Winter Wonderland at Amohela ho Spitskop Country Retreat

After years of drought and no snow at Amohela ho Spitskop and not a lot of snow on the Maluti Mountains, mid-May saw the first snow of the season. After a good build-up of clouds and some rain in the night,  the morning  dawned cloudy and raining, dark clouds hanging low in the sky, and visibility nil. Later in the morning the rain started to clear and patches of sunlight peeped out here and there. This is when the true magic, the winter wonderland of those majestic Maluti Mountains begins.  Slowly patches of sunlight penetrated the deep snow clouds and the high mountain peaks, the fertile valleys, came into view, magnificent, covered in a white blanket of snow. Amohela ho Spitskop Country Retreat must be one of a very few places in the world where you can sit on your deck at your cottage in winter warm sunlight and actually watch snow storms raging over the Maluti Mountains, and then, a little later, the clouds once again lifting and more snow covered mountains.

With cottages full, the stunning scenic beauty had all the guests gazing in amazement at the overnight transformation from clear blue mountains  when they arrived, to a wonderland of snow covered peaks and valleys and drifting snow clouds and raging snowstorms.  The view from all the cottages is superb, but SkyWind Self catering cottages, sitting high on the hill, have particularly awesome views. 

The wood burning combustion fires in the SkyWind Cottages, the large fires in the EarthStone self catering cottages, cuddly winter sheets and heated blankets, big pampering baths with loads of piping hot clear clean borehole water, and those endless vistas of snow clad mountains, the place to be in June and July and even August, as our winters are long and beautiful here in the Eastern Highlands. EarthStone cottages are perfect for families, whilst SkyWind Cottages take two people each, and,  with the end to drought conditions, the possibility of waking up to a white snow covered Retreat with snowmen to be built and  snow ball fights to organise, pictures to be taken, memories to be made. Lesotho is a hop and skip away, bring passports to go play in some serious snow, bring snow home in your cooler bag for fun.

We have finally completed both SkyWind Cottages, Quail Cottage opened in March and Francolin is now open for accommodation as well. Our own staff have been very involved in creating these awesome dwelling places and local builders who have had the craft of building with sandstone handed down from generation to generation were called in to build the barn style structures.

 To compliment the natural beauty of the sandstone only indigenous shrubs, trees and plants will be used around the cottages. One exception only, in one large container we have planted some Lavender from the Margaret Roberts collection, our Amohela tribute to a wonderful lady and a very dear friend. Godspeed Margaret, we are sure any barren places in heaven have already been planted to herbs and flowers.