- Country Description
- Smart Traveler Enrollment Program (STEP)/Embassy Location
- Entry/Exit Requirements for U.S. Citizens
- Threats to Safety and Security
- Crime
- Victims of Crime
- Criminal Penalties
- Special Circumstances
- Medical Facilities and Health Information
- Medical Insurance
- Traffic Safety and Road Conditions
- Aviation Safety Oversight
- Children's Issues
COUNTRY DESCRIPTION: Lesotho is a constitutional monarchy with a democratically elected lower house of parliament. The upper house, the Senate, is comprised of appointed hereditary chiefs and politicians. A Prime Minister is the head of the government. Geographically, Lesotho is an extremely mountainous developing nation located entirely within the country of South Africa. The capital, Maseru, is at 5,000 feet (1,500M) above sea level, and the mountains reach to 11,400 feet (3,500M). Facilities for tourism are limited, but are continually being developed. A limited number of restaurants are available in Maseru. Read more about U.S. relations with Lesotho.
SMART TRAVELER ENROLLMENT PROGRAM (STEP) / EMBASSY LOCATION: If you are going to live in or visit Lesotho, please take the time to tell our embassy about your trip. If you enroll, we can keep you up to date with important safety and security announcements. It will also help your friends and family get in touch with you in an emergency. Here’s the link to the Smart Traveler Enrollment Program.
Local embassy information is available below and at the Department of State’s list of embassies and consulates.
U.S. Embassy Maseru
254 Kingsway Avenue
Maseru 100, Lesotho
Telephone: (266) 2231-2666
Emergency after-hours telephone: (266) 5888-4035
Facsimile: (266) 2231-0116
ENTRY / EXIT REQUIREMENTS FOR U.S. CITIZENS: U.S. citizens entering Lesotho must present a valid passport. Visas are not required for U.S. citizens visiting for 180 days or less. Vaccination for yellow fever is a common requirement throughout Africa, and travelers should carry their international vaccination cards with them. For more information concerning entry requirements, travelers may contact the Embassy of the Kingdom of Lesotho, 2511 Massachusetts Avenue NW, Washington, DC 20008, telephone (202) 797-5533. Visit the Embassy of Lesotho’s website for the most current visa information.
While U.S. citizens normally do not need a visa for South Africa if they plan to stay less than 90 days, South African visa requirements are different for individuals who have resided in Lesotho for an extended period of time. It is common for foreigners residing in Lesotho to receive seven-day visas when crossing into South Africa by road. Check with the High Commission of South Africa in Maseru if you are planning to travel in South Africa.
Information about dual nationality or the prevention of international child abduction can be found on our website. For further information about customs regulations, please read our Customs Information page.
THREATS TO SAFETY AND SECURITY: U.S. citizens should avoid political gatherings and street demonstrations. Large gatherings can potentially become violent at anytime.
Visit the U.S. Embassy in Lesotho website for up-to-date messages for U.S. citizens.
CRIME: Lesotho has a high crime rate, and foreigners must remain vigilant at all times. Foreigners are frequently targeted and robbed, and have occasionally been car-jacked and killed. An increasing number of U.S. citizens have reported incidents – including sexual assault, armed and unarmed confrontation, and home invasion – occurring in broad daylight. There are no indications that U.S. citizens are targeted due to their nationality.
Crime can occur anywhere in Lesotho, but is most prevalent in urban areas. Crime scenes have included popular restaurants, pedestrian overpasses, poorly lit or unlit roads, and other locations foreigners are known to frequent. Victims have included tourists, volunteer workers, and employees of non-governmental organizations.
U.S. citizens are advised to avoid getting caught up in large groups and demonstrations, walking and driving at early morning or nighttime, and walking casually through downtown Maseru even in daylight hours, as there have been numerous recent incidents in the middle of the day. Residences with 24-hour guards are generally less likely to be targeted. Traveling alone or at night is particularly dangerous, due to limited street lighting and undeveloped road conditions. The Lesotho Mounted Police Service (LMPS) is responsible for policing duties, but due to limited resources, LMPS response times can vary widely. U.S. citizens should report crime to the police and to the consular section of the U.S. Embassy.
There is a serious problem with theft from baggage at O.R. Tambo International Airport (Johannesburg), a required transit point for air travel to Lesotho. Travelers are encouraged to secure their luggage with Transportation Security Administration (TSA) approved locks, use an airport plastic wrapping service and avoid placing any items of value in checked luggage. Make an inventory of items in checked baggage to aid in claims processing if theft does occur. The claims processing procedure can be time-consuming.
Do not buy counterfeit and pirated goods, even if they are widely available. Not only are these goods illegal to bring into the United States, their purchase may also violate local law.
Take some time before travelling to learn how to improve your personal security—things are not the same everywhere as they are in the United States. Here are some useful tips for personal security.
VICTIMS OF CRIME: If you or someone you know becomes the victim of a crime abroad, you should contact the local police and the nearest U.S. embassy or consulate. We are able to provide the following services:
- Replace a stolen passport.
- Help you find appropriate medical care if you are the victim of violent crimes such as assault or rape.
- Put you in contact with the appropriate police authorities and contact family members or friends.
- Help you understand the local criminal justice process and direct you to local attorneys. Local authorities are responsible for investigating and prosecuting crime.
Please see our information on victims of crime, including possible victim compensation programs in the United States.
Lesotho does not have a local equivalent to 911. In the event of an emergency, you can call (266) 2231-0045. This number should be answered by police 24/7, but has been known to be out of service. You can contact the consular section of the U.S. Embassy Maseru using the information below:
Phone: (266) 2231-2666 Ext: 4124
Emergency After-Hours Duty Phone: (266) 5885-4035
Email: usconsularmaseru@state.gov
CRIMINAL PENALTIES: While you are traveling in Lesotho, you are subject to its laws, even if you are a U.S. citizen. Foreign laws and legal systems can be vastly different from our own, and criminal penalties vary from country to country.
While certain activities may be legal in countries outside the United States, you might still be prosecuted for them upon return. Engaging in sexual conduct with children or using or disseminating child pornography in a foreign country is a crime prosecutable in the United States. If you break local laws in Lesotho, your U.S. passport will not help you avoid arrest or prosecution. It is very important to understand local law wherever you travel.
If Arrested: While some countries will automatically notify the nearest U.S. Embassy or Consulate if a U.S. citizen is detained or arrested, others will not. To ensure that the United States is aware of your circumstances, request that the police and prison officials notify the nearest U.S. Embassy as soon as you are arrested or detained overseas.
SPECIAL CIRCUMSTANCES: Tap water is not reliably potable.
Visitors to the interior of Lesotho should bring clothing and equipment suitable for extreme cold weather during the winter months of June through October. Weather conditions can deteriorate rapidly in the mountains, and snow often closes mountain passes. Temperatures can drop below freezing even in the lowlands.
Lesotho has one of the highest rates of lightning strikes per square mile in the world, and lightning-related deaths are not uncommon. If you find yourself in a storm, find shelter in a building or car.
Consensual same-sex sexual relations between men are criminalized in Lesotho. Although the U.S. Embassy is not aware of any recent arrests or prosecutions, they remain illegal. There is no explicit prohibition of consensual same-sex sexual relations between women. LGBT travelers should review the LGBT Travel Information page.
Accessibility: While in Lesotho, individuals with disabilities may find accessibility and accommodation very different from that in the United States. The Buildings Control Act of 1995 requires that all buildings be made accessible, but enforcement thus far has been negligible. There are no mandatory standards of accessibility for sidewalks, road crossings, public transportation, and parking areas. There are no free or reduced fares for transport, and very few accessible places of lodging, medical facilities, restaurants, cafes, or bars.
MEDICAL FACILITIES AND HEALTH INFORMATION: Medical facilities in Lesotho are limited and there is no reliable ambulance service. Specialist care is available in Bloemfontein, South Africa, 90 miles west of Maseru. U.S. Embassy Maseru maintains a list of physicians and other health care professionals, but the Embassy does not guarantee service or provide recommendations.
Many medicines are unavailable at facilities in Lesotho; travelers should carry with them an adequate supply of necessary medicines and/or prescription drugs, along with copies of their prescriptions. Lesotho has a very high HIV prevalence, currently estimated at 23 percent of the general population.
You can find detailed information on vaccinations and other health precautions on the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) website. For information about outbreaks of infectious diseases abroad, consult the World Health Organization (WHO) website. The WHO website also contains additional health information for travelers, including detailed country-specific health information.
Tuberculosis is an increasingly serious health concern in Lesotho. For further information, please consult CDC's information on TB.
TRAFFIC SAFETY AND ROAD CONDITIONS: While in a foreign country, U.S. citizens may encounter road conditions that differ significantly from those in the United States. The information below is provided for general reference only, and may not be totally accurate in a particular location or circumstance.
Traffic moves on the left, with right-hand drive vehicles. Never assume right-of-way, as aggressive and unpredictable local driving habits result in frequent collisions. Lesotho has a high number of traffic-related deaths and injuries for its small size. Driving after dark is dangerous due to the absence of street lighting, livestock on the roads, and the prevalence of crime—including incidents of carjacking.
Travel is best done by private car. Rental cars are available in Maseru, and cars rented in neighboring South Africa may be brought into Lesotho with the written permission of the rental company. Although bus and public taxi services exist, chronic overloading combined with inadequate vehicle maintenance and lack of driver training make them unsafe. Some private taxi services are available in the capital, but roving mini-bus taxis should be avoided. There is no passenger train service in Lesotho.
Although the number of paved roads is gradually increasing, the majority of Lesotho’s 5,000 miles of roads remain unpaved. A few main rural highways are comparable to U.S. two-lane rural roads, but lane markings, signs, shoulders and guardrails do not meet U.S. standards. Lesotho's mountainous terrain makes driving on secondary roads hazardous. Unpaved roads in the interior—often narrow, winding and steep—are poorly maintained. For travel in the interior, especially in wet or snowy weather, a high ground clearance or four-wheel-drive vehicle is recommended. Four-wheel-drive is also a requirement for entering Lesotho through the Sani Pass on the eastern border. The authority for road safety issues rests with the Lesotho Mounted Police Service; there are no auto clubs or reliable ambulance services. Drivers should contact the police in case of road emergencies.
For general information on road safety, please refer to our Road Safety travel section.
AVIATION SAFETY OVERSIGHT: As there is no direct commercial air service to the United States by carriers registered in Lesotho, the U.S. Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) has not assessed the government of Lesotho’s Civil Aviation Authority for compliance with International Civil Aviation Organization (ICAO) aviation safety standards. Further information may be found on the FAA’s safety assessment page.
CHILDREN’S ISSUES: Please see our Office of Children’s Issues web pages on intercountry adoption and international parental child abduction.
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This replaces the Country Specific Information for Lesotho dated December 28, 2011.
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