All activities / Skiing & Snowsports / Afriski
Skiing & Snowsports in Afriski
Afriski is a mountain resort in the Maluti range of Butha-Buthe district, set at around 3,050 metres just below the 3,222-metre Mahlasela Pass. It is the only ski resort in Africa still operating, running a short season of lift-served snow sports each Southern-Hemisphere winter.
Why here
Afriski is Africa's only operating ski resort, and skiing here is a genuine novelty rather than a compromise. The resort sits at about 3,050 metres in the Maluti Mountains, just below the Mahlasela Pass at 3,222 metres, high enough that the winter cold and snowmaking hold a run of piste from June to August while the rest of Southern Africa is dry and brown. The ski area is small, roughly 1.8 kilometres of groomed slope served by a drag lift and a rope tow, so this is not the Alps, but it is a real snow mountain with a ski and snowboard school, hire shop and a floodlit night-ski session, and the altitude and mountain light make it memorable. Southern-Hemisphere winter, June to August, is the only window for snow. Out of season Afriski flips to a high-altitude base for hiking, mountain biking, trail running and fly fishing. Because it sits on the tarred A1 near the top of the Moteng and Mahlasela passes, it is also one of the more accessible corners of the Lesotho highlands, about four and a half hours from Johannesburg.
Best months
Snow sports run only in the Southern-Hemisphere winter, roughly June to August, when nighttime temperatures drop well below freezing and snowmaking supplements natural falls on the main run. Conditions vary year to year and the single main slope suits beginners and improvers rather than experts; there is a ski and snowboard school for first-timers. At over 3,000 metres the sun is fierce and the air thin, so altitude, sunburn and cold can all bite on the same day. Outside winter the same terrain is snow-free and used for hiking and biking.
Getting there & around
Afriski lies on the A1 highway in northern Lesotho, about four and a half hours from Johannesburg or Pretoria via the Butha-Buthe border and the steep tarred Moteng and Mahlasela passes; the road is paved but the passes are high and can ice up or close briefly in snow, so a capable vehicle and caution are needed in winter. The resort has on-mountain lodging, restaurants and full ski and snowboard hire, so you do not need your own gear. Book accommodation and rentals ahead for the July peak, and carry your passport for the border crossing.
Skill levels: beginner, intermediate, advanced
Schools & guides (1)
Afriski Mountain Resort
OutfitterAfriski Mountain Resort is Africa's only operating ski area, set just below the 3,222-metre Mahlasela Pass in the Maluti Mountains of Butha-Buthe district at around 3,050 metres. It runs roughly 1.8 kilometres of piste served by a drag lift and a rope tow, with a ski and snowboard school, hire shop, snowmaking and a floodlit night session across the June-to-August winter. Out of season it is a high-altitude base for hiking, mountain biking and fly fishing.