.com\\\/?p=6599\"},\"wordCount\":787,\"commentCount\":0,\"image\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/raleighmovingnews.com\\\/?p=6599#primaryimage\"},\"thumbnailUrl\":\"https:\\\/\\\/raleighmovingnews.com\\\/wp-content\\\/uploads\\\/2026\\\/07\\\/2ccfc734c807399235fa3647d2039b75.webp\",\"articleSection\":[\"News\"],\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"potentialAction\":[{\"@type\":\"CommentAction\",\"name\":\"Comment\",\"target\":[\"https:\\\/\\\/raleighmovingnews.com\\\/?p=6599#respond\"]}]},{\"@type\":\"WebPage\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/raleighmovingnews.com\\\/?p=6599\",\"url\":\"https:\\\/\\\/raleighmovingnews.com\\\/?p=6599\",\"name\":\"Ski enthusiasts flock to sub-Saharan Africa and a snowy mountain resort in Lesotho - 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