Maloti-Drakensberg Park
Lesotho UNESCO World Heritage Site
Maloti-Drakensberg Park is a UNESCO World Heritage Site located in Lesotho. Spanning 2,493 square kilometers in the Drakensberg mountain range, it holds both cultural heritage and natural heritage significance. It is one of the most looked-up sights in the country.
Planning a visit
The park experiences daily highs ranging from 8 °C in July to 17 °C in January, and lows from -5 °C in June and July to 8 °C in January. Rainfall varies significantly through the year, with July seeing the least rain at 16 mm over 3 days, and January experiencing the highest precipitation with 287 mm of rain across about 24 days. May, June, July, and August have the fewest rainy days.
The nearest airport is Pietermaritzburg Airport in South Africa, located 99 km away, while King Shaka International Airport in Durban is 168 km away. The site is 186 km from Maseru. It is part of the Maloti-Drakensberg Transfrontier Conservation and Development Area.
Weather by month
The warmest month is January, with an average high of 17 °C. The wettest is January, with about 287 mm of rain.
| Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | Jun | Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Average high, °C | 17 | 17 | 16 | 13 | 10 | 8 | 8 | 10 | 13 | 14 | 15 | 17 |
| Average low, °C | 8 | 7 | 5 | 2 | -2 | -5 | -5 | -3 | 0 | 3 | 5 | 6 |
| Rainfall, mm | 287 | 260 | 197 | 84 | 25 | 20 | 16 | 40 | 63 | 140 | 181 | 241 |
| Rainy days | 24 | 21 | 18 | 12 | 5 | 1 | 3 | 3 | 6 | 11 | 15 | 23 |
Temperatures and rainfall: 1981–2010 averages for this spot (4 km grid), from CHELSA. Rainy days: 2015–2024, NASA POWER.
