Sojourn Magazine Spring 2017

SOJOURN//SPRING17
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Even if you're planning to camp it's best
to get the chief's permission and some
advice on where to set up your tent.
Talking to the chief and the locals can
also help you avoid imposing on
traditional Basotho tribes. You don't want
to head off to a nearby waterfall only to
find you've interrupted a nearby tribe's
washing day. A guide would steer you
away from that stuff but while wandering
by yourself it's easy to come stumble into
an uneasy situation. You should take care
to avoid the secretive initiation schools,
especially in the Maluti Mountains.
These traditional institutions are
becoming more contentious and less
popular because of the harsh discipline
they employ, some of the values they
instil and the circumcision that ends the
process, for boys and girls. Most don't
want to attract attention and a camerawielding
foreigner might not get a great
reception. That said, the growth of the
tourism industry has seen more and more
traditional Basotho practices on display
for tourists so if you're really interested
you might be able arrange something
through a local guide.
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