Maliba Lodge – A Marvel of Place Evoking Imagination

As streams of water take plunge after plunge with each receding layer of rock, the waterbed becomes shallower and wider, the flow becomes slower, and the entire surrounding turns calm. The Maliba Lodge is established at such a spot. Six gigantic huts shaped like conical domes with plain mortar and stone, interconnected with clearly outlined stone walkways, the Maliba Lodge can be easily spotted across the entire valleys in the Ts’ehlanyane National Park, Lesotho.

The lodge is established within the perimeters of the highest botanical gardens of the world, and that’s where the place would not seize to amaze you. It would be as if you’re featuring in those advertisements promoting herbal products, sitting in a sunlit valley with the glare of the rays streaking across the mountains, the silence of the entire region only disturbed by the flow of the water from the stream or the twittering of small birds, and the slight rustling of forestation with a cool mountain breeze. And relatively this entire picturesque scene has a dearth of colour, which is voluptuously filled in by the diverse flora consisting of many flower species existent in the valley.

Forestation has been cleared to make pave the way for earthen, wide road leading to the lodge. There are two decks established on the Main Lodge, the highest among all the huts consistent of the Maliba Lodge, and there is not even a single major building or human settlement visible across the horizons on the entire view, making it seem more pristine than ever before. With the river running narrow along the valley, the river lodge is set as the best to give a clear view over it without being obstructed by ample growth of trees in the region. The deck beside it is right above the roaring mountain spring river, letting guests get captivated by the sheer beauty of the sparkling water under the sun. The entire lodge slopes downhill towards the centre of the valley, where the river lodge is established at the lowest altitude.

A vacation at the lodge will foster your thirst for exploration, only to be quenched by endless hiking trails, availing the hospitality and friendliness of the Basutu people indigenous to the land. Their simple way of living and their daily routine of commuting on donkeys and farming crops accentuate the natural environment.  The locals do have a sense of prestige for Malibu being the only 5-star accommodation in the city, and thus attend to the guests of the lodge with cultural singing performances at an occasional basis. The lodge is near to the border, and just a 4-hour road drive would deem the Maliba Lodge to be convenient with your flight to Johannesburg.  Otherwise, flights to Maseru are always an alternative option for your air travel to the Maliba Lodge.

With an abnormal duration of exposure to nature as well as remote access to the fast-paced urban life experienced today, you’ll be left amazed the moment you step into the accommodations. Considering the main reception itself, the entire hall is designed in an octagonal structure, right to the roof which consists of panels of a combination of mauve and white. Cane and wooden furniture are placed along the counter with a polished wooden floor.

The decorum of the entire lodge consists of an Afro-Asian fusion with every detail well-lit and focused. It’s easily discernible that the entire décor has been imported to maintain a lifestyle virtually unimaginable in such a remote location. The food has been set to let you feast in a revised appetite with the ambience of eating out on the decks and terraces of the lodge.
*Photographers; Greg and Leonie Marinovich