UK tourists hit with new £70 charge to visit 'world's most beautiful country'

British nationals who want to visit Namibia will have to pay £70 to enter the country, which has ranked as one of the world's most beautiful.

From April, travellers from the UK, US, Germany and 29 other countries will need a visa to enter the southwest African country.

The new rule affect citizens from countries which require Namibian nationals to have visas.

Namibia's immigration ministry said earlier this year that despite it extending favourable treatment to nationals from a number of countries, this had not been reciprocated, hence the introduction of a visa requirement.

British High Commissioner to Namibia Charles Moore told the BBC he respected Namibia's right to impose new regulations.

He said: "[The UK] unfortunately imposed a visa regime on Namibia last year due to the number of asylum seekers we were receiving. That was impacting on our relationship with Namibia."

Before the Covid pandemic, the number of international tourist arrivals in Namibia hit more than 1,600,000 in 2019, the latest figures from World Bank Group show.

The country is celebrated for its natural beauty, making it into Condé Nast Traveler's global top 40 most beautiful countries in the world in 2022.

Home to an array of distinct landscapes, Namibia's capital, Windhoek, is where most visitors arrive before heading to sites, including the Skeleton Coast, Namib and Kalahari deserts.

Skeleton Coast in northern Namibia is a barren landscape named after the rusting hulks of ships which washed ashore after sinking. The bleached bones of whales and desert creatures also litter the sand, hence the name.

The Namib desert stretches to Namibia's Atlantic coast, with huge dunes tumbling down towards the sea at Sandwich Harbour.

One of Namibia's most well-known sites is Sossusvlei, which has some of the tallest dunes in the world. Big Daddy is the tallest, soaring up to 1,066ft.

With no light pollution, the Namib is a magnet for stargazers where the skies are guaranteed to be clear from June to July. The Milky Way and Southern Cross constellation are both visible from the oldest desert in the world.

Animal lovers will want to head to the Kalahari where leopards, cheetahs and black-maned lions prowl. The desert is home to the San people, with visits to their communities offering visitors an insight into their traditions.

There are safari trips available at Etosha National Park, which is famed for its watering holes and offers views of elephants, giraffes, rhinos and more.

The cheapest flight from London to Namibia at the time of writing costs £665, according to Skyscanner. It says Ethiopian Airlines is the cheapest airline flying to Namibia from London.