Straddling the A4 between Quthing and Qacha’s Nek, the sprawling small town of Mount Moorosi boasts a spectacular setting overlooking the Senqu (Orange) River at the base of a towering rocky pinnacle called Mokotjomela.
The town is named after a somewhat smaller mountain on the east side of the A4 some 2km to its north. This is where the Baphuthi chief Moorosi, a former ally of King Moshoeshoe I, constructed the fortified mountaintop bolthole to where he and at least 1,500 followers retreated in March 1879 following a dispute with the Cape Government over the payment of hut taxes. Following an eight-month siege, Moorosi Mountain was finally captured in November 1879 by the Cape Mounted Yeomanry, who bombarded the fortress for four days before storming the summit. Moorosi was killed together with all of his wives, all but one of his children, and at least 200 followers. The chief’s decapitated head was then boiled and stripped to the bone before being left on display as a cruel warning to other potential dissenters against British rule.
One of the most important battlefields in Lesotho, Moorosi Mountain is quite easily reached on foot from the main road and you can still see a few stone slabs where the British soldiers engraved their names. A prominent memorial to 40 British soldiers killed in battle stands opposite Mount Moorosi Chalets some 6km out of town alongside the road to Lake Letsie.
Another prominent relict of British military presence in this most southerly part of Lesotho is Fort Hartley, a solid sandstone construction that dates to 1900 and has a superb location overlooking the Senqu River 25km back along the A4 to Quthing.
Sleeping: Mount Moorosi Chalets is a rustic owner-managed self-catering establishment with a superb location at the base of Mount Moorosi along the road to Lake Letsie. More conventional hotel and guesthouse accommodation can be found in nearby Quthing.
Eating: A handful of local-style eateries can be found in Mount Moorosi and Quthing.
Access: Mount Moorosi straddles the surfaced A4 about 40km (45 minutes) northeast of Quthing and 133km (up to three hours) west if Qacha’s Nek. The closest route coming directly from Maseru is via Quthing and takes up to four hours.
Preparations: The knowledgeable guides at Mount Moorosi Chalets can arrange visits to the battlesite as well as day outings to the Tsatsane Valley Bushman Paintings, a bearded vulture breeding site to its south, and Lake Letsie and the nearby Majoana Mabedi Falls.
© Lesotho Tourism Development Corporation
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