Namibia’s magnificent sand dunes have often been a draw for tourists wanting to marvel at their scale, but now the past-time of sandboarding is providing an extra incentive to visit, the Reuters news agency reports.
It says that the seaside town of Swakopmund is seeing a sandboarding boom spurred by the increasing number of cruise ships docking nearby.
A sandboarder stands up or lies down as they speed down the dune, hitting speeds of up to 80kmh (50mph), Reuters says.
“It is one of the best things to do around here,” Londoner Aylin Yazan is quoted as saying.
Devon Waters, who helps the tourists get in the boards told Reuters that it has changed him a lot and enabled him to avoid a life of crime.
“It keeps me off the streets because we work here every day. It puts bread on the table,” he said.