Also known by the name of the river that fringes the north and south of the town (Hlotse), little, laid-back Leribe is the place to go for a glimpse of authentic Basotho life.Set right on the Lesotho-South Africa border in the north of the country, its wide, sun-baked streets are lined with low-rise shacks and tin homes.

Some draws include the local marketplace, the Leribe Craft Center (loaded with handmade fabrics and wools), and one or two historic wartime lookout points (dating from the years of English colonialism). There are also English-style statues peppering the squares and a pretty Anglican church to see.

A green but busy little town, Leribe stands on the banks of the Hlotse River close to the South African border northeast of Maseru and is the administrative center of the district of that name.

Founded in 1876 by the British missionary John Widdicombe, Leribe was fortified four years later, during the so-called Gun War, when a group of Basotho chiefs rose up against the Cape colonial administration to reassert their right to bear arms. The quaint Major Bell’s Tower, a circular two-story thatch-and-sandstone building on the main street through town, is a relic of this war. The nearby District Administration Office, a handsome sandstone building with a wide balcony and ornate tin roof, also dates to the late 19th century.

A well-known landmark, Leribe Craft Centre is the outlet for a philanthropic Anglican Church project that is widely regarded to produce Lesotho’s finest mohair products. The center has its roots in a program established in 1911 by the Sisters of the Holy Name to train young Basotho women to spin and weave mohair, a superior wool-like fabric made from the hair of Angora goats. The project now employs several physically disabled and deaf women to spin, weave and knit a varied selection of 100% mohair products including table mats, ponchos, shoulder bags, scarves, tapestries, and cushion covers.

Situated close to the A1 about 4km north of Leribe, Subeng Dinosaur Footprints, embedded in a sandstone slab in a small stream, ranks among the most important sites of its type in the country. Discovered in 1955, Subeng incorporates the footprints of at least three and possibly as many as six different species of dinosaurs, some with five toes on their feet, and others with three. Look carefully and you will also see fossilized worm trails and mud cracks on other slabs in the riverbed.

How to get to Leribe historical town Lesotho

Leribe lies about 95 km northeast of Maseru along with the surfaced A1 via Teya-Teyaneng. Allow two hours in either direction. Plenty of public transport connects Leribe town to Maseru and other towns in northwest Lesotho.