Angola/Namibia August/September Pierre and Christi de Wet

Transcription

1 General: Angola/Namibia August/September Pierre and Christi de Wet Angola is far from SA and not known for an abundance of wildlife. The trip would be a solo trip with only me, my wife and our vehicle into a country still recovering from a war. We don t understand Portuguese and the only way to make us understandable would be with the help of a little English to Portuguese phrase book. These were all odds counting against going there so we thought of reasons why we would like to visit the country. We already visited most of the southern and eastern African countries and felt that we were ready for an adventure and some exploring. To go there before all the major roads were tarred making it more accessible to a wider range of travellers. With our minds made up we started with the planning and from scratch set our goal to drive up to the Congo River and to see as much of the country as possible in the 4 weeks we had available. To see the Kalandula Falls and Pedras Negras was also high on our priority list. With travelling times unknown we realized that we would have to push quite hard to meet our targets. We then decided to miss out on a visit to the Cunene River mouth and to rather go there at a later stage combined with a trip to the Kaokoveld. To get information on Angola is not easy and I could find nothing in the bookshops. It was gained by making use of various sources. I searched for articles on the internet, read forums, ed people who wrote reports of previous trips and also made a study of the Voetspore videos of their Gansbaai to Gabon series. By the end I had a good source of information which I used for my planning. Paper maps from Map Studio and Info Map were used and on the PC, Map Source with Waypoint Manager and T4A (Tracks for Africa). I worked out routes with alternatives in some places and by the end downloaded 47 of them to my Garmin GPS 276C. To be allowed into the country you need visas and to apply for a visa you require a letter of invitation. That we got from Angolan Adventure Safaris for free with the understanding that we would spend a night or two at Flamingo Lodge, one of two lodges ran by them in Angola. You apply for the visas at the Angola Embassy or Consulates in Pretoria, Johannesburg or Cape Town together with a letter of employment, two colour photos, patience and R per visa. At the border a yellow fever vaccination certificate as well as the normal papers for the vehicle is required. Your SA drivers licence is valid. Take preventative measures against Malaria. The US dollar is accepted at the lodges but for day to day spending and fuel the local Kwanza currency is best. We took US$1, with us and the exchange rate that we got was R7.82 to the dollar in SA. In the town of Namibe we exchanged US $ for kwanza at an exchange rate of KZ92 to the dollar and received KZ37, Our vehicle is a fully equipped 2007 Toyota Land Cruiser Pickup with an AluCab Canopy and Hannibal Impi rooftop tent. We took 220L of diesel fuel, 105L of drinking water, 30L of washing water, a Waeco 50L fridge and a National Luna 52L fridge and 2 deep cycle batteries 215ah in total excluding the vehicle battery. 2 Spare wheels as well as all our meat, food, cold drinks etc. for a month. We also had all the normal camping gear and clothing required for such a trip as well as a variety of tools, limited spares like fan belts, fuel filter, fuses, bulbs and an extra car battery. All added together makes up for quite a load which left us with a heavy vehicle. I took the mud terrain tyres and wide rims that I had on the Cruiser off and used the original 7.50x16 8PR tyres on split rims. This proved to be the right decision as the tyres are extremely tough leaving us with no tyre problems on the entire trip. Highlights of the trip were to travel through the south western part including Iowa Park and to experience the remoteness and solitude of not seeing any other vehicles or people except for a few locals for 3 days. To be able to stand next to one of the tallest Welwitchia plants in the world, weird and wonderful sandstone formations at Curoca River Valley and the beauty of Lake Arco. The engineering wonder of the Leba pass, the gorges of Tundavala, the beautiful waterfall close to Sumbe and to relax at Cabo Ledo. There is the moon landscape south of Luanda and the Congo River after a dusty bumpy potholed road. Then you get to one of the most spectacular waterfalls in the world at Kalandula and the fantastic rock formations of Pedras Negras. You feel totally safe amongst people you hardly can communicate with due to the language, the low price of diesel. Then to be back in the relative luxury of Etosha and to be lucky enough to see how a lioness waited for the exact right moment to catch a Springbok. The finding of a rare desert Elephant after 18km in a dry riverbed at Aba-Huab and to experience the beauty of the Namib Desert during a flight in a small aircraft. Low points were to see the poverty of the locals who seem not interested in improving their position by leaving the development of the country s infrastructure to the thousands of Chinese. The litter you find all over the country and the almost total lack of tourist facilities. Most roads are scattered with wrecks of cars and trucks, all stripped from everything valuable and then left next to the road. The selling of bush meat was a sad sight thinking of the very little wildlife left in the country. Angola is not yet geared for tourists, for us campers official accommodation barely exist. Flamingo Lodge between Tombua and Namibe offers camping at US $20 pppn and Palanca Negra Lodge close to Lubango at US $20 pppn and an additional US $80 per night to open a bungalow for toilet and shower facilities. Casper Lodge in Lubango provides a piece of lawn and then opens the toilets and showers, in the Laundromat, that the workers use, at US $15 pppn. Senhor Quieroz at Cabo Ledo allows you to camp next to a bungalow which they unlock for toilet and shower facilities at US $15 pppn. At the Zulu Restaurant in Lobito the owner allows camping on the beach for free and provides the use of a toilet but on a weekend it is very busy around the restaurant. We could not even come close. That is all that we could find, besides that you finds yourself a place in the bush like we did in most cases or you ask the local chief or the police for a place to sleep which we only did once at Pedras Negras.

2 Fuel stations are widely spread over the country and in towns but some were often out of fuel or there were long queues waiting. It appeared to be like common practice, in places like Luanda and larger towns, for the locals, mostly over weekends, to buy all the available diesel fuel from filling stations and to then sell it on the black market at almost double the price. Road conditions varied from good tar and gravel to potholed tar and to really bad gravel. I only needed to engage 4x4 in the Iowa Park area and also for beach driving at Flamingo Lodge and at the Kwanza River Mouth. Care also needed to be taken on some good tar roads where deep ditches are next to the yellow line. Depending on the route you take, you require a vehicle with a strong suspension and tyres that can handle potholes and broken tar, sand and rock. In the larger towns you may find a Shoprite or supermarket where most of your requirements can be purchased from, although expensive. Vegetables and charcoal can be bought from road side sellers at a low price. Fuel is very cheap, diesel at 29 kwanza (50 on the black market) and petrol at 40, in rand diesel cost us R2.46. Drinking water can be bought and washing water you get from rivers, in many cases you find locals bathing and washing where you get access to a river so at times we had to search for clean washing water. I may sketch a somewhat negative picture of the country but my aim is to give a clear view of what we experienced and I want future visitors to have an idea of what to expect. The rate of development in the country is fast and it won t be long before many things change. In places like Cabo Ledo the building of new lodges are in progress, and as with tourists starting to visit more, facilities will improve. The country is beautiful, mountains, lots of water and great rivers. I can just imagine how much more there is to see in the northern, central and eastern parts. We will most probably visit it again in future to experience more and would also like to see the Congo River at other locations. The people are friendly, everybody minding their own business, no begging or bothering you. No bribery or issues with the police, they stop you, look at your papers and let you go. At the border posts everything also went without any hiccups. All in all we are very grateful that we could experience such a great trip and adventure. Our day to day progress, activities and route was as follows: 28/08 - Departed from home at 14h30 in Pretoria and drove via the N4 toll road to Zeerust. Filled up with diesel and drove to the Botsalano Game Park close to the Botswana border. We saw lots of game in the short time we were there and plan to re-visit the park in future, perhaps for a weekend 286 km on a good tar road. 29/08 Left 07h30, crossed the border into Botswana at Ramatlabama and drove through Botswana over Kang to Gobabis, got diesel and camped at Gobabis dam km travelled on good tar. 30/08 - Drove the short distance to Windhoek where we did some shopping and stayed over with friends. The evening we went for dinner in a steakhouse km all on tar. 31/08 Left Windhoek at 06h30, bought a good supply of biltong and dry wors from Piet se Biltong in Otjiwarongo, filled the Cruiser with diesel in Ruacana and entered Angola at 16h00 after a seamless border crossing taking app. 30 minutes for both sides. Drove into Angola for 11km, found a dry riverbed and camped for the night. Tar all the way except for good gravel from 100km before Ruacana, then tar to the border and gravel in Angola 866 km. 01/09 Departed at 08h30 and travelled 195km in rough terrain west in the direction of the Cunene mouth, beautiful scenery all the way. Found another dry riverbed for our second night in Angola and set up camp at 17h15. 02/09 Continued our journey in the same type of terrain, this time in a north western direction. Passed Pediva Hot Springs, visited the very tall Welwitschia, assisted locals by pulling their 2 ton truck to get it started and camped next to the sandstone formations of Curoca River Valley 190km travelled in rough terrain. 03/09 Visited the beautiful Lake Arco where a local guide accompanied us. Had a look at the town of Tombua and managed to climb the little sand dune on the south side of town with the heavy Cruiser on my 3 rd. attempt after deflating the tyres. From there we drove to Flamingo Lodge where there was no water at the campsite. They opened a bungalow allowing us the use of the shower and toilet facilities km. Mixed gravel, tar and sand. 04/09 Relaxed at Flamingo, drove north and south on the beach, tried some fishing but with no success 30 km sand. 05/09 Our wedding day, 28 years of marriage and one of the busiest days of the trip. Left Flamingo, changed US dollar for kwanza in the town of Namibe, filled the diesel tanks and continued to the Leba Pass. Bought a large bag of charcoal, slowly ascended the spectacular pass and visited the viewpoint. Before the town of Humpata we took a detour to a waterfall and to the Dorsland Trekkers Memorial and graveyard. Had a look for accommodation at Palanca Negra Lodge but their camping fee was too high for what they offer and after visiting the statue of Christ we drove to Casper Lodge in Lubango which was more affordable. They were only prepared to make the shower and toilet facilities of the workers in the Laundromat available to us so we opted for a bush camp. By this time it was dark making it very difficult to navigate our way out of the madness of Lubango with lots of vehicles, motorcycles, pedestrians, no robots and no streetlights. A bit nerve wrecking but eventually we made it up the mountain to Tundavala where we had a peaceful camp. Certainly an anniversary we will remember 417 km, mostly on tar except for the sand first and the gravel detour to the waterfall and to Tundavala.

3 06/09 Visited the cliffs at Tundavala, drove down the mountain to Lubango, bought yogurt at a supermarket, filled up with diesel and continued to Lobito. The first 120km is good tar, then bad gravel for 50km and then tar all the way. We passed Benguella and saw the new bridge under construction in Catumbela. Before Lobito you find a double lane highway with a new soccer stadium in an almost complete state for the 2010 world cup. A funeral approached with the coffin on the back of an open pickup, followed by a large group of small Chinese motor cycles and then last in the queue, the motor vehicles. In most African countries either the donkey or the bicycle is the primary means of transport, in Angola it is small Chinese motorcycles, thousands of them. Sometimes at fuel stations there must be close to a hundred queuing for petrol. Approaching the Zulu Restaurant in Lobito we saw more and more cars and people. We could not get close to where we thought we would camp and was told by a traffic officer to move back and park somewhere else. Realising that camping was out of the question we backtracked to close to Baya Farta where we found a nice quiet spot behind a hill, out of sight of the road 497 km. 07/09 There are some beautiful new developments around Baya Farta at Baya Azul. We drove back to Benguella, Catumbela and Lobito. After visiting the Shoprite in Lobito, we continued our journey towards Cabo Ledo. A few kilometres north of Sumbe we took the road to the right to visit a very beautiful waterfall approximately 25km on. Spend time there, drove the 25km back and continued to Cabo Ledo where we booked in at the Resort and Restaurant of Queiroz for 3 nights km on tar. 08/09 Cabo Ledo - This is really a very good location right on the beach and almost felt like Mozambique. We relaxed, took a long stroll on the beach and did some reading. 09/09 Cabo Ledo. We drove to the Kwanza River Mouth and Lodge and back. Spend the rest of the day relaxing and doing nothing in particular 114 km on tar. 10/09 At Cabo Ledo we were advised to rather drive around Luanda. To drive through would take the better part of a day so we decided to follow the advice and opted for the new bypass which takes you around in no time. Got diesel at a fuel station close to the highway and besides a traffic jam where we joined the Luanda/Barra do Donde road we had no problems. There is a new tar road to Barra do Donde but after that the road got worse, first potholes, then broken tar, later gravel with tar patches here and there and eventually bad gravel with dust pits and the ever present Chinese construction trucks everywhere. This was a hard drive and we managed to get 10km past Nzeto before we followed a track into the bush for a well deserved rest 427 km tar to bad gravel. 11/09 This was the day we hoped to reach Soyo and to see the Congo River. We started early and continued on the same type of road till approximately 20km before Soyo where the road got better. Soyo is a large town but the view of the Congo River was a bit of a disappointment, we expected to see more of it but the houses and shacks of the locals are all over so a clear view of the river was difficult to find. We stopped and I walked some distance to take a few photos. It was a great feeling knowing that we achieved our primary goal. This was also the turning point of our trip. After spending some time in Soyo and driving around to see what the place looked like, we turned around and started the way back to Luanda. We decided on a bush camp and thus had to get away from the densely populated area. By late afternoon we reached a quarry where we set up camp, not far from Nzeto 368 km of bad gravel. 12/09 Drove past Nzeto and reached Luanda by around 15h00. We needed to fill up with diesel before we could continue but the fuel stations were dry forcing us to buy 127L on the black market at an effective cost of R4.45 per litre. Continuing in the direction of Dondo and while cruising on a dual lane highway in the fast lane a car approached us in our lane and forced me to duck for our lives. They just closed the one half of the highway and threw the oncoming traffic to the other side but gave no warning to the traffic driving in our direction. Really gave me a shock realising the close encounter we had. By late afternoon we set up camp on a clear area underneath a power line 400 km of bad gravel and tar. 13/09 This day was the best day of the trip. First we drove through Dondo, filled up with Diesel at a new filling station and continued in beautiful scenery, mountains, rainforest and rivers to Lucala. Took the turnoff to the left before Malange and drove on a potholed tar road to the Kalandulla Falls. They are really spectacular to see, we hired a local kid to guide us down to the foot of the falls through a rainforest which was a wonderful experience. From there we drove on to the strange and weird rock formations at Pedras Negras. Requested permission to camp from the police, and were appointed a campsite next to their house. Not the setting of our choice but I bet one of the safest places that we had slept in Angola km on tar. 14/08 Drove around Pedra Negras and could not stop photographing the rocks. Definitely worth an extra day s visit in future. Continued with our journey and drove back to Dondo via an alternative road. After waiting for a diesel tanker to fill the tanks of the filling station we moved on to Wako Kungo. Visited Aldeira Nova, a place ran as a Kibbutz with app. 600 families living and working there. They sell dairy products like cheese, milk, yogurt and ice cream but only in larger quantities which we could not fit into our freezers. The scenery is beautiful with mountains and large rocks. Reached Huambo by late afternoon, filled the Cruiser with diesel, saw the first and only robot in the country so far and seriously started to look for a place to camp. Huambo is a large town and there are lots of people so we drove on. It was almost dark when we reached Caala, 10km from Huambo. On the outskirts of the town we followed a track to the right which brought us to a quiet place to camp, out of sight behind a large granite hill under Mango trees km on tar.

4 15/08 By then we were well ahead of our original planned schedule and felt that we could do with a warm shower and to travel at a more relaxed pace. The decision was made to try and get as close to the border with Namibia as possible that day which would allow us sufficient time to spend a week in Namibia before returning home. We left early. The road to Lubango is bad in places so we only reached it by 15h00. At 15h45 we had refuelled and were on our way to Ondjiva. The first 150 km is tar, then good gravel, then bad potholed tar which you drive for approximately 100km next to the road and then good tar again till you reach Ondjiva. The night driving was easy with very little traffic and with the spotlights on the cruiser it was easy to see the holes in the road. We reached Ondjiva at 23h45 and slept at a filling station 780 km. 16/08 The pumps opened at 07h00, we filled the tanks for the last time with cheap diesel and set off to the Oshikango border post, 40 km on. Into Namibia at around 10h00 and after shopping for bread and changing our last Kwanza s for Namibian dollar at the Portuguese Wholesalers we were off to Etosha. Entered at the King Nehale Gate in the north and drove to Namutoni Camp where we had our first warm shower in 2 weeks, heaven km 17/08- Left late, saw lots of the tiny Damara Dik-Dik antelopes on the Dik-Dik loop and had a leisurely drive to Halali where we booked in, relaxed next to the pool and camped km 18/08 On the way to Okaukuejo we saw a lioness lying in the reeds next to a drinking hole. After waiting for 2 hours and after numerous times that the Springbok came to drink water and left, she charged and caught one right in front of us. We managed to capture it on photo and video. This was the first time we saw a kill after many years of visiting game parks. Further on we saw lots of game at water holes. We bought ice cream at Okaukuejo and exited the park late afternoon to camp at Etosha Safari Camp. Camping in Etosha now cost R pppn plus day fees of R60 pppd and R10 for the vehicle, a total of R for 2 adults per day. At the camp outside, 10km from the gate, we paid R for the two of us to camp 144 km travelled. 19/08 Took a leisurely drive over Outjo to the Aba-Huab camp at Twyfelfontein and visited the Vingerklip on the way km. 20/08 Drove 18km west in the dry Aba-Huab river where we found a desert elephant. Visited the Organ Pipes and continued to the Brandberg White Lady Lodge to camp for the night km. 21/08 Filled with diesel at Uis, had excellent Kabeljou at Henties Bay for lunch and booked in at Alte Brucke Camping in Swakopmund for 2 nights 250 km. 22/08 Went to town for breakfast, bought me some vellies, did window shopping, a bit of sight seeing and relaxed for the rest of the day. 23/08 Left for Windhoek. Visited the Spitzkoppe on the way, bought biltong at Piet se Biltong in Otjiwarongo and arrived at the home of our friends in Windhoek late afternoon for 2 nights 445 km. 24/08 Our friend Abrie bought himself a new Land Rover Defender so we visited 4x4 shops in Windhoek to look for accessories. Later that day he took us for a 2 hour flight in a Cessna 210 aeroplane over the Gamsberg, the Kuiseb Canyon and the Tsondab Vlei dunes. He did some very low flying over the dunes, they call it riding the dunes which was a thrilling experience. Seeing the Namib from a small plane was spectacular. 25/08 Left Windhoek at 05h15 and arrived home in Pretoria at 19h20 after a hassle free drive 1387 km. Scroll down for a Cost Breakdown

5 Cost Breakdown: - All in SA Rand, Vat incl: Visas (2) R Accommodation: Botsalano R Gobabis dam R Flamingo Lodge R (2 nights) Cabo Ledo R (3 nights) Etosha R (2 nights, 3 days) Etosha Safari Camp R Aba-Huab R Brandberg White Lady R Alte Brucke R (2 nights) Total - R Border Costs Botswana (dual) entry R Namibia (2 entries) R Angola R Total - R Toll Fees SA and Kwanza River R Local Guides Lake Arco, Sumbe, Kalandula R Food: Bread, soup, yogurt, vegetables, wood, charcoal, restaurant, ice cream etc. R Fuel SA R Botswana R Namibia R Angola R Total - R Service of Cruiser Done by myself R Grand Total for Trip Total fuel used Total Distance as per GPS Log Average Fuel Consumption R17, litres Km 6.56km/L The fuel cost saving for a month s commuting at home as well as the saving on water and electricity work out to be roughly the same as the extra cost we paid for cell phone calls on roaming and the sending of SMS messages. Food taken with us would also been consumed while at home, other extras are already added to the above costs. The cost for accommodation and fuel for the extra week in Namibia pushed up the total cost. Without that a trip to Angola is relatively cheap if you are prepared to camp in the bush for most of the time. The wear and tear on the vehicle and tyres are not included. Scroll down for Photo s

6 View from our Campsite at Gobabis Dam Ruacana border post where we entered Angola

7 Just across the border into Angola Our first night in Angola in a dry riverbed

8 In Iowa Park this is the type of terrain for app. 360km On the road to Cunene Mouth

9 Crossing before Pediva Hot Springs Coffee Break

10 Pediva Hotsprings Giant Welwitschia

11 All Angola travellers knows this spot Curoca River Valley (Sandstone Walls)

12 Camp Site for the night

13 Lake Arco

14 On the way to Tombua

15 This is how fish is dried Flamingo Lodge

16 Camping next to a bungalow at Flamingo Flamingo sign from main road

17 Namibe Harbour Famous Leba Pass

18 Next to Leba Pass Former Veterinary Institute, now deserted

19 Waterfall and pool close to Veterinary Institute before Humpata Dorsland Trekkers memorial stone close to Humpata

20 Route of Dorsland Trekkers

21 Statue of Christ overlooking the city of Lubango

22 Tundavala (2252m) On the road from Tundavala to Lubango

23 New bridge under construction at Catumbela Waterfall close to Sumbe

24 Queiroz Restaurant and Resort at Cabo Lebo

25 Cabo Ledo

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27 Boat on Kwanza rivier Moon Landscape south of Luanda

28 Mussera, one of many small villages between Luanda and Soyo

29 Red powder dust on everything next to the road Dried fish full of dust

30 Oil pump next to the road before Soyo

31 Congo rivier at the town of Soyo Congo River

32 Bush meat Wild Ferns growing in a tree on the way to Lucala

33 Kalandula falls, competition for Vic falls?

34 Pedras Negras stone formations

35 Bread in the oven

36 Camp at Pedras Negras next to the home of a police officer

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38 Waiting in a queue for fuel One of many bushfires

39 Brought back memories of a war of not very long ago Camping next to the road, just south of Caala under Mango trees

40 Out of Angola to Namutoni in Etosha Damara Dik-Dik

41 Waited 2 hours to capture this kill on camera and video Elephants white from Etosha mud

42 Camping at Etosha Safari Camp, very nice and cheaper than inside Etosha On the way to the Vingerklip

43 Vingerklip Desert elephant found after 18 km in the dry riverbed at Aba-Huab

44 Aba-Huab camp Entrance at Brandberg White Lady Lodge

45 Tame and very cute Beautiful Brandberg

46 Nice coffee on the way to Hentiesbay from Uis Camping at Alte Brucke in Swakopmund

47 Spitzkoppe Spitzkoppe

48 Friend Abrie with Cessna 210 turbo before flight over Gamsberg, Kuiseb canyon and Tsondab Vlei dunes Gamsberg

49 Kuiseb Canyon Tsondab Vlei dunes

50 GPS 5 track log of our flight over the Namib. The top speed of 341km/h and distance covered 494km GPS 276c track log from our home to Angola and back excluding flight over the Namib km