THE REMOTE NAMIB DESERT

Few people are aware that the mighty Namib Desert extends into southern Angola. This seldom-visited region lies in the very remote south-western corner of Angola, straddling the border with Namibia. My paper maps and GPS show virtually no roads, and not a single town for many hundreds of kilometres. I intend to take a route through some of the most remote, and least inhabited, terrain on the entire African continent.

To increase my maximum petrol capacity, I strap a 20-litre container to the spare wheel. Together with the stock tank and my Titan Transfer Tank, I now carry a touch over 150 litres of petrol. On good roads, I should manage 1200km, although I expect a week of deep sand, so the actual range will be much lower. Before leaving town, I also fill my water tank until it overflows, and buy all the tinned and dried food I can find.

Angola

Angola is famous for the civil war that raged virtually non-stop for 27 years – one of the most brutal the world has ever seen. Initiated immediately after independence at the height of the cold war, pro and anti-communist forces in