Nestled in the Lesotho highlands Maletsunyane Falls at 192 m is Southern Africa's highest single-drop waterfall The mighty Maletsunyane Falls, one of the highest single dropping waterfalls in Africa, creates a haze of smoke as the water plummets 204 metres into a spectacular gorge. It is from this smoke that Semonkong '–The Place of Smoke' –gets its name. The falls attract adrenaline junkies with the longest commercially operated single-drop abseil in the world as stated by Guinness World Records.
'Maletsunyane Falls are more than three times higher than the 159 ft American Niagara Falls. They are the second highest in southern Africa after Tugela Falls in South Africa which are four times higher. If you look closely at 'Maletsunyane Falls, you'll see it is somewhat like Brandywine Falls near Whistler, BC, Canada. It is much higher but looks quite similar.
The Maletsunyane Falls (also called Semonkong, after the nearby town, or Le Bihan, after a French missionary) are easily accessible from Semonkong by a five-kilometre walk along the Maletsunyane river. This waterfall is the highest single drop in southern Africa, plunging 200 metres into a swimmable pool whose stunning natural scenery is unspoiled by anything man-made. Maletsunyane Falls are most spectacular in summer when the flow is highest, but in winter the water freezes, spraying the rocks with ice and forming a stunning ice cage over the pool. The similarly unspoiled, 120-metre Ketane Falls are a single day's walk or pony-trek (one of the best in Lesotho) west of Semonkong town.
