We left the shelter of the strawberry farm to continue towards the coast.
Can you see the four-pointed red star on the top right side of the map? This is where the renowned Leba Pass snakes its way down the Sierra Leba.
D9 (14.6.2013, Humpata - Lebo Pass - Namibe - Flamingo Bay, 253 km)
As we had been warned that garages were few and far between in Angola, we bought diesel wherever possible. Our journey through Angola proved that the country's fuel distribution presently (2013)leaves no room for criticism - fuel is available all over the country.
The Lebo/a Pass takes one down 1500m in a few kilometres. It was built in the 70's. No wonder one has to pay to use this magnificent road.
We turned right to the viewing point and tried to absorb its magnificence.
While driving down one has the opportunity to look at the engineering involved in building this pass.
And to enjoy the views. The rock formation and colours were breathtaking.
Down in the valley, it was business as usual - "May I please see your papers?" - in Portuguese, of course.
Soon we left the fertile valley at the bottom of the pass and continued to the dry dune belt near the coast. Just look at the beautiful mountains in the distance which will also be eroded down to sea-level some time in the future.
The village roadside market on the outskirts of Namibe was too good to pass. REMEMBER to fill up your fuel in Namibe - this was our last fuel supply on our way to Iona National Park.
Our first Welwitschia right next to the road! Little did we know at that stage what wonderful Welwitschia sights were waiting for us!
Our first Bustard.
After quite a long drive along the soft sandy beach (many tracks to choose from), we arrived at Flamingo Lodge.
Danie de Waal showed us to the camp site which had hot water showers, flush loo's and an open air "lounge".
Danie's wife, Trix, gave us a warm welcome and we had delicious Garrick and Elf fish for supper.
D10 (15.6.2013, Flamingo Bay - towards Tombua - Lake Arco, 137 km)
Danie and Trix advised us to visit a wreck south of Flamingo Bay - but to avoid Tombua as the police had a reputation of asking 4x4's to unpack everything.
The next morning, we could really appreciate the barrenness of our camp-site - it was really in the middle of nowhere! Imagine bringing building material and supplies to this beautiful emptiness.
The entrance to Flamingo Lodge.
We started our day's trip by leaving Flamingo Bay and returning to the main road. Wonderful how different things look from the opposite direction, different time and different level of energy.
This is the "Giant Welwitschia" marked on our GPS - we agree that it's a giant!! In Iona we were to find one that's even bigger!!
The species is dioecious (having either female or male flowers), with separate male and female plants. Fertilization, that is, the transfer of the pollen from the male to the female strobili/cones, is carried out by insects. The age of individual plants is difficult to assess, but they are very long-lived, living 1000 years or more. Some individuals may be more than 2000 years old.(http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Welwitschia)
Below is the wooden portion from which the only two leaves continuously grow.
This is a close-up of the male "flowers".
These are female cones.
Scenes on route to Tombua.
An old Portuguese refreshment station - these buildings can be seen at regular intervals alongside all the major routes in Angola.
It's easy to see how the desert can reclaim its place.
These regular heaps are probably old mining heaps where miners worked their claims.
A reminder of the dangers of a straight road.
Just north of Tombua's cemetery, we turned east into the Namib. This sand is so deep that after we got stuck in the sand, everybody deflated their tyres.
And in spite of deflated tyres, if one slacks too much ... one can get stuck. When digging out a stuck vehicle, one has to be careful not to drop one's camera in the sand!?!
The men from the tented exploration camp came with their shovels, but we had managed to free the bakkie. However, they could give us advice on our route.
You thought the desert was flat? Down towards sea level.
The sea - another 3-4 km away.
But about 3 km before the sea shore where the wreck lay towards which we were heading, another descent waited - and this time we decided that the sand looked too soft, the angle was too sharp - and none of us was that keen on shipwrecks. So we had tea and turned back.
Deflated tyres have to be inflated again.
Further north we turned east again on a dust road and headed towards Lake Arco.
Since it was late, we camped as soon as we found a suitable spot right next to the road in amongst the sandstone hills.
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