INTO AFRICA waterways. To the west, the Cuanza River winds through Bengo Province, its wide, curving meanderings sheltering fishermen and birdlife.
Drive south and the land changes dramatically. The Namibe Province is a sweep of desert where ochre dunes meet the Atlantic in a clash of silence and surf. Here, you’ ll find the strange, stubborn Welwitschia mirabilis, a plant that looks half-alien and lives for centuries, holding court in the dust.
Namibe Province
Cuanza River, Bengo Province
MUST-SEE ANGOLA
Kalandula Falls: thundering cascades twice the height of Niagara Serra da Leba: iconic mountain pass of hairpin bends Tundavala Gap: a sheer drop with endless views Iona National Park: desert wildlife meets the Atlantic Miradouro da Lua: lunar-like cliffs at sunset Luanda: capital of contrasts, music, and nightlife Muila Tribe: guardians of ancient tradition Pedras Negras: rock monoliths wrapped in legend
The roads themselves are part of the spectacle. The serpentine switchbacks of the Serra da Leba Pass climb nearly 1 800 metres, creating one of the most photographed highways in Africa. From its lookouts you can see valleys stacked in layers of green and stone.
Further inland, the Tundavala Gap takes your breath away. A sheer escarpment near Lubango drops almost a kilometre to the plains below, the horizon rolling endlessly. Standing here, the silence feels heavy, broken only by the whistling of the wind buffeting the cliffs. For explorers, Iona National Park is another frontier: dunes, plains, and desert-adapted wildlife like springbok and ostrich. This is not safari as usual. It’ s Africa in its raw, unpolished form; space and solitude in every direction.
Serra da Leba
Tundavala Gap
SUMMER 2025 / 26 • rovesa. co. za | 89