Etosha's poor roads drive operators away
Tour operators and car rental companies are fed up with promises that the poor condition of roads in the Etosha National Park will be properly addressed and have started to withdraw the use of their vehicles in the park.Several operators and rental firms announced that they will no longer enter the park with their vehicles due to the condition of the roads.
Visitors and tour guides have consistently reported the worsening state of the roads. Many of those affected by the precarious road conditions in the park highlight frustrations with bumpy, unmaintained paths that not only affect the comfort of travellers, but also pose risks to vehicles and, ultimately, to tourism in Namibia.
In a notice, Rohl’s Tours & Safaris said: “We are sad to say that as of 1 December, our company will no longer enter Etosha National Park with our vehicles. The people in control of the park have let us down as a nation, they have let tourism down".
The company added that the roads are in a deplorable condition and that their cars and buses are subsequently falling apart.
“We will still support lodges close to Etosha, make use of their game vehicles or we will support local private game reserves whose roads and services live up to the expectations. Sadly, the people in control have not turned their focus to this massive problem.”
Chameleon Safaris echoed these sentiments, saying that while they cannot stay out of the park, they will now make use of private game-viewing vehicles “as the damage to our vehicles and the cost increase for maintenance has spiralled out of control”.
Meanwhile, some car rental companies announced that they already made the decision to stay out of certain areas of Etosha, such as Etosha West.
Too little too late?
Since the beginning of this year, the tourism ministry has promised that roads in Etosha will be improved and recently reiterated that this will be done before the festive season.
“We have noted the concern from tourists and tour operators visiting the park regarding the state of some roads in the park. The ministry wishes to assure our tourists and the Namibian people at large that the condition of the Etosha National Park's roads is being addressed as a matter of urgency,” spokesperson Romeo Muyunda said yesterday.
He added that most concerns raised are in relation to the road from Okaukuejo to Namutoni. According to him, the deterioration of this road is impacted by large traffic volumes, resulting in loss of gravel, severe corrugation, potholes and drainage problems.
Muyunda said as an immediate remedy, the ministry took a decision to urgently deploy three graders to grade the roads from Halali to Namutoni, Okaukuejo to Halali and Namutoni to King Nehale Gate.
“We anticipate that this intervention will improve the road condition in the specified sections within two weeks.”
As a long-term solution, the road upgrade from gravel to tar will soon commence, he said. The roads identified for upgrade are the stretches from Okaukuejo, Halali and Namutoni to King Nehale.
Muyunda said that since 2018, the ministry has successfully rehabilitated the western section of the tourist road from Okaukuejo to Galton Gate, completing over 200 kilometres of road upgrades by March.
“While the situation is being addressed, we encourage our visitors to consider alternative routes from Okaukuejo to Halali via Gemsbokvlakte, Olifantsbad and Aus for a better travel experience.”
The ministry apologised for the inconvenience this situation may cause.
At the end of last year, the ministry said 224 km of roads in Etosha National Park had been rehabilitated, of which 86 km had been upgraded to bitumen standard.