Go with a plan.
No major changes since yesterday.
Governments, one trip
What they're telling their own citizens about Lesotho
The real score
The breakdown
See it from your perspective
Go with a plan.
The general Sketch Score, unweighted for any specific traveler.
Don't fall for it
Scams to know
Veiled requests for money
Friendly chats with locals can turn into requests for money. Stick to your principles and only donate to registered charities.
Don't do this
Laws that jail tourists
Running red lights at night
Drivers commonly run red lights at night to avoid carjackings and hasten journeys, and police do not enforce traffic signals during these hours.
Staying healthy
What to watch out for, health-wise
Active notices
- • Global Measles
Vaccines
Required: Yellow Fever
Recommended: Hepatitis A, Hepatitis B, Measles, Rabies, Typhoid
Source: CDC Travelers' Health →Getting in
What you'll need at the border
Visitors to Lesotho must obtain a visa from one of the Lesotho's diplomatic missions unless they are citizens of one of the visa-exempt countries.
Source: Wikipedia →Real, not invented
Terrorism
Although there’s no recent history of terrorism in Lesotho, attacks cannot be ruled out.
Source: UK FCDO →Real, not invented
Cultural & legal notes
LGBT+ travellers
Sexual activity between men is illegal, but FCDO is not aware of this being enforced. Showing affection in public may attract unwanted and negative attention. Read more advice for LGBT+ travellers .
Source: UK FCDO →From people who've been there
Local know-how
Staying safe
- •It is risky to walk in Maseru alone at night. During the day, at least the main roads of Maseru are safe to walk alone.
- •As with pretty much everywhere else in the world, you may find friendly chats with locals turn in to veiled requests for money — stick to your principles and only give to registered charities.
- •At night time, it is the norm to drive through red lights. This is more just to hasten your journey (the police won't care), and a precaution against carjackings.
Staying healthy
- •The HIV/AIDS incidence rate in Lesotho is the 3rd highest in the world at around 25% or 1 in 4 people infected.
- •Consult a doctor as to which vaccinations you will require, but they will most likely include hep A, hep B, and typhoid.
- •It is a very good idea to carry some sterile needles and dressing in your first aid kit: the hospitals throughout Lesotho are not of a very high standard.
- •If you do have any serious health problems while in Lesotho, get in contact with your country's embassy either in Maseru, or in most cases, in Pretoria in South Africa, as there are very goo…
- •Lesotho is a high, mountainous plateau, and altitude sickness may occur when you first arrive.
- •The water in Lesotho is not clean and should not be drunk untreated. Be warned about street vendors who sell fizzy drinks as these are usually in unclean reused glass bottles.
Adapted from Wikivoyage, CC BY-SA — edited by travelers, not us.
Pack this, know this
The little things that trip people up
Plug & voltage
M · 220V
Driving side
left
Emergency
police: 123 / ambulance: 121 / fire: 122
Cash vs. Card
Lesotho's currency is the loti (plural maloti), denoted by the symbol "L" (for one loti) "M" (for more than one loti) (ISO code: LSL). It is fixed at a 1:1 ratio with the South African rand (ZAR), as are the Namibian dollar, the Swazi emalilangeni and the Botswana pula. South African currency is accepted everywhere and so there is no need to change money. However you will get maloti in change (unl
Show the receipts (9 sources)
- us-state — observed 2026-09-09
- uk-fcdo — observed 2026-09-09
- ca-gac — observed 2026-09-09
- worldbank-political — observed 2026-09-09
- worldbank-policeTrust — observed 2026-09-09
- cdc-health — observed 2026-09-09
- wikivoyage — observed 2026-09-09
- reddit — observed 2026-09-09
- lgbtq-legal-wikipedia — observed 2026-09-09