Text by GG van Rooyen, Photography by Uri Adventures.
Source: This article was taken from the February 2011 issue of Leisure Wheels.
For decades, Angola was a war-torn wasteland, blighted by constant skirmishes and on the verge of collapse.
More than four million people were displaced. But in 2002 the shooting stopped and after 27 years of civil war, the people could rebuild their country. And for overland enthusiasts in the south, crossing the Kunene became a viable option.
22 February 2002. The Cold War between the Soviet Union and the West had been over for more than a decade, but Angola was still suffering the effects of the political turmoil within its borders. Jonas Savimbi, leader of Unita, no longer enjoyed the support of the US, but he remained committed to his cause, and on this particular day he was engaged in a firefight with government troops in the province of Moxico.
Although he had survived multiple assassination attempts (at least 12) and battled the MPLA countless times without injury, this would prove to be his final fight. Fifteen bullets ripped into his body and killed him instantly.
Unita was without a leader, and this power vacuum allowed the Angolan government to make concerted moves for peace. On 13 March 2002, it announced that it would stop all military operations against the rebel faction. In turn, Unita’s new leadership called on its men to put down their weapons and transformed the rebel group into a political party. For the first time in three decades, Angola was at peace.
LEADING THE WAY
As one might expect, however, a 30-year civil war leaves an indelible mark. At least four million people – a third of the country’s population – had been displaced. Roughly 80% of people lacked access to basic medical care and 60% didn’t have access to water.
The country’s infrastructure had been decimated as well. Highways had been reduced to near-impassable 4×4 tracks, bridges had collapsed, towns had been flattened and landmines had been planted liberally throughout the countryside. Angola was not what one might call an attractive holiday destination. It was a war zone.
Despite the devastation, though, the government was eager to rebuild the shattered economy and welcomed tourists into the country.
TRACKS 4 AFRICA Making Africa Visible and Accessible
But who would come?
In 2004, barely a year after the fighting stopped, Jacques Delport and Marius van Zyl from Uri Adventures led a small overland expedition into Angola. Their mission? To find out if Angola was a viable overland destination.
It was a frustrating process. Shortly after crossing the border, they realised that few usable roads remained on the northern side of the Kunene. Some tracks hadn’t seen a vehicle in decades and repairing punctured tyres was a constant chore.
Since the country was taking its first baby steps towards peace, officials were understandably twitchy and forced the intrepid explorers to report at every police station they passed. All documents, vehicles and equipment were carefully inspected each time.
But despite these difficulties, they kept going. And by the end of the trip, they had managed to identify a 1900km route that could be used for guided self-drive safaris offered to paying customers.
To be sure, Uri Adventures wasn’t offering an extensive trip through the country. They kept to the southern tip of the state that hadn’t seen as much fighting as the central sections, but it was a start.
Similar ground-breaking work was done by other expedition leaders such as Francois Rossouw from the RSG 4×4 Club and Wouter Brand from Tracks4Africa, and within a few years, Angola became a relatively popular destination. Travelling through the country wasn’t easy. You needed a serious 4×4 and the patience of a saint. But for those willing to tackle the challenge, an unrivalled experience awaited: overland exploration in its truest form.
HEADING NORTH
Skip forward to 2011, and visiting Angola is a far more tourist-friendly proposition. Firstly, it is far safer, largely due to the fact that a lot of landmines have been removed. Secondly, it is easier to travel through the country because the road infrastructure has been upgraded significantly.
“Some tracks are still terrible, but many of the main roads have been rebuilt,” says Eben Delport from Uri Adventures. “Stretches that once would have taken three days to traverse can now be completed in a matter of hours.”
And according to Eben, these improved conditions allow overland travellers to visit more of the country. “We now enter Angola at Katwitwi and travel to Menongue, which is where a lot of the fighting took place. After that, we aim for Huambo. This is where Jonas Savimbi once had his headquarters. Needless to say, a visit there was impossible in 2003, but now the trek can be completed without any hassles.”
Unlike its early trips that stuck to the southern parts of Angola, Uri Adventures now leads self-drive travellers all the way to the Kalandula Falls, which is in the northern region of Melange. Once there, the convoy turns west towards the coastal towns of Lobito and Benguela.
After the hustle and bustle of these two towns, the pace slows as the vehicles travel down the pristine coastline. The tour ends with a trip over the spectacular Leba Pass to the border post at Ruacana.
“Traditionally, self-drive expeditions ventured into Namibe, Huila and Kunene only,” says Eben. “That was a shame, because the country has a lot more to offer, but it simply wasn’t safe to travel farther north. Now we can finally explore all those hidden gems.”
What makes Angola so interesting is its diversity. No two regions are the same. Lubango is temperate. Luanda is dry and desert-like. Cabinda is lush and tropical. In fact, you’d struggle to find another African country that boasts such a stunning assortment of landscapes.
The Leba mountains, which rise out of the Tundevala Gorge and overlook the Namibe Desert, are particularly memorable, as forests quickly give way to dry plains and create a striking contrast.
“The culture, scenery and climate of each province we visit (Kuando Kubango, Bie, Huambo, Benguela, Namibe and Huila) are so different it’s almost as though you’re visiting six countries,” says Eben. “This is why I call my guided self-drive trip through Angola the Faces de Angola Safari. Each day, the country surprises travellers with awe-inspiring new sights.”
For more than 25 years, Angola was defined simply by bloodshed and strife. Now it has changed, and it is healing. And for overland enthusiasts, it offers a wonderful experience.
Text by GG van Rooyen, Photography by Uri Adventures. This article was taken from the February 2011 issue of Leisure Wheels.
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