Closest Town: Morija
Grading: Moderate | Duration: 2-4 Hours
Location (Area/Province): Central Lesotho and Lesotho
Configuration: Circular route around Morija
Start Point: Morija
Access: Public riding free
Beware of: Be aware of potential border queues especially Friday afternoon/evening. Friday morning/early Saturday best times for crossing.
Facilities: Camping facilities
Cell Reception: None
OVERVIEW
The Morija MTB trail is the route of an annual event called the Morija MTB Challenge. Founded in 2010 it is a young event that has managed to attract many local riders from Lesotho as well as regional riders from KZN and the Freestate. In 2011 the Morija MTB Challenge constituted the prologue stage of the inaugural Lesotho Sky Event This is also the route for the proloque stage of the Lesotho Sky(www.lesothosky.com) stage race.
Morija is one of Lesotho’s most important historical and cultural sites, known as the Selibeng sa Thut — the Well-Spring of Learning. It was the site of the first French Protestant mission in Lesotho, founded in 1833. Morija is not only the cultural hub of Lesotho but also offers many other activities than just mountain biking, bring your beloved ones along for an adventure weekend.
On your bike
It is a circular route around Morija and a nice (very scenic) moderate ride for riders new to Lesotho. The first 15km are mostly single track with some moderate rocky sections where less experienced riders will probably prefer to push their ride for some few 100m or so. The of the route is a mix of jeeptrack and gravel road with a nice single track ending for the last 4km.
Off the bike
We can recommend staying at the Morija Guest House with views over the entire village www.
As the oldest town in Lesotho (having been founded in 1833 by pioneer French Protestant missionaries), Morija boasts many historical buildings, including the Morija Museum and Archives, which is the national museum of Lesotho. Although small, it is well laid out with some very interesting exhibits covering history, ethnography, palaeontology and the future of Lesotho. It will give one a good overview of the country. The museum provides a clear insight into the Kingdom’s history from Moshoeshoe I. There are also some priceless prehistoric finds and fossils. The curator, Stephen Gill, is extremely helpful and friendly. There are also many interesting publications on sale.
Morija also has a small conference centre – Mophato oa Morija, and a craft centre. Other things of interest in Morija is the oldest house in the country, the oldest church which was built in the 1850’s and the oldest printing works in the country which is more than a hundred years old.
CONTACT:
Telephone: +27 72 545 9032
E-mail: christian@lesothosky.com
Website: www.lesothosky.com and www.morijaguesthouses.com
GPS: 29°37′47.0″S 27°30′48.0″E
