Climate
Ts'ehlanyane National Park has an altitude ranging between 1940 to 3112 metres and is considered mostly sub-alpine. Summers are warm and wet while winter temperatures can drop well below freezing with snow fall dusting the upper reaches of the mountain side.
Flora and fauna
The diversity of habitat types is exceptionally high and derived from the large latitudinal range that the park has.
Some of the finest examples of Che-che old wood, woodland are preserved at the heart of this area, with a number of rare undergrowth plants that are unique to this woodland habitat. On the banks of the rivers and streams are stands of berg bamboo which are of significant cultural significance to the Basotho people used in initiation ceremonies, hut building, etc. The reserve also encompasses a reasonable proportion of very rare mountain "fynbos" that do not occur anywhere else in the world and also recorded are in excess of 220 flowing plant species.
There has been 24 small to medium sizes mammalian species recorded in the highlands area and these include the African wild cat, black-backed jackal, porcupine, caracal, grey rhebuck, baboon, striped pole cat and rock hyrax, ice rat, the clawless otter there is circumstantial evidence that leopard still occurs in a few refuge habitats, All of these species with the exception of the clawless otter, grey rhebuck and rock hyrax are considered to be endangered in the park area.
No information is available on the avifauna of the park, other than the limited surveys undertaken by field staff to date. The very provisional list prepared to date indicates the presence of some 69 species of birds.
The list included two of the Red Data species bearded and Cape vultures, and only one orange-breasted rock jumper of the three southern African endemic species considered to be globally ânear-threatenedâ because of their restricted range. It is likely that further work will considerably extend this list.
Landscape
Over 5600 hectares of extremely rugged mountain terrain is protected within this park, which includes one of the very few indigenous woodlands in Lesotho.
History
This is the largest National Park in Lesotho. The park owes its very existence to the âHlotse Tunnelâ adit Lesotho Highlands Water Project, where it transfers its sparkling water from Katse Dam into the Ash River near the South African Town of Clarens. It was originally classified as a Nature Reserve and is now part of the Maloti Drakensberg Transfrontier Conservation Area.