Wildlife of Lesotho

As a mountain kingdom, Lesotho's sparse biomes support far fewer species of animals than the safari grasslands of eastern Africa.

However, for the true nature lover it will be no small compensation that Lesotho's animal species are very specialised to their mountain environment. The animals you'll see in Lesotho are rare, often endemic, and always of great interest.

Rhebok and mountain reedbuck frequent the Lesotho mountain ranges, while eland can be spotted in the Drakensberg. You might well spot baboons and jackals on your hikes and ponytreks, but smaller animals - rock hyraxes, mongooses, and meerkats - are more numerous and diverse, and probably the most interesting animals to study in Lesotho.

Lesotho is also home to many snake species, including the tiny and very rare berg adder, which is almost endemic to Lesotho. Snakes are generally shy and can of course be very dangerous, so take care not to tread on one unwittingly.

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