Visa Info
ANGOLA:
An important point for anyone coming down this route, intending to travel through Angola, the visa is a difficult issue, but not impossible.
We started asking for the Angolan visa in Accra (Ghana), then in Abuja (Nigeria), in Libreville (Gabon), in Brazzaville (Congo) and in Kinshasa (DRC). Every Angolan embassy said NO, sometimes giving very silly excuses, and sometimes not even allowing you into the embassy grounds. EVERYONE else has had the same result. At Point Noire it's the same, even with letters of invitation.
We managed as follows:
Travel via Franceville(Gabon) into central Congo along a very sandy road/track to Obouya and then continue down the fairly good tar road to Brazzaville.
Stay at the Hippocampe restaurant/hotel in Brazzaville for free, thanks to Olivier and Kat (the incredibly accomodating and generous owners who are well travelled and understand the needs of overlanders).
Cross the Congo river by ferry from Brazzaville to Kinshasa, which is a straightforward but incredibly slow and educational experience.
Travel through the DRC to Matadi on the Angolan border.
Apply for a 5day transit visa from the consulate in Matadi (which is issued on the same day for US$80.00). This is the only visa being issued at the moment and is not extendable within Angola, regardless of what the Matadi staff tell you. We were even shown the visa rule book in Lubango.
Angola is drivable in 5 days. We could have made it in 3.5 days. The far north and far south have very bad roads but the central roads are fantastic. Due to vehicle problems, we were restricted to a maximum 45km/h throughout and we still made it. We have been safe travelling in a single landrover the whole way down. When we stopped on the side of the road, we were constantly asked by passing police and civilian vehicles if we needed any assistance.
Due to Angola having so many unfound landmines, we only bushcamped were we could see recent tracks.
NAMIBIA:
South Africans get up to 90 days entry visa stamped upon entry. All non-Namibian registered vehicles need to pay an obligatory road-tax. This varies according to the size of the vehicle.