Angola marks another change on our journey. After crossing the Equator, the northern landscapes are mirrored south of the Equator in reverse order. The country is the 22nd largest in the world, and the landscape changes from north to south and east to west. We experience this as we cycle through the country. In the north we wake up in a lush banana plantation, in the west we look out over the roaring Atlantic Ocean again, and in the south we pull the bike through the sand of the Namibe Desert.
Ambitious route planning
Angola is 1,256,700km2, one of Africa's largest countries, and there is a lot we want to experience. The country is visa-free for us, which is a nice change, but on the other hand we only have 30 days before we have to leave the country. So we need to make a detailed itinerary to experience as much as possible in the month we have. We can cycle along the coast to take the shortest route, but the easiest is not always the most fun. So we end up with a challenging but realistic plan of 2500km. Here we see some of Central Angola, and we also reach the coast. Hopefully we can still reach the Namibian border before the 30 days expire.
Altitude and cool nights
As we cross into Angola, we head for the Pedras Negras de Pungo Andongo. These are large rock formations that are millions of years old, and geologists cannot explain why they are here in the savannah. The road is hilly with steep inclines and several meters of elevation gain, which our legs need to get used to after several months of relatively flat roads. We also need to get used to the fact that the cars drive incredibly well. They hold back when oncoming traffic comes, and they don't overtake up the hills or push us out into the ditch. The cars are not overpacked, and there are no people sitting in the trunk or on the roof. On the other hand, it is the same bad gasoline with black smoke that poisons us with every overtaking. Angola otherwise has some of the best oil in the world and is a major supplier of it, but as we have seen in so many African countries, most of it is exported instead of being refined in the country itself.
We choose the small gravel roads, there is plenty of space, and it is easy to wild camp. There are few cars on the road, and it is quiet when we take a break and at night. That is also new. There are usually so many sounds from the rainforest, cities and the many people everywhere. The clothes are not constantly wet, as the air is dry, even though it is still very hot during the day. It is also cooler at night, and we have to find the sleeping bag.
In Pedras Negras we meet a nice group of people from Yemen, Egypt and Mauritania. They all live in Angola – two of the couples in Luanda, and the man from Yemen in a town nearby. They wave to us when they see us. They are nice enough to keep an eye on the bikes while we walk up to the top of one of the rock formations and enjoy the view over the impressive landscape. When we come back they invite us for food. They have a grill with them and they have roasted delicious goat meat. Plus salad, rice and drinks in plenty. It tastes heavenly and is a huge surprise. We immediately think back to Morocco and Mauritania, where people are always so hospitable and share their food. The Arab culture in a nutshell.
From Pedra Negras we cycle across the country towards the coast and the Atlantic Ocean. One evening we have stretched it out just long enough to find a place for the tent, and we are in an area with a lot of people. We turn into a banana plantation and find some houses with a large football field attached. We ask if we can set up the tent. We are happy to. There is the most wonderful atmosphere on the football field. Big and small play with old balls, they fart at each other, laugh and do football tricks. A young guy starts doing push-ups to show us how strong he is. Darkness falls quickly, and we start setting up the tent, while the locals watch curiously. We show them the tent, our burner and start cooking rice. A woman symbolizes that she is hungry, and we give her the rest of the rice package, which she accepts with a big smile. It is such a difficult balance, when to give something and when not. A subject that constantly puzzles and touches us.
The sun disappears completely, and only the most steadfast remain, as it is very cold for the locals. And for Danish cyclists, who are used to sweating around the clock. The next morning we wake up to a magical view with fog lying like a white blanket over the coffee and banana plantation, which we sleep in the middle of. The sun stands like a faint luminous ball on the horizon with a rosy glow. At one end of the football field, a road leads up to a beautiful old house, which has been burned and destroyed. We talk about whether it might be all the way back from the time of the Portuguese in Angola.
Angola only gained independence from Portugal in 1974, and when the Portuguese left the country, they destroyed many of the productions that were underway. Agriculture was doing well, and Angola was, for example, the fourth largest coffee producer in the world. Instead of the people coming together and using their freedom to strengthen the country, a civil war broke out between three groups; UNITA, FNLA and MPLA, which lasted until 2002.M. This resulted in many deaths, destruction of housing, public institutions, infrastructure such as the railway and agriculture. Mines were laid like a carpet over the country, and for a long time afterwards you had to be careful if you moved off the road. Fortunately, after peace was achieved, Angola experienced reconstruction and economic progress. However, recent years have been marked by high inflation and many are dissatisfied with the current president. Many have difficulty providing food for their families and maintaining their standard of living. This is clearly noticeable when we cycle through the country. Although it is also a country that has put the war behind it and is looking forward.
The man from the small village that belongs to the village comes to visit in the morning wearing a long, warm beige coat tied at the waist. He fits right in with New York or Vesterbro. The man has a bunch of bananas with him, which he would like to give us some of. It is simply so sweet of him, and we say thank you very much. We cycle from the football field and through the plantation down towards the road. It is not exactly a modern coffee and banana plantation with long straight rows and a highly efficient transport system for the bananas, as we saw in Costa Rica, for example. The trees are mixed together, and we cycle through the plantation on a winding gravel road, while the morning light glints between the trees. We are overtaken by a motorbike loaded with large bunches of bananas and behind us come two girls running at full speed with a large bunch of bananas each on their heads. They are on their way down to the road, where the bananas are loaded onto a small truck to be taken to the market and sold.
Pumangol and Pastel de Nata
A lot changed as we cycled into Angola, but the ability to find nutritious food in the small towns did not change in central Angola. Or at least there was not much variety. Even though we saw a large supermarket in one town, there was not much on the shelves. However, we got a good tip from another cyclist. The petrol stations, which are also new to Angola, have coffee and pastel de nata, which is a Portuguese specialty. It is a small puff pastry shell with cream. The first time we came across a petrol station was in the middle of nowhere, in front of a small town. It was with wide eyes that we ordered two espressos with milk. Coffee and cake always give cyclists an instant boost.
Reunion with the Atlantic and German friends
We cycle west to the town of Lobito on the Atlantic Ocean. Here we are meeting Toby and Diana from Germany for the fifth time. The first time we met was at a beach bar in Gambia, where you can stay overnight for free if you eat in the restaurant. Win win for a couple of hungry cyclists. When we get down to the beach, there is an old charming Unimog owned by Toby and Diana. They have driven here from Germany, and they are also on their way to South Africa. We had a nice evening together on the beach in Gambia and wave goodbye the next day without thinking that we will meet again. But we have met three times in total by chance and twice by plan. So nice. We reach Lobito on a Friday afternoon, and Toby and Diana invite us for a delicious tomato risotto and beer in Unimogen. So sweet of them. We have two nice days together, where we talk about everything between heaven and earth, laugh, go for a walk in the city and eat more pastel de nata. On Sunday we play cards in Unimogen and eat Diana's homemade banana cake. It feels like a relaxing Sunday at home.
Cycling along the coast is another great experience in Angola. The huge roaring Atlantic Ocean hits the coast and the wind bites your cheeks. As the kilometers tick by, it becomes more and more barren. It is wild to experience how the landscape really changes. The green disappears, and we are now back in the desert. At the same time, it is also impressive how the population manages to cultivate agriculture at the foot of the hills. We can hear the water pumps running and there are small markets along the road with delicious vegetables and fruit. In some places they build wind protection of sand for the small young plants, so that they can become resistant to the dry air and the harsh rays of the sun. We do not see many agricultural machines, but most of the work is done by hand. In the morning we see several people with a large hoe over their shoulder on their way to the field. Young and old.
Crossing the Namibe Desert and Iona National Park
We stop in the town of Moçâmedes, which the town was renamed after the Portuguese left the country. The former name is Namibe and is still the name that most people use. Here we take a day of rest and decide on the further journey towards the border with Namibia.
We are looking at a route that goes through the Iona National Park, which is part of the Namibe Desert and ends at the border with Namibia. The challenge is that there is no water on the first part of the route, and we only have little information about the condition of the roads and villages where we might find supplies along the way. It is about 600km, so there is no way that we can carry water for the entire route. The alternative is an asphalt road to the larger city of Lubango, which we are not that interested in. We would rather go on an adventure and get full value for the wide tires on the bikes.
The owner of the guesthouse where we are staying initially says that it is better for us to drive through the park or with a tour company. She thinks that cycling sounds crazy. When she understands that we are not interested in that, she puts us in touch with the park manager, who happens to be in town.
We meet Pedro from Portugal, who has been in charge of the park for the past three years. Pedro is super cool, and he has a detailed map of the park with roads that we don't have on our own maps. We look at routes, and he gives us good advice on the most beautiful way through the park. Pedro also promises to send a message to his people at the entrance and another place in the park to give us water. We are deeply grateful, because that makes the crossing via small deserted roads possible.
We can feel the tension in our whole bodies for the uncertainty that awaits. We pack our bikes with food for 5 days and 7 liters of water on both bikes. We cycle off, and it doesn't take long before we are reminded that we are now out of town again.
We see something big on the road, and it's a huge monitor lizard that has been run over. It's one and a half meters long from the tip of its tail to its snout. Kenneth gets off his bike to take a picture of it, while Marie watches from a good distance. A truck comes and runs over the animal again. Right on top of its head, and it gives a huge jolt. We see a woman and some children walking purposefully towards the animal. A car comes and first drives past the animal, but then stops and reverses to take a closer look. The woman shouts something, and we imagine that it's alla – 'fingers off! – it's mine'. Exactly right. The woman takes two large stones, which she throws at the animal to make sure that it's completely dead. Then she grabs it by the tail and drags it away. The day's dinner is secured.
After 70km we turn off the road and onto a sand track. The eye meets sand, sand and sand as far as we can see. Now it starts.
First stop is Colinas, which is a gorge of red sandstone in all shapes and constellations. The red colors are in great contrast to the colorless sand. Wind and water have eroded the rocks, so it looks like an art exhibition. Some of the rocks stand alone and shine in the landscape and others are part of a larger collage. We are completely alone in this impressive landscape and find a nice place for the tent for the night. It is completely quiet, no internet connection and no lights from nearby towns. There is not even a dog that barks. Or mosquitoes that want to suck our blood.
The next day we continue into the beige-colored landscape with flashes of pink. We meet a local who keeps signaling that we have to turn around and that we can't get through. We smile and signal that we have it under control. Later, the sand becomes so deep that we have to push the bikes, and we wonder if that's what he meant. If we have to push the bikes all the way, we'll run out of food and water. The landscape is magnificent, and we have a Turkish faith that it will be fine. We feel at home in this harsh landscape that we love cycling in so much.
The first day is a mix of cycling and pushing the bike and then cycling a bit more. But it is so beautiful that we forget all about the effort. After 100km we reach the entrance to the park, where we are allowed to pitch our tent for the night and get water from the guards' two blue barrels of water.
Iona National Park is the oldest park in Angola and is located in the southwestern corner of the country. There have been desert elephants, giraffes and black rhinos in the park, but they have all disappeared due to poaching and civil war. The park released giraffes last year, and there are also plans to reintroduce elephants to the park.
The ride through the park is impressive, and we can feel the endorphins bubbling in our bodies. We have to stay focused to keep the wheels moving and tackle the challenging landscape. The tire pressure is adjusted to the rocky terrain and soft sand, so that we can float on top as much as possible. Every day the landscape changes. White sand. Rocky desert. Small mountains. Scattered trees. The colors span almost the entire scale.
There is not much vegetation, but there is the desert flower above them all; Welwitschia, shining like a queen. It has two leaves that almost grow up to the ground, and the plant can grow to be a toad's old. It absorbs moisture from the air through the leaves, and therefore it does not need as much water through the roots. It provides shade for the insects, and then the animals can chew on the leaves to get liquid if there is a longer drought period. We cycle a little detour to see a giant Welwitschia. It is about a meter high and a meter wide, so it must be really old. Leaves and flowers are tangled together, and it looks like a modern sculpture with so many details to discover and get lost in.
We are constantly scouting for animals and we see white pelicans, Springbok and Oryx from a distance, but unfortunately no giraffes. We later find out that there are only 10 giraffes in this huge area, so you have to be lucky to see them.
It is difficult to explain these natural experiences, but for us it is almost divine to be in this breathtaking landscape. The silence is so great that we can hear our own thoughts. We can feel the feeling of freedom in our whole body and unity with nature.
We cycle the last part of the route through small Himba communities. They are a proud and visually colorful people. They herd cattle and goats, and they live partly nomadic in this area. They laugh when they see us on the bikes and point at our legs. They listen to loud music on their small motorcycles with a speaker around their necks, while they have a goat on their lap and their wife on the back with a child on her back. We will meet even more of the Himba people in Namibia, which we are looking forward to.
As we approach the Namibian border, the road turns into a wide gravel road. As we cycle back to civilization, we think about the last week's experiences in and with nature.
Angola, the country of transformation
The day we cross the border into Namibia, the counter also crosses 25,000km. After 2,359km. through Angola we stamp out of the country with a two-day buffer. We had not been very concerned about Angola beforehand. We did not have to apply for visas, and there are no red travel guides. We have had so much focus on Congo and Namibia. But what a fantastic country Angola is. It deserves attention with its impressive changing landscapes and welcoming locals who have humor and are easy to smile. As we cycle through the country, we transform ourselves together with the landscape for the last part of the journey, where a large part remains in desert.
Angola is a big contrast to the last few months in Central Africa, where there has been a lot of activity with lots of people meeting, which is also super cool and interesting. That's the beauty of traveling and of contrasts. It highlights the best in each country.
