Angola Adventure

Driving your own 4×4 into south-west Angola is something very few people manage. This twelve-day convoy crosses from Namibia at Ruacana and loops through a country that has only recently become possible to travel in this way.

The first few days climb steadily inland. Chitado and Cahama lead north to Lubango, and from there two of the great viewpoints in southern Africa: the Tundavala Gap, where the plateau simply ends in a two-thousand-metre drop, and the Leba Pass, a sequence of hairpins descending the escarpment that is worth the trip on its own.

Then it reaches the coast and slows down. Baia das Pipas and Flamingo get three days for fishing or doing very little, then the route passes the Arco desert lake to Baia dos Tigres, a near-abandoned island settlement, and on to Foz do Cunene for dune driving and more fishing where the Kunene meets the Atlantic. The way back runs through Espinheira and a bush camp near Chitado before the border crossing.

The convoy is led by Armand Basson of I Dream Africa Adventure with Angola Adventure Safaris handling the in-country arrangements, and Sandura Tours takes the booking. Guides and assistants, recovery gear and on-site recovery, a radio for every vehicle, three meals a day with tea and coffee, and communal camping equipment including kitchen, tables and wash facilities are included. You bring the vehicle and its fuel, personal camping kit, water, firewood, visa fees and travel insurance. For drivers who want somewhere genuinely few people have taken their own vehicle, this is about as rare as the catalogue gets.