Kingsway, the Basotho Hat Craft Centre and What to Eat

Running straight east from the Maseru Bridge border post to the foot of the cathedral roundabout, Kingsway has been the commercial and ceremonial spine of Lesotho's capital since King George VI and Queen Elizabeth drove along it during the 1947 royal visit. Almost every government ministry, bank, market stall and bakery sits within a ten-minute walk of this single tree-lined avenue.

The Basotho Hat, mokorotlo weaving and heritage blankets

Halfway along Kingsway stands Maseru's signature landmark: the Basotho Hat craft shop, whose steeply pitched conical roof replicates the traditional mokorotlo grass hat inspired by the conical peak of Mount Qiloane near Thaba Bosiu. Inside, cooperative stalls sell hand-woven leloli grass baskets, miniature mokorotlo hats, glazed clay pots and hand-loomed mohair rugs spun from the fleece of mountain Angora goats. Just along Kingsway and around the cathedral circle, specialist blanket outfitters stack shelves with heavy Jacquard-woven woollen Basotho blankets. Look for the genuine heritage labels featuring motifs of the khotla (courtyard), maize cobs (fertility) and the koena (crocodile emblem of the royal Bakoena clan).

Mpilo Hill, Pioneer Road and Our Lady of Victories Cathedral

At the eastern end of Kingsway rises the twin-towered stone facade of the Cathedral of Our Lady of Victories, a lively landmark beside the main minibus hub. From the roundabout, a road winds up Mpilo Hill to the dome-crowned National Parliament of Lesotho and the royal palace precinct, where unfenced sandstone bluffs look back across the red roofs of Maseru West to the Caledon River. Down on Pioneer Road, modern cafés and courtyard restaurants gather around Pioneer Mall.

What to eat in Maseru: papa, lejeqe, oxtail and Maloti trout

• Papa, moroho and slow-cooked oxtail: stiff white maize porridge served steaming hot alongside moroho (wild mountain greens or Swiss chard sautéed with onions and tomatoes) and rich, fall-off-the-bone beef stew or oxtail.
• Lejeqe (steamed bread) and motoho: dense, slightly tangy steamed sorghum or wheat bread sliced thick alongside grilled mutton ribs, washed down with motoho, a refreshing fermented sorghum porridge drink served warm or chilled.
• Maloti rainbow trout: pan-seared in lemon butter and almonds, caught in the icy rivers around Semonkong and the central highlands.