Central Africa

Detailed Journal - Johannesburg (South Africa) to Kinshasa (DRC)

16 November 2002 - 28 November 2002

Saturday 16^th November 2002

Leaving Johannesburg, South Africa at around 04h00, I took a new route (to me) west through to Rustenburg, Zeerust and on to the Botswana border by 06h30.

Passing through the border post was very quick. I then drove through Kanye. From there it was a long haul to Namibia, and I only stopped briefly at Kang for fuel. The whole route was good tar, except for some minor diversions between Jwaneng and Kanye.

I reached the Namibian border at 15h30, which was easy to cross, and carried on into Namibia and so to the Xain Quaz campsite, just to the west of Gobabis. This was a bit crowded with school children on an outing, but they all left by 18h00. No food was available. I covered 1217 km during the day.

However, Bare-faced Babblers were common around the campsite - my first lifer for the trip.

Sunday 17^th November 2002

Left at sunrise (06h00), and drove to Windhoek, where I turned north through Otjiwarongo, Tsumeb and Ondangwa. I reached the Angolan border at about 15h00, having travelled along good tar roads the whole way.

It is quite straight-forward to cross the Angolan border at Oshikango - on the main tarred road north-west from Tsumeb. On the Namibian side, the key document was the South African police clearance certificate, which was stamped twice. On the Angolan side, there was no interest in a Carnet de Passage or other documents - everything was based on the same police clearance certificate - which was stamped 3 times. While no-one spoke English - and I didn't speak Portuguese - sign language seemed to work fine. There were no problems at all, and everyone was very friendly. I changed US$ 300 - which turned out to be a mistake - there was nothing to spend it on.

After leaving the border in Angola, the road remained good tar, and I reached the town of Ondjiva within 30 minutes. From there on the road deteriorated, with a variety of potholes appearing. Within a further 90 minutes I had reached Xangongo where there was a roadblock at the bridge. Here I was turned back for not having the correct permit. This, I discovered, I should have got at the Ondjiva police station - but only on week-days. I turned back, and camped in the bush about 50 km north-west of Ondjiva. There were absolutely no problems in doing this. The birding wasn't bad.

Leaving the camp site just after sunrise, I reached Ondjiva at 07h00 - but the office only opened at 08h00, and Angolan time was one hour later than Namibian - so I had to wait two hours. I was also required to wear long trousers - shorts were not acceptable (this was the only time I had this problem on the whole trip - although I always wore long trousers in Sudan). Once the office opened, they were very friendly (although only one person spoke English), but there were none of the correct forms available. Hence they had to write out something on the police clearance certificate (in Portuguese, so I didn’t know what it was).

After leaving, I passed across the Xangongo bridge without problems, and continued to Lubango, where the road improved as I continued north-east to Cacula, and then turned north-west towards Quilengues, and camped after about 8 kilometres.

During the day I found that Red-backed Mousebirds were very common, and Grey Kestrel was seen several times. I also saw several Sharp-tailed Starlings - a species that had been eluding me for years. White-tailed Shrike's was the commonest bird seen during the day.

Just before sunset, I found some level ground next to a dry vlei, and camped there. There was an amazing display of about 10 Pennant-winged Nightjars circling over the vlei just before dusk. I had covered 526 km.

This area is close to the area where the following species could be found:
* Pulitzer’s Longbill (Macrosphenus pulitzeri), and
* Swierstra's Francolin (Pternistes swierstrai).
There were plenty of forest patches around, but I did not explore them (on this trip anyway). Other species from the southern Angolan area that I failed to see included:
* Cinderella Waxbill (Estrilda thomensis), and
* Bocage’s Sunbird (Nectarinia bocagei) for which I should probably have taken the more inland route towards Huambo and not Quilengues.
Finally, four species were likely to be found even more to the east than Huambo:
* Anchieta's Barbet (Stactolaema anchietae),
* Oustalet’s Sunbird (Cinnyris oustaleti),
* Grimwood’s Longclaw (Macronyx grimwoodi), and
* Bar-winged Weaver (Notospiza angolensis)

However, there were still plenty of species to see.

Around midnight, a major thunderstorm developed, and as a precaution I moved my vehicle onto high ground just next to the road - which in the morning proved to be a sensible move - the area I had parked was under water. The road continued in reasonable condition, sometimes heavily potholed (first photo), but often with broken tar (second photo). As one approached the coast one left the bush and entered an area of coastal scrub (third photo).

I reached Benguela by around 13h00. Here I experienced my first hassle, as I was waved through a road block, but then I passed some kids playing football - with much whistle-blowing. I continued in to the town, only to be overtaken by a taxi, out of which a policeman jumped and waved me down. I was required to return to the road-block. In Angola (and throughout Francophone Africa) whistles are the sole prerogative of the police, and you are required to stop whenever you hear one. Luckily the police were very good-natured about this, and didn't take any further action. However, I was required to register at the local police station in Benguela. In fact, I believe this was a fundamental misunderstanding I had about Angola - I suspect it is a requirement that you register with the police on entering every district / province. By failing to do so, I suspect I created a series of unnecessary misunderstandings. In future, I will need to confirm the requirements before trying another trip - it can only make it easier.

I had to spend 90 minutes at the police station, which was taken up by a junior officer writing an extensive report on my presence. As soon as he had completed it, I was free to go. This was a common practice throughout Angola and Francophone Africa. If anything unexpected happened (like a tourist driving a foreign registered vehicle), the local police would want to write up a report. While this causes delays, it was quite harmless, and a minor inconvenience to put up with. Having said this, it took an average of two hours per day while in Angola to handle the police report writing. At no point was I asked to pay a bribe, or anything else. However, there were several control points where all Angolans seemed to pay 50 Kwanza, but I was never asked to pay.

On leaving Benguela I travelled along the coastal plain before passing through Lobito, and after about 20 km turned north towards Sumbe. This road was good tar, and it didn't take tong to reach Sumbe, after which I turned north-east onto a more potholed road towards Gabela. After about 30 km I reached a turn-off to the Quedas de Agua da Binga - a pleasant picnic site next to the waterfalls - where it is possible to camp, and had excellent birds.

Yet again, a sunrise start, but it was slow going as the road was very misty. After reaching Gabela, I continued for another 30 km before turning south towards Conde. This road looked very promising from a birding perspective, but there were many villages around, and lots of people walking along the road. Some of the bridges looked a bit dodgy (first photo) but the road was actually fine. However, I did stop in one good area where I heard an Akalat calling, but on playing my CD, discovered it was "just" Bocage's Akalat. This area of forest is surely worth further exploration. Conde was about 30 km after the run-off, and I then took the road that continued south. However, there are many alternative tracks that could have been just as productive. Beyond Conde the scenery was quite spectacular (second & third photos). A few kilometres beyond Conde the road entered a small Grevillea forest, where there were an incredible number of Bulbuls (fourth & fifth photos).

I stopped there and immediately heard another Akalat calling. I pulled out my CD player, and played the call of the Bocage's Akalat, but the call was very different - much simpler. After much searching I found the bird - a Gabela Akalat. While chasing the Akalat, a Red-crested Turaco perched nearby in clear sunlight - and I had the opportunity of taking the first picture (I believe) of the species in the wild - except my camera was in the vehicle! Also easy to find there were Gorgeous Bushshrike (race perreini), Black-necked Wattle-eye, and Yellow-necked and Pale-olive Greenbuls.

I stayed longer than I meant, and left for the waterfall campsite at around 16h00. However, heavy rain and mist slowed down my return, so I only arrived back at the waterfall well after dark.

There were many possible forest patches in the area, and the region will need extensive exploration to determine the best birding sites. Other species that might have been possible in the vicinity included:
* Monteiro’s Bushshrike (Malaconotus monteiri),
* Gabela Helmetshrike (Prionops gabela),
* White-fronted Wattle-eye (Platysteira albifrons),
* Angola Slaty-Flycatcher (Melaenornis brunneus), and
* Angola Cave-Chat (Xenocopsychus ansorgei).

Leaving the waterfall just after sunrise, I returned along the tar road to the main coastal road. Along the way I stopped off several times while descending the escarpment to look for birds.

On reaching the coastal road, I then drove north along a good tar road to reach the entrance to the Kissama NP. The road in the park was a reasonable sand road washed away in a few places. It took just over an hour to cover the 40 km to the camp overlooking the Cuanza River (photo).

Having arrived at about 10h30, I contacted Pedro vaz Pinto through the radio at the camp, who said he would be unable to get there before the next day. This gave me an opportunity to relax, and see what bird-life there was around the camp. To my surprise, Pedro arrived at around 16h00.

After a brief chat, he called some of the local children who he was training as guides, and we went in search of the Grey-striped Francolin - a species he had started to study - that occurred below the camp. The children called (blowing across the sharp edge of a knife) and we got several responses, but no bird would show itself as we were probably too late and they had started to roost.

That evening we were joined by the NP manager, Roland Goetz, and spent several hours chatting over a fair number of beers.

Obviously I decided to stay the next day at Kissama, and Pedro and I spent some time birding the top of the escarpment without much success - although we found a couple of Palm-nut Vulture nests.

On our return to the camp, Roland had just received reports that a manatee was again showing well just next to the boat jetty - it had spent much of the previous day there. We rushed down there, but were too late, it had moved on. This was a disappointment to me as Roger Ballard-Tremeer - who had put me in contact with Pedro - was very keen on getting all the information possible on manatees - his favourite topic of research.

We then took a boat out to study the area where poachers had recently burnt a large area of reed-beds creating an open area where hippo's would then move into as soon as the new green shoots appeared - and so could be shot easily. We found their "campsite", but no sign of them. The boat trip produced quite a lot of birds, including Golden-backed Bishop.

After returning to camp once again, we took a Park Landrover and drove down to the lower flood-plain (next to the main road) and drove up-stream along the Cuanza River. Roland had never been here, and Pedro hadn’t done the trip in a long time, so we had to drive cautiously so as not to get stuck. We travelled around 10 kilometres along the floodplain, but saw little - it was mid-afternoon. However, when we had travelled as far as was practical, we stopped off in two small forest patches, one of which was fascinating in the scale and size of the aerial tree roots (photo) - making walking in the forest almost impossible.

Pedro saw a Rufous-vented Paradise-Flycatcher there - but I was unable to reach where he was standing. We returned to the camp in the late afternoon, when Pedro had to return to Luanda.

First thing in the morning I went back down to the base of the escarpment to try and get a better sighting of the Francolin - which I did by pure luck. I also found Angola Batis there.

At 08h00, I left Kissama, heading north to Luanda. I kept an eye out for Loango Weaver (Ploceus subpersonata) on the coast, but there was no sign of "suitable habitat". I was under the impression they required mangroves, but in fact the whole coast was suitable habitat - i.e. open grassy plains. It took about one hour to reach Luanda (from the park entrance) and then a further 2 hours to pass through due to the traffic. Hence I only left Luanda at about midday, and then continued north-east through Caxito and then towards Uige. The road started in good condition, but from Caxito it became more potholed. Within about 50 kilometres of Caxito, I entered the start of a major forest zone, which meant that the road degraded further, and one could drive no faster than about 40 km/h since the road twisted and so visibility was very poor (photo). There were huge numbers of butterflies on the road, though sadly most were a rather boring brown colour.

The going was very slow and I was still about Quedas de Agua da Binga by sunset, so found an area to camp beside the road, but a passing police patrol asked me to move on a short distance and to camp in the local village. I didn't record many species.

On leaving in the morning, I was asked to take the local village chief on to Uige, so I agreed, as it would not be far. The road was further deteriorating, and I had to tow a taxi (minibus) that had got stuck in a pothole. However, barely 10 kilometres further on, we came across a major traffic jam - which was already over one kilometre long! Three days previously, a large truck had got stuck crossing a narrow causeway, and had managed to wedge itself sideways with both axles hanging off the side of the road. It did not look like this was going to be moved for some time, so I reluctantly turned around and returned to Kissama to try a different road. Even returning wasn't easy - in one place a truck had got stuck, and then another Landrover got stuck in passing it (photo).

I reached Kissama in the late afternoon - much to Roland’s surprise.

The forests along this road were starting to be logged, although it didn’t look like it was on a very major scale yet, and so unlikely to have a serious impact unless the rate of logging was to increase. There were still signs of the civil war with tanks and other ordinance (except landmines?) scattered over the countryside.

This time I started out from Kissama early, leaving at 06h00. However, just before leaving the park, my spare wheel holder (holding two spare wheels on the tailgate of the Landrover) failed, so I had to repack everything, so I could carry the wheels inside the locked load-bed.

By about 07h30 I had reached the Cuanza bridge, where the soldiers controlling it required the north-bound traffic to wait nearly two hours for the south-bound traffic to pass - not very effective management. Anyway, this time I didn’t have to pass through central Luanda, and headed south-east to Dondo. This road was good, and I then turned north-east to Lucala, by which time the road was deteriorating. Turning north from Lucala towards Negage, the road was much less used, so was actually in better condition - at first. I continued until sunset, where I stopped in a small village a few kilometres short of Cambatela. I was allowed to camp outside the local school.

From here on the road continued to deteriorate, although there was still some tar. I reached Negage, and was waved through the police control point. This was a mistake, since the immigration office is located here, and one should get the necessary stamp in the passport. The road continued to deteriorate (first photo) - especially as it crossed upland moors where it rained. It was here that I saw what I assume to be a Streaky-breasted Flufftail - although I did not see it well, the habitat was appropriate, Not surprisingly, the road became very slippery (second photo), so that at one point I simply slid off the side of the road (third photo). Luckily some locals passed by, and helped me get back onto the road.

Overall, I only managed to cover just over 200 kilometres in the day. Not much bird-watching was possible under these circumstances, but a few birds were identified. I stayed at Damba, since the police were unhappy that I had not visited immigration in Negage, but in the end decided there was no problem, and I could continue - but by then it was dark, so I camped beside the police station.

Leaving Damba at first light (about 05h30), the road remained extremely slippery - and the mist dropped to make things even harder (first photo), but I managed to cover the 100 kilometres to Maquela do Zombo by 10h00. Along the road I encountered a second Flufftail, in identical circumstances to my first sighting. From there, the road was virtually unused, and I was lucky that someone was prepared to act as my guide for the 15 kilometres to the border. Most of the road looked fine, but every dip concealed an impassable gully (second photo), and one had to take off-road routes past these areas - which required the skills of the guide (third photo). In places the erosion was quite spectacular. Even so, it still took an hour to cover the 15 kilometres.

There were actually no problems crossing the border (from the Angolan side), but they asked for a bribe here - which I was able to refuse. However, once into the DRC, there was a thorough vehicle search at the border (army post), before I was required to drive a couple of kilometres along what was little more than a footpath to the village. Here the Immigrations and customs had their offices

As was expected, considerable sums of money had to be paid - although official receipts were issued which made it harder to avoid. There was $50 for immigration permit, $70 for importing the vehicle (the Carnet de Passage was not acceptable) and 2500 Angolan Kwanza (for some reason) for checking that my immunization was valid. Then the security officer wanted $50 for searching my vehicle, which I refused as he had no official receipt. He was not happy. Anyway, that wasn't all because I still needed to get another signature in Kintanu. In the end, I was able to leave at 14h00 - which should have given a fair chance of covering the 200 km to Kinshasa by sunset.

For about 5 kilometres I thought the road was bad, but at least passable - even if one was only to travel at little more than walking pace. Clearly the road was not well-used. However, once down the slope and out of the woodland, I reached a much more open stretch, where there were few trees, and the ground was boggy when not on the road - which at least had a hard layer under the mud and water. Here the problems started. In no time, I had got stuck as the ruts were so deep that the differential (and whole of the bottom of the Landrover) were getting stuck. It was impossible to drive where one actually wanted to as the road was so slippery. The first time I got out OK by myself, but just a few metres further on I got stuck again. This time a local with a spade helped, and we advanced a few more metres. This continued about five more times before sunset - and I doubt I had covered more than 200 metres in the last three hours.

The helper (whose name was Bravo) said he lived in the nearby village only about 1 kilometre away, and would bring back more people to help in the morning. He also indicated that once we reached the village, the road was much better, and vehicles even used it. So we managed to get the vehicle out one last time, and I manoeuvered it into a reasonably level piece of the road to camp for the night.

For obvious reasons, few birds were identified during the day - all my concentration was on driving.

On leaving Angola, - apart from the species listed above in this text - the only other species that I missed were:
* White-fronted Wattle-eye (Platysteira albifrons),
* Angola Robin-Chat (Cossypha heinrichi) which occurs in the extreme north-east of the country,
* Angola Slaty Flycatcher (Melaenornis brunneus), and
* Pale-billed Firefinch (Lagonosticta landanae).

I have no idea where these species can be found at present. In theory, all the other species I still needed from Angola could be found either further along my trip route, or in north-eastern DRC - an area I still plan to visit.

I was optimistic as in the early morning light I could see the village, and so reckoned I should get there quite quickly. However, it took until 15h00 with 8 people and their spades to get us there. There were few bushes and small trees, so little opportunity to winch myself - even though I had 70 metres of cable. I have to admit that any suitable bushes were used, but virtually none survived the experience - they were all too small and got pulled out by the roots. Equally, there were no rocks or other anchors, so the winch was not that useful. The only time I was able to use it was after we went off-road: for about 100 metres to get round a particularly bad stretch, and followed the line of an old track - but it had been seriously washed out, and was almost as bad as the road. While trying to get back onto the road (first photo), the mud swung me in the wrong direction, so I had to do a U-turn. This was totally impossible, so instead I winched the vehicle across the sloping road from the one "good" tree I found (i.e. the only one left standing!), until the vehicle was just held by the winch, and then pushed it round and let out the winch. Amazingly, it was during this procedure that I managed to hit another vehicle! A burnt-out wreck was in the way, and I broke the fog-light on it (the vehicle was used by Mobutu Sese Seko's bodyguards trying to escape after the coup, and it was blown up by rockets fired from a helicopter) (second photo).

That was not the end of it. As we went along, the road seemed to get worse. In places - where the "main" road was too bad - I used the alternative route (in this case of the first photo, on the right) - even that was undriveable. During the work, I lost one of my sandals, as the mud was so deep and sticky that I simply couldn't pull it out. I had to carry on for the rest of the time barefoot, but luckily there was no sharp rocks or anything - but I certainly ended up thoroughly dirty. Finally, we reached what the helpers thought was the last bad area (it wasn't) and we had a team photo (second photo).

Anyway, we eventually arrived at the village - and it had taken 24 hours to cover just 1 and a half kilometres (slightly less than one mile)! Once through the village the road improved - although still very slow and slippery - but at least it was used weekly by a truck. In fact I met the truck after a few kilometres - it was stuck. However, there was nothing my vehicle could do to help. We managed to average 20 km/h up to Kipenba, and then the road improved so we could travel at 40 km/h for the 20 kilometres to reach Kintanu, where we (Bravo wanted a lift to Kinshasa) had to find the next official - which was quite easy. She was very friendly, and explained in good English that she needed to stamp my passport, and to take a photocopy of it and a few other documents. However, she needed the money to do the photocopies, as the commercial copying office was across the road. I explained that I only had Angola Kwanzas as I had not yet been to a bank, and she just shrugged and went off and made the copies at her own expense! It just shows you can't generalize about corruption anywhere.

After that it was a 90 minute drive on excellent tar to reach central Kinshasa, which was just after sunset. I realised that this was the first time I had actually got into 4th (let along 5th) gear for the last 700 kilometres. I decided that I deserved a proper rest, so booked into the Grand (ex-Inter-Continental) Hotel. Expensive, but worth it for the hot bath and good food.

Not surprisingly, I didn't record any birds.