With the frequent influx of tourists following the lifting of the COVID-19 travel ban, the state of the gravel roads within the flagship Etosha National Park is said to be rapidly deteriorating.
   
A U.S. citizen and tourist who has been visiting Namibia for the past 10 years, Christopher Bugbee, expressed concern with the roads, saying they may pose a risk to travelers if left unresolved.

Bugbee expressed concern during a recent visit to the wildlife sanctuary by an nbc News crew to assess progress on the refurbishment of lodges and campsites at Namibia Wildlife Resorts, Onkoshi, Okaukuejo, and Halali.

Parts of the roads are riddled with potholes, and their impact is felt even when driving at the stipulated speed with a 4x4 vehicle.

Olivia Nakanyala, a domestic traveler, expresses similar concerns, noting that the campsites she visited were dusty and unappealing, owing to the poor road conditions.

She urged the Ministry of Environment, Forestry, and Tourism to set aside as much of a budget as was required to upgrade the roads to an acceptable standard.

In an interview with nbc News, the ministry's spokesperson, Romeo Muyunda, reiterated his appeal for calm, saying maintenance is underway and will be complete by the end of this month.

He says graders, which are often used to maintain roads, were broken, which in turn meant roads were left unrehabilitated. 

The Etosha National Park is one of Africa's largest parks, covering an area of 22,270 square kilometres in size.