Our first night in Angola had been idyllic – camping underneath the baobab trees with the Kunene river flowing past
In the morning a few kids arrived and started trying to knock fruit out of the tree above us. Whenever an adult wandered past they told the kids to leave us be, but we were far too exciting for that!
Two young boys sat and watched us curiously for a while and we gave them some cheese, bread and an orange each
We were packed up and back on the road by 8:30am but it was slow going down the dust road.
We finally arrived at the small town of Xangongo two hours later where we hoped to get fuel, cash and a SIM card but two out of the three turned out to be too big an ask for such a small town. There were plenty of fuel stations but none actually had fuel – a common problem in the southern part of Angola. Equally, there were plenty of places selling data but none that could sell us an actual SIM card.
Undeterred, Kobus and I joined the long queue for a cash machine and waited nearly half an hour in the blistering heat only to find that the machine did not dispense cash.
We ploughed on, forever optimistic, and joined another queue for a different machine further up the road. Another half an hour into our wait, James arrived with my hat and water to keep me going – he has always been my favourite husband! And nearly two hours after we started our quest for cash we finally made it to the front of the rather chaotic queue and were rewarded with as much Angolan Kwanza as we could want – which actually wasn’t that much given how hard it is to spend money in this country.
We jumped back in the Landrovers and headed north towards the much larger city of Lubango. Despite the roads now being decent tarmac, it was too far to reach the city in one day and even if we pressed on all the way there would be nowhere to parkup for the night.
So instead we planned to stop somewhere on the outskirts but that was easier said than done. We tried a couple of options from our parkup app but they were no good. Eventually Kobus found a field just off the side of the road where we could hide behind a few trees and get some sleep.
We remembered Lubango from our trip to Angola back in 2023 – a big, dirty, busy city. We weren’t here to enjoy the sights, we just needed a few essentials. But even here that turned out to be less than straightforward.
Fuel was available but you needed to be very patient
Although the locals were happy to chat whilst we waited
The fuel station had no water but we found a commercial water station just around the corner that sold water to large trucks in tens of gallons. They very kindly filled up our three 20-litre containers and wouldn’t take any money for it but were thrilled when James produced a couple of cans of beer for their trouble.
The Unitel phone shop was having problems with their system so couldn’t sell us a SIM card. We went across the road to Africell who finally got us online but only had coverage in the largest cities so it was not a permanent solution.
We found a huge ShopRite supermarket and stocked up on a few bits and pieces and then, with much relief, fled out of town towards the Tundavela Gap
It was exactly as we remembered it, absolutely beautiful
With far reaching views over the valley
The viewing platforms were secure with railings around the edge but I wanted to get a photo without the railings in the way so picked my way out onto the rocky edge to peer down
Kobus was not quite so happy about that and pulled at my arm suggesting I might prefer to come back to the path!
There were a lot of beggars around and it seemed so sad. Angola is one of Africa’s largest oil producers and is a major global exporter of diamonds, iron ore, gold, copper, and many other natural resources. This makes it one of the largest economies in Africa. But most of its population lives in poverty, relying on subsistence agriculture with little access to education, health care, energy or basic infrastructure. And why? Because the vast majority of the money from its huge natural resources historically went to the political and business elite, either through illegitimate contracts or simply funnelled into offshore shell companies. Very little of it has been invested into the country itself.
In fact, as we drove around the country, crawling along tar roads that had literally caved in, bumping and grinding into pot hole after pot hole, looking at the people dressed in rags with their hands out begging for money or food, I became extremely angry. How can this situation be allowed to continue unchecked?
But we had more immediate problems to deal with. Now we were back online we had received an email from our carnet providers with details of what needed to be done in order to get Henry’s new carnet to Angola. The short version of it was that it was going to cost four times as much, require a second deposit to be paid and take significantly longer than we had anticipated from our previous carnet renewals. Apparently their systems had changed.
We were in Angola specifically to get Henry’s carnet swapped over and we would not be able to re-enter Namibia without the new one, so this had to be our priority. We drove back into Lubango and parked up opposite the DHL offices.
I rang our carnet lady in the UK, Sukie, who is always extremely helpful. We agreed that I would send her photographs of the stamps on the old carnet plus the temporary import permit for Angola, take the old carnet into DHL right now and send her a photo of the tracking details. With all that she could swap the deposit from the old carnet to the new rather than asking us to pay again.
But the deposit needed to be topped up as it was too low for their new requirements and we would have to pay another 50% on top of the usual costs for the new one to be processed within 10 days rather than their new standard of four weeks. Even then DHL were saying it would take 10-15 days to get the new document to us so we were looking at a total of 25 days before we could get our hands on it.
We only had 30-day visas in Angola and had already been there for two of them. We had intended to have the new carnet sent to the capital city, Luanda, but that was 1,500km from the Namibian border. We were starting to panic.
In the end we asked Sukie to send the new document to Lubango instead, at least that way we were only a day away from the border and would have a better chance of getting out of Angola before our visas ran out.
We paid the bill for the new carnet, took the required photos, handed the old carnet over to DHL and finally got the thumbs up from Sukie that she had everything she needed.
All we could do now was wait and hope.
That had taken over two hours and poor Kobus and Marissa were stuck waiting in their truck behind us whilst we dealt with it all.
We sped off out of the city again with me desperately trying to destress and stop my brain climbing out of my ears. We were heading for the Serra de Leba pass which would take us westwards towards the coast.
The guy collecting the tolls for the pass decided to take an extra 100 kwanza for himself just to prove that corruption is alive and well at all levels in this country! We then pulled in to the viewpoint to admire the twisting, turning pass in all its glory
We swept down the pass, watching the mountains roll past and gradually descended down to the valley floor. After about 20km the road evened out and started following the river valley. The sun was sinking to the horizon as we got to the bottom
We found a parkup place in the dry river bed, well away from everything, where peace and quiet fell on us again
A huge relief after the madness of the city
We spent a lovely evening surrounded by bats, eating chewy beef from ShopRite and finally relaxing with a glass of wine under the stars
The next day we were going to the seaside. The town of Namibe sits on the Atlantic coast at the edge of the Namib desert and is a pretty but dusty and rather run down place. We liked it when we went the first time but towns and cities were not on the agenda for this trip, the four of us were much more interested in getting as far away from civilisation as possible.
It was a beautiful drive with the stark mountains rising on either side, occasionally broken by patches of vibrant green on the valley floor
As we neared the coast, rain started to pour down
And everything around us disappeared in the all-too-familiar coastal mist
We drove straight through Namibe, making only one quick stop at Unitel to pick up a new SIM card that actually worked, and then headed towards one of our favourite places – Colinas do Curoca
At first we were a bit worried as new buildings had appeared at the entrance threatening to be a ticket office or tourist information centre
And there were crowds of people around. Not exactly the remote, eerie place we remembered.
But the buildings were only half built and the people all turned out to be with some tour group that left fairly quickly
Once they had gone and we were inside the canyon, we could see that it had not changed at all
We drove around, poking about in all the nooks and crannies
Just as awestruck as we were three years ago by the magnificence of the towering, wind-sculptured rocks
The local name for this place is The Valley of the Spirits or simply the Red Canyons
Three years ago we took this photo of Henry stuck in a dead end
And so had to recreate it this time
Although we now had friends who were just as stuck as us!
After a while we found ourselves a spot to parkup for the rest of the day and made ourselves at home surrounded by the rocks
Every sound we made was amplified, circling around us like an echo chamber
We spent a wonderful night sleeping under the stars with nothing but silence and absolute darkness around us
There is something about Colinas that has really got under our skins, the myths and legends of the valley seem to have imprinted themselves inside us. We didn’t want to leave but there was so much else to see we had to drag ourselves away
The Rock Arch is just a short drive further into the desert from Colinas and we decided to take a look before we headed further north. The approach is otherworldly
We reached the small village at the foot of the arch
And parked up under the trees
We were delighted to see the same guide as had shown us around three years ago come to greet us again and we shook his hand warmly, fully realising that he would have had no idea that he had met us before
He guided us along the winding path to the arch and we stood on the rocks looking out over the magnificent views
We clambered up and down for a while
And were then guided back along a different path to see the huge caves nearby
Our guide pointed to the fossils deep inside the rock formations, they were beautiful
Kobus and Marissa were keen to spend a few days by the sea and do a bit of fishing so, after thanking our guide, we headed along the coastline looking for the perfect spot.
We were running a bit low on water so pulled in to a local fuel station to see whether they could help. The staff happily directed us to a well behind the pumps
Kobus and I peered down into the depths uncertainly but fortunately for us one of the members of staff showed us the ropes
It was a tough job but he didn’t seem to have any trouble pulling that bucket up time and again until all our water containers were full to the brim. He even pulled up a final bucket just for me which James tipped over my head – it was a fabulous way to cool down!
We drove about 130km further north until we found a small track leading off the main road, over two small hills and down onto the beach
When we first arrived it looked desolate
A small fishing village stood to one side and as soon as we appeared over the headland the local kids rushed towards us, excited to see new people. We drove along the beach for a kilometre or more to try and give ourselves some distance from the village but it was nothing to the kids, almost as soon as we parked up they were with us, watching our every move intently
With camp set up we cooked dinner and watched as the sun slowly sank beneath the horizon
The next morning the sky was blue and rather than bleak our beach looked quite beautiful
Windswept, isolated and untouched it had a very tranquil feel about it and we decided to stay for another day.
I went for a walk to the far cliffs and made my mark in the sand for future generations to ponder
Huge waves were crashing all around, so loud it was hard to hear yourself think. As I stood at the edge of the beach watching them rolling in and out I felt tiny in comparison
Kobus got out his fishing rod and started on his mission to catch dinner
By now the kids had come back and were fascinated by his efforts
They were very sweet and completely engrossed in everything we did
But eventually it got a bit too much and Kobus gently asked them to give us some space so they trudged off back to the village.
With the beach to ourselves again we headed back out for another sandy walk – James and Kobus looking like two peas in a pod
As we drove back up the hill towards the main road the next day, at least twenty kids were running alongside us grinning and waving us off. Their excitement at having visitors was over and our peaceful introduction to Angola was at an end.
Anyone who visits Angola will quickly discover that the south is beautiful – parched deserts, wild coasts, rocky national parks, the Tundavela Gap, the Serra de Leba pass. Not a day goes by without some awe-inspiring natural wonder to see. In the north are the magnificent Calandula Falls and the remarkable Petras Negras. Plus the capital city of Luanda for history, culture and excitement.
And there is 1,000km of not a whole lot between the two.
That might be slightly unfair, there are the beautiful Binga Falls, the gorgeous roads through the rainforest canopy of Gabela, monasteries and coffee plantations. But these are things to see as you pass through, not destinations in their own right. On our first visit to Angola we had all the time in the world and could potter about enjoying a slow journey north, but Kobus and Marissa have a farm to look after and were therefore on a timescale. If they were going to see the main attractions in the north we needed to be a bit quicker getting there this time and that meant choosing our stops carefully.
But we also needed to make sure we actually enjoyed the trip and didn’t spend every day driving for endless hours.
The next few days were going to be a tricky balancing act.
We decided to aim for Lobito as our next stop but if Lubango is a big, busy city it has nothing on the scale and poverty of Lobito. We knew better than to try and go through the city itself, we had not found anything positive about it last time so instead skirted the edge heading straight for a headland parkup spot overlooking the bay.
As we drove we found ourselves recognising part-built bridges, still under construction three years ago but now abandoned and left to the elements
The road was tarmac but the number and size of the potholes increased the further we went and eventually it turned into dirt
Progress slowed to a frustrating pace and we were becoming tired of the poor conditions in what could be one of Africa’s most progressive countries.
After many hours we finally bumped back up onto tar and the views cheered us up a little
It didn’t last though, by the middle of the afternoon we had arrived in Lobito and were reminded all over again of the poverty that so many people here so needlessly live in
With traffic coming at us from all directions and trying to keep Kobus and Marissa with us at every turn, we gritted our teeth and ploughed on through the chaotic streets until we popped out the other end, the noise and drama of it all slowly ebbing away and calm returning.
Our parkup place was lovely
We could breathe fresh air again.
But the shipwrecks were gone, sunk under the waves or slowly rotted in the salty water.
We were still a long way from Luanda but didn’t want to spend too much time doing nothing but driving there so we decided to go slightly inland to Binga Falls to break up the journey.
North of Namibe the landscape starts to change – bit by bit the desert falls away almost imperceptibly. But now, as we headed inland from Lobito, the change was abrupt
Lush, green vegetation crowded in along the road and palm trees stretched out as far as the eye could see
We were driving across the escarpment where the arid desert region gives way to sub-tropical forests.
The Keve River came into view
And with it rich farmland where the people were growing the amazingly abundant fruit and vegetables that are so ubiquitous in Angola
When you first enter from Namibia it seems strange that such large, juicy fruits are sold in huge quantities in the middle of the desert but drive just a few hundred kilometres north and it all makes sense
We arrived at Binga Falls and decided to drive down to the official campsite on the beach. We had been wild camping up until now, but everyone on our parkup apps loved this campsite and as we pulled up right in front of the falls we could see why
There are not many places where you can camp with such a perfect view
The facilities at the campsite were very run down but it was cheap and worth every penny to spend the evening at the foot of the falls
We were still nearly 350km from Luanda so made one final stop en route. We wanted to make the most of the beautiful coastline so drove 250km to another headland parkup place, this one surrounded by the most remarkable coloured cliffs
And the next day we finally made it into Luanda itself. Apart from being the capital city and full of culture, the main reason we were here was to meet up with our old friend Ugo. We were excited to see him again and had been invited to his house for a reunion. We had agreed to spend one night at the Naval Club overlooking the marina and then head to his place.
We had warned Kobus and Marissa that Luanda was a huge, busy city full of traffic and noise and that the Naval Club was a small oasis of tranquillity in the middle of it. But I don’t think anything had prepared them for the reality.
Driving through the busy streets with cars coming at us from all directions, turns and junctions that seemed to come out of nowhere and no room to breathe was too much for them. By the time we arrived at the Naval Club they had decided they did not want to see any more of the city.
And we could not blame them one bit!
Even the Naval Club was a huge disappointment
The whole place was now a building site with the noise of construction going on all around us
And rather than being able to park on the edge of the car park overlooking the marina, the club had now designated a spot in the corner for overlanders to stay
We all felt a bit down but cheered ourselves up with a very nice dinner overlooking the bay
Then sat rather glumly in our corner of the car park watching the lights of the city glimmer over the boats
Before having a very early night
The next day did not get any better. The pin location Ugo had sent me to remind me where his house was appeared to be all the way out of town in a much more rural area. It was not what we remembered but it had been some time since we were there and perhaps he had moved.
To get there we had to drive even further through the busy city and stress levels were high in both vehicles.
To make matters worse we stopped off at a supermarket and cash machine where speakers blasted out music at decibels that made it hard to breathe, never mind think and by the time the city had faded into the distance we all had headaches.
But worse was still to come, we arrived at the gates to the equestrian centre that Ugo had sent us to only to find that he had sent the wrong location. He does indeed own an equestrian centre but not this one – his was in the middle of the city almost exactly where we had started from.
With very little internet signal and no way to communicate with the locals it took over an hour to establish that we were in entirely the wrong place. Ugo apologised profusely for the mix up and tried his best to persuade us to go back, but the thought of another hour and a half fighting our way back into the city only to turn around and fight our way back out again the next day was too much to bear.
So we promised Ugo we would return another time and headed down the road away from the chaos that is Luanda.
Calandula Falls is nearly 700km east of Luanda down slow, deeply potholed roads, made even slower by hundreds of lumbering lorries carrying goods from Luanda across the country. So our day did not get any better. Having fought our way through Luanda and missed out on seeing Ugo we then spent the rest of the day driving along teeth-clunking, Henry-damaging and lung-poisoning roads.
We stopped at a quarry for the night with lorries bumping past all night, horns blaring and lights flashing. We were not happy, it seemed as though our Angolan adventure was slipping away from us.
We lay in bed staring sadly out of the window, hoping that the trip had reached its low point. All we could do now was keep going – onwards and upwards…
