LOCATION

GPS Co-ordinates: 29°06’09.44”S  28°30’10.09” E

Motebong Village is located just outside the village of Ha Lejone, some 50 kilometres from Katse Village, and on the banks of the Katse Dam. It is approximately 150 kilometres from Maseru, the capital city of Lesotho, 70 kilometres from the town of Hlotse in Leribe, and 90 Kilometres from the town of Maputsoe in Leribe, located on the border with South Africa. Maputsoe is located just across the border from the South African town of Ficksburg. The travelling time to Ha Lejone from Maseru is just over 2 and ½ hours.

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DIRECTIONS
One gets to Motebong Village by land (car, bus, etc) and can do so from various directions. Visitors from South Africa can drive to Maseru, and then drive north on the Main North 1 (past Teyateyaneng, Peka and Maputsoe to Hlotse. At Hlotse, one then turns right towards Katse passing through the town of Pitseng and travelling over the stunning Mafika Lisiu pass and on to  Ha Lejone. The distance from Hlotse to Ha Lejone is approximately 70 kilometres with about 40 of these being steep and winding inclines or descents. In the village of Ha Lejone, there is a right turn down a gravel road and the lodge is about 2 kilometres from this turn off.

MAFIKA LISIU TO HA LEJONE IN WINTER

Visitors can also drive from the South African town of Bethlehem to Fouriesburg, across the border and on to the town of Butha Buthe. From there, a right turn will take visitors to the Leribe town of Hlotse, where the road is then followed as above to the town of Ha Lejone. The travel time from Bethlehem is approximately 2 hours and 45 minutes.

Visitors are advised to be careful when driving through sections carved through the mountains or on the side of mountains because of occasional rockfalls.

4-WHEEL DRIVE ROUTES
For the 4x4 enthusiasts, the following routes can be used to get to Ha Lejone and Motebong Village:

• Sani Pass - An alternative route is from Sani Pass is via Mokhotlong on the A1 and turning left onto the B804 towards Kao mine. The turn-off is just before the Tlaeeng pass (rated as the highest driveable pass in Africa). From the turn-off it is approximately 60 Kilometres to Ha Lejone. With the current improved road conditions, this could take 2.5  with photo stops. A 4-wheel drive vehicle is recommended here though

• Sani Pass - Thaba Tseka, Katse to Ha Lejone - this is a moderate road accept during times of heavy rain fall when the crossing at Koma Koma could be flooded or during heavy snow falls. Although possible, visitors are not encouraged to try and ascent Sani Pass and try to get to Ha Lejone in one day. It is recommended that the ascent up Sani Pass to Mokhotlong be treated as a day's outing and slowly enjoyed, with the trip from Mokhotlong to Ha Lejone via Thaba Tseka treated as another.

• Caledonspoort - From Caledonspoort an alternative 4x4 route is to turn left at Butha Buthe onto the A1 towards Mokhotlong turning right towards Kao just after Tlaeeng Pass and about 1 Kilometre past Afri Ski. The Kao route is improved from what was before but still takes one through very unique terrain, allowing a 4x4 driver to take different routes in coming and going from Caledonspoort. There traffic is limited traffic on this route, mainly to the Kao mine and there is cell phone coverage for most of the route.

SELECTED TRAVELLING DISTANCES AND DRIVING TIMES

• Bethlehem to Motebong village 170 km driving time approx: 2hr 45min
• Caledonspoort border post to Motebong Village 110 km driving time approx: 1hr 55min.
• Hlotse to Motebong village 72km driving time approx: 1hr 30min
• Police control post (below the Mafika a Lisiu pass) to Motebong village 27km driving time approx: 45min. It is 10.5km to the top of the pass from this point.
• Bokong Visitors centre to Motebong Village 14km driving distance about 20min.
• Maseru to Motebong Village 150km driving time approx: 2hr 45min.
• Johannesburg (via Bethlehem) to Motebong Village 460km driving distance approx: 4hr 45min.