In Namibia, Nkasa Rupara park attracts tourists
By the AFREEQUE newsroom, based on New Era
Illustrative image · Dorota Semla · Pexels · Licence PexelsNkasa Rupara National Park, in Namibia’s Zambezi region, is now attracting international visitors seeking wildlife and wetlands after years without tourism activity. The Wild Waters group operates lodges there and supports conservation of four of the Big Five, according to its managing director Simone Micheletti, cited by New Era.
Nkasa Rupara National Park, in northeastern Namibia’s Zambezi region, is attracting increasing numbers of international visitors interested in wildlife, birdwatching and wetlands. Simone Micheletti, managing director of Wild Waters Group of Lodges, which operates Nkasa Lupala Tented Lodge and Rupara Rest Camp, said the park is home to four of the five great African mammals — elephants, buffaloes, lions and leopards — with rhinos absent.
Known as the “Little Delta”, Nkasa Rupara consists of channels, floodplains and islands comparable to some landscapes of the Okavango Delta. Micheletti said animal populations have recovered strongly in recent years. The partnership between Wild Waters Group and Wuparo Conservancy is also contributing to this development, through tourism revenue sharing and investment in training and employment for local communities.
Wild Waters Group also operates Jackalberry Camp and Rupara Rest Camp, which have helped develop the tourism offering in the park and the Zambezi region. Micheletti noted that managers of the group’s establishments come from community conservancies, giving these populations access to management positions in the tourism sector.
