The truth about Katse Lodge in Lesotho

By Roxanne Reid
Don’t you love it when something turns out better than you thought it would? Maybe our expectations of the Katse Lodge were just low, but it sure was a nice surprise. Twice. Read on to find out the truth about Katse Lodge in Lesotho.

---

The guidebooks we’d been reading before our first trip to Katse in 2012 told us the place ‘resembled a hospital in every sense’ and talked about its rooms being ‘drab’ and ‘staid’, but it was the only place we could find to stay in Katse. And we were going to have to brave it if we wanted to see what the Lesotho Highlands Water Project was all about, and whether the whole wondrous-engineering-feat-of-the-great-Katse dam was all it was cracked up to be. (It was: you can read about this in 12 things everyone should know about Katse.)

For now, let’s just say I loved the Katse Lodge. Yes, there were wide Marley tile passages with double doors and characterless white rooms that put you in mind of a koshuis, an old-age home or a hospital. And it was fine by me. After all, it was originally built to accommodate the guys working on the dam, which explained the appearance of Makro-type office desks in each room, as well as the ‘canteen-like’ size of the dining room.

The impressive Katse Dam

But none of this was a reason not to come here. As far as I’m concerned, the Lodge - which back then was operated by the Orion group of hotels - had got the big things right. For one, it has a stupendous view over the dam, so you can see it from your bedroom, from the verandah, from the dining room, from just about anywhere in the lodge. And that’s what you go there for, right?

For another, you couldn't fault it in terms of housekeeping and little touches that make your stay comfortable. There was loo spray, a bath and a shower, a large flat-screen TV, shampoo and body lotion, a choice between regular/decaff coffee, rooibos/earl grey tea on the tray in your room, lots of cupboard space, and crisp white sheets on a king-size bed. My only gripe was that the windows didn’t open far enough to let you really suck in the fresh mountain air.

Our spacious room at the Orion Katse Lodge

Finally, the food was fab. Breakfast was a mammoth spread. Best of all, it even included fresh fruit, something that always gets into my good books because I’m not really into the whole eggs-and-bacon-and-sausage malarkey. (And when you drive all the way here, up and down the 3090-metre high Mafika Lisiu Pass - so impressive it won a design award - you’ll realise just how much work goes into keeping the kitchen stocked with such luxuries.)

Lunch and supper choices were good too. Whatever you do, don’t miss the trout, a piquant and delicious treat I enjoyed so much I had it twice.

Dining room at Katse Lodge

Return in 2018
When we planned a return trip to Katse Lodge and Katse dam in 2018, we were faced with another dilemma. Katse Lodge was no longer part of the Orion group, but run by the Lesotho Highlands Development Authority (LDHA). What did they know about hospitality, we wondered?

They were difficult to get hold of and our hopes plunged. But there wasn't much to choose from for Katse dam accommodation, so we grit our teeth and persevered. When emails to [email protected] went unanswered, we phoned them on +266 22910202 and they said they have ongoing problems with their connectivity but helped us with a telephonic booking.

Once we had our booking, it turned out that there was nothing to worry about. Apart from a rather dour reception from someone who clearly didn't love her job (or maybe was just having a bad day), not much had changed. Apparently when the LHDA took over in 2016, they took over the well-trained staff pretty much intact, and it showed.

The rooms were now painted in different tones of pink, the doors a clashing bright blue, but otherwise the rooms were unchanged, the lovely tapestries depicting the dam still on the walls. There was some damp showing in the bathroom, but nothing major.

​The food was just as good (trout was still on the menu), the service just as friendly. And I enjoyed the best, lightest and fluffiest muffin of my life at breakfast. Top marks to the chef.

All this was only R599/LSL599 (Lesotho's currency is on par with the South African rand) per person per night, including the breakfast spread. You can also hire a self-catering flat at the lodge for R1018 per couple (November 2018 prices).

​Don’t miss
Apart from sampling the trout (which is farmed in the clean, cold, well-oxygenated and fast-flowing water of the high-altitude Katse dam), what else shouldn’t you miss while you’re here?

Spiral aloe

First, a tour of the Katse dam wall from the blue-roofed visitor centre nearby will probably knock your socks off, even if you’re not usually a fan of things engineering. There are tours at 9:00 and 14:00 during the week, and 9:00, 11:00 and 14:00 on Saturdays, Sundays and public holidays. At a cost of just R30/LSL30 per person for the tour (in November 2018), it's well worth doing for a fascinating insight into one of the biggest tourist attractions in Lesotho.

Second, pop in at the Katse Botanical Garden, originally established to save spiral aloes, Lesotho’s national flower, and other plants from the ravages of the dam’s construction. Half of the 17ha is landscaped and you can enjoy the medicinal garden, mountain zone plants, a rock garden, high Afro montane zone plants, and of course the spiral aloe. There's a bench where you can relax with a kick-ass view over the Katse dam.

Other activities worth asking about in Katse are pony trekking or a guided boat cruise on the dam.

Like it? Pin this image!

You may also enjoy
3 Lesotho passes you have to drive, including Sani Pass
Caves, cannibals and kids in Lesotho

Copyright © Roxanne Reid - No words or photographs on this site may be used without permission from roxannereid.co.za