[2] It rises in the Maloti Mountains, flows generally in a southwesterly direction to join the Orange River at the border with Free State in South Africa.

It flows southwest across the Lesotho Highlands past the towns and villages of Molimo-Nthuse, Makhaleng, Ramabanta and Qaba, flowing into the Orange River at the international border by the Free State near the Makhaleng Bridge.

The flow is swift and the river rises rapidly after heavy rainfall in the mountains and during the spring thaw.

The catchment area is about 300,000 hectares (740,000 acres) and the average flow is about 15 cubic metres (530 cu ft) per second.

There are no large reservoirs on the river, but there are a number of small and medium-sized ones constructed for soil conservation and for water collection purposes.