“I was born in this house in 1983. I have never lived anywhere else.” — Ntefane Ntefane
There are places in Africa where history is preserved in museums and monuments. Then there are places where history still feels alive.
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Deep in the rugged highlands of Lesotho’s Berea District, beneath a vast sandstone overhang, a collection of rounded mud houses tells a story that stretches back almost two centuries. This is Ha Kome, home to the Kome Cave Dwellings, one of Lesotho’s most distinctive cultural attractions.
Located about 25 kilometres east of Teyateyaneng and roughly an hour from Maseru, Kome offers something increasingly rare: the opportunity to experience history in a place where the past remains closely connected to the community.
When the Mountain Became a Refuge
The story of Kome begins during one of the most turbulent periods in southern African history. In the early 19th century, the Lifaqane, a period marked by warfare, displacement, famine and migration, forced many communities to search for places where they could protect their families.
The Lesotho Travel and Investor Guide dates the establishment of the cave settlement to around 1824 and identifies Chief Teleka of the Basia clan among its founders. Teleka and his family are believed to have sought shelter beneath the sandstone overhang, turning a natural formation into a refuge.
The location offered several advantages. The enormous rock provided a natural roof and concealed the settlement, while the surrounding highlands offered protection from the elements and a clear view of the landscape.
What began as a place of refuge eventually became home.
When Nature Became Architecture
The ingenuity of Kome can be seen in the construction of its homes.
The traditional dwellings, commonly known as libopi, were built beneath the sandstone using mud, clay, sticks and animal dung. Rather than trying to overcome the environment, the builders worked with it. The rock became the roof and rear wall, while rounded earthen walls enclosed the living spaces.
The homes were compact, practical and well suited to the highland climate. Thick walls helped regulate temperatures, while low entrances offered protection from the harsh weather.
Inside, traditional household objects provide glimpses into everyday life. Clay pots, grinding stones, animal-hide mats, wooden poles and simple cooking areas reflect a way of life shaped largely by locally available materials.
Maintaining the structures also requires traditional knowledge. The mud walls have to be repaired and re-plastered periodically, helping to preserve an indigenous building technique that has survived for generations.
A History Beneath the History
Kome’s story extends further back than the cave settlement itself.
Faint rock paintings and markings found within the shelter point to earlier San occupation. The Lesotho Travel and Investor Guide identifies these traces as evidence that people used the site long before the 19th-century settlement was established.
This gives Kome an unusual depth of history. The same sandstone shelter carries traces of different communities and eras, bringing together ancient rock art, Basotho migration, traditional architecture and living cultural memory.
For heritage travellers, this layering of history is part of what makes Kome so compelling.
Where Oral History Keeps Memory Alive
Not every story associated with Kome can be separated neatly from oral tradition.
Local accounts describe Teleka as a traditional healer and tell stories of his ability to protect the community. One enduring story speaks of a large snake that lived in a tunnel within the cave system and was eventually driven away through Teleka’s traditional knowledge.
While such accounts may not be independently verifiable, they remain important to the community because they form part of how Kome’s history has been remembered and passed down.
At Kome, history is not found only in dates, records and physical structures. It also lives in stories shared from one generation to the next.
A Home Before It Became a Heritage Site
For generations, the caves were family homes.
Families associated with clans including the Basia, Bataung and Batlokoa lived in the settlement. As lifestyles changed, however, most descendants eventually moved into modern homes in the surrounding village.
The connection to Kome has not disappeared.
In a 2026 report, GroundUp documented the story of Ntefane Ntefane, who was born in one of the cave homes in 1983 and described himself as the last resident.
His story provides a powerful link between the historic settlement and the present day.
That is one of the things that distinguishes Kome from a reconstructed heritage attraction. These were not buildings created for tourists. They were real homes occupied by real families, and the memories attached to them remain part of the community.
Where Heritage Creates Opportunity
Today, Kome is also becoming part of Lesotho’s growing tourism economy.
Local guides introduce visitors to the dwellings, explain how they were built and share stories connected to the community. Traditional crafts and other visitor services create further opportunities for local participation.
The potential extends beyond guided tours. Handicrafts, cultural interpretation, traditional food, transport and community-based accommodation could all form part of a stronger local tourism value chain.
For women and young people in particular, cultural tourism can provide opportunities to turn traditional knowledge, skills and creativity into livelihoods.
Kome therefore offers an important lesson: heritage preservation and economic development do not have to be separate pursuits. When local communities have a meaningful role in tourism, protecting heritage can also give younger generations a reason to value and preserve it.
The Journey Is Part of the Experience
Kome is not a polished resort attraction, and that is part of its appeal.
Travellers approaching from Maseru pass through Teyateyaneng before continuing towards Ha Kome. The final stretch can be rough, particularly after rainfall, and visitors should be prepared for a walk along a rocky path to reach the dwellings.
Good walking shoes are essential, while having a local guide can make the experience far more rewarding.
The dry season, generally between April and October, is considered the more practical period to visit, as road and walking conditions are usually easier.
When the sandstone overhang finally comes into view, the journey feels worthwhile. The rounded homes sit beneath the rock, surrounded by the stark beauty of Lesotho’s highland landscape.
A Legacy Worth Preserving
Tourism often celebrates spectacular landscapes and famous monuments. Kome offers something more intimate.
Here, visitors can step inside homes built almost two centuries ago, see traditional construction techniques, encounter traces of earlier inhabitants and hear stories shaped by generations of community memory.
Its greatest value is not simply that the caves have survived. It is that they continue to tell a human story.
Ha Kome is a place where a mountain became a refuge, a refuge became a home, and a home became a living heritage destination. For Lesotho, preserving that story could help ensure that future generations inherit not only the caves, but also the knowledge, identity and opportunities they represent.
