Angola's first leg: the southern circular route

Submitted by Marilize Nel on Thu, 03/10/2011 - 08:03
Fotos deur: 
Dale Morris

So many beautiful photos, so little space!

Angola's highways are brand spanking new and the landmines have largely been cleared. Dale Morris had the time of his life exploring the parks, deserts, war sites and buzzing cities.

Dale took too many awesome photos on his tour and we couldn’t publish everything. So, they found a place on the website instead.

Only the foolhardy or the extremely well prepared like use should continue travelling south through the Iona National Park.
Martin took us along a network of sandy jeep tracks in a flat landscape of mopani forests.
Storm clouds gathered as we slowly drove through the beautiful mopani forests.
The detritus of conflict can be found all over Angola.
Near the town of Cahama, we visited a destroyed Cuban base that was littered with shell casings and abandoned heavy artillery.
It's a sad, forlorn place; decaying and neglected, with bullet holes riddling the walls of most of the buildings.
We turned off onto a very tough dirt road, full of rain-filled potholes large enough to accommodate flocks of ducks.
The November rains have already started, said Martin as we drove carefully through some muddy quagmires.
Armed with a Garmin and his local knowledge, Martin navigated us safely over swamps and rickety bridges.
Most Angolan highways have been reconstructed, but some side roads such as this one near Hunguera Falls are a bit rustic.
At the Hunguera Falls, a dramatic curtain of water plummets from the lip of a sheer-faced mountain.
This little bridge close to Humpata certainly got the group's adrenalin levels up.
The rest of the 30km journey to the highland-plateau town of Humpata was made exhilarating by heavy rains.
Above Lubango, the massive Cristo Rei statue of Christ stands with arms open wide.
Cascata da Huila, a waterfall in the municipality of Huila or Huila province of Angola.
In the middle of dense vegetation, the Cascata da Huila forms a natural pool among the rocks.
This nameless, but beautiful waterfall is on the way to Tundavale.
Close to the town of Lubango is Tundavala, a dramatic viewpoint where sheer cliffs drop more than 1000m to a verdant plain.
Many people were thrown over here during the civil war, said Martin as we peered nervously over the edge.
The sheer height of the viewpoint is enough to make your toes tingle.
The impressive Leba Pass drops from the Angolan Highlands near Lubango city into the arid southwest.
The paved road consists of a series of hairpin loops and seriously tight turns.
Leba Pass's turnss takes you straight down a giant cliff face before meandering across steep foothills.
The highway leads through the arid lowlands to the large coastal city of Namibe, some 160 km west of Lubango.
We turned west down a wide waterless riverbed and headed on deeply rutted sand tracks to Flamingo Lodge.
The fishing spots of Flamingo Lodge are a renowned sport fishing attraction.
To reach the best fishing spots near Flamingo Lodge on the western coast, you need to do a spot of beach driving.
Flamingo Lodge is a renowned sport fishing attraction, but catches aren't guaranteed.
A lone, abandoned building west of the road between Namibe and Tombua, just south of the turn-off to Flamingo.
A lone fisherman on the beautiful freshwater Lake Arco.
The Arco island is a hidden treasure surrounded by the most amazing Angola attractions.
Slap-bang in the middle of an arid moonscape lies Lake Arco, a beautiful tropical oasis.
Beach driving through the Iona National Park could see you ending up like this ship - wrecked in the Atlantic Ocean.
The Cape or Silver-backed fox inhabits open grassland plains with scattered thickets and semi-desert scrub.
We cut across a barren sandy plain before pulling onto the beach.
The start of the infamous Acre of Death to the Cunene River Mouth.
We drove past the wrecks of fishing boats and ships, before stripy red-and-black dunes started rising on our left.
The dunes cut off any possible escape from the sea.
Timing your run with the tides is vital here.
We passes briny marshlands where flamingos waded in the shallows, a backdrop of mountainous dunes behind them.
The waves started lapping at the base of the 60 m high dunes.
That night, after further 35 km of beach driving, we made camp in the desert close to the ocean where we munched giant mussels.
We had a huge beach party after some members of the party caught some fish.
It was alarming to learn after the tour that fishing in the park is illegal.
Expert Angola guide, Martin le Roux, seen through a giant welwitschia.
We traversed vast sandy plains where drivers before us already left their tyre scars.
This stunningly beautiful place could be in jeopardy if tourists don't stick to the established tracks.
Angola holds many surprises for those who don't know it.
Between dramatic aric mountains giant welwitschias sprout from the ground between acacia trees and other succulent-like plants.
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