Namibia got bumped up my list of countries when I saw Miss Jayla’s photo’s of this beautiful country on social media. She did an overland trip from Cape Town to Victoria falls and everything about it looked amazing! I specifically liked the Namibia part of her trip. I’ve seen tons of photos of Namibia but never paid enough attention to them. Something about her experience and her photos made me want to pack up my bags and go! I retracted when I remembered our visa struggles,lol. I was not surprised when I saw her overland mates were all “white”.

Don’t you find it amusing that its easier for non-Africans to explore Africa than it is for Africans?

LIBERAL ACCESS TO NAMIBIA

So many factors are responsible for African’s not exploring Africa, one of which is the visa struggle. Well, Namibia is trying to put a stop to that. Can I get an AMEN?? I was particularly excited to read that Namibia is working towards abolishing visas for all Africans!
 

“The Cabinet last week approved the introduction of a visa-on-arrival policy as a first step towards abolishing the pre-entry pass. The southern African country will join a dozen African countries that offer liberal access (visa-free or visa-on-arrival) to Africans. The continental bloc, African Union, has set a 2018 deadline for the removal of visa requirements for all African citizens in all African countries. Namibia has however not indicated when it expects to have attained the visa-free status. African leaders are expected to approve for adoption a draft treaty establishing free movement around the continent at the AU Heads of State summit in January next year.” – The East African Online
 

When I saw this, my first reaction was “Yes!!!”. Namibia is finally joining Rwanda, Seychelles, Mauritius and co. The movement for free trade and travel within African Union is gaining momentum and at this rate we Africans might not have to wait till the year 2020 for visa-free travel for African citizens within our own continent. 

TRAVELING AFRICA WILL STILL NOT BE EASY

As exciting as this may sound to African lover’s of travel, we still have other bottlenecks to deal with on the continent. There’s still a lot of work to be done to make traveling within the continent easier/easy. For example its easier to travel to some African countries from Europe than from Africa itself. Two years ago, we featured a story on Cape Verde where a guest nomad, Nikky, shared her experience. Her journey was quite something. She had to fly to Dakar first (with numerous stops along the way) before heading to Praia on Royal Air Maroc. I’ve also heard stories of people who had to fly to Casablanca then back into Praia simply because there’s no other route. 

In spite of the other challenges faced when traveling the continent, the twitter community was ecstatic with the Namibia news. See some tweets below: 

MY TOP 5 THINGS TO DO IN NAMIBIA

In no particular order, here are the top 5 things I’ll love to do in Namibia. I aim to visit in 2018, hopefully the visa policies would have been put in place. If you are coming with me just say “AYEEE” in the comments! 

NIGHT OR TWO AT THE NAMIB DESERT

I’ve had my fair share of desert sleeping in Morocco but I feel Namibia will be really different. I mean what other desert has the highest dunes in the world, desert elephants, rare animals and 900 year old trees? 

VISIT ETOSHA NATIONAL PARK

Unlike other parks in Africa, where you can spend days looking for animals, Etosha’s charms lie in its ability to bring the animals to you. Just park your car next to one of the many waterholes, then wait and watch while a host of animals – lions, elephants, springboks, gemsboks etc – come by not two by two but by the hundreds. – Lonely Planet
 

Say no more! I’m ready for Namibia.

GET ACQUITTED WITH THE HIMBA COMMUNITY
 

Even as an African, I’m always fascinated when I see photos of the Himba people. How have they been able to maintain their culture and way of life in spite of all the modernization? I’ve always wanted to visit the community and get first hand information on how they live.
 

TAKE A TRIP TO THE GHOST TOWN OF KOLMANSKOP

Photo’s of Kolmanskop will make you feel like you are on the set of a western (cowboy) movie waiting for the director to yell ACTION! The cowboys gaze at each other, take 10 steps away from each other and then POW! POW! (those are gunshots btw) lol. The only difference is its not a set, its a real ghost town. When I visit this place, I’m going with a cowboy hat and a toy gun, haha.
 

Some fun facts for you:

• In 1908, diamonds where discovered in this town and they were in such large supply that people picked them with their bare hands
• In 1912, the area produced one million carats or 11.7 per cent of the world’s total diamond production.
• The town had the first X-ray machine in the southern hemisphere. But this machine was not only used to diagnose medical issues. It was also used to investigate and uncover any diamonds thefts.
• The decline in the price of diamonds after WWI affected the city and richer diamonds were found in the South, The city was abandoned in 1954. – See more details here

HOT AIR BALLOON/FLIGHT ACROSS NAMIB DESERT

I’m clearly not done with hot air ballooning and I’ll love to do it again and again! Apart from Capadoccia, the Namib desert has always been on the list of potential locations for hot air ballooning. Imagine cruising over one of tallest sand dunes in the world. I’ll particularly love to see where the desert meets the ocean!
 

Aren’t you excited Namibia is scrapping visas for all Africans? Even if the visa ends up being visa-on-arrival, we’ll take it! I really cannot wait to see this come to fruition. Thinking of visiting Namibia? What attractions are on your list? I’ll love to read from you, maybe my top 5 will change!