FEATURE - Dunes, Drawings Give Angola's Namibe Tourism Edge
Date: 16-Dec-05
Country: ANGOLA
Author: Karen Iley and Zoe Eisenstein
The remote coastal province hopes to to lure visitors to revive its local economy and boost Angola's tourism industry as the country emerges from decades of war and seeks sources of income other than oil and diamonds.
But despite the natural riches of Namibe, Angola is still relatively expensive and boasts few creature comforts -- problems that need to be addressed before it can become a tourism hot spot, those working in the fledgling industry say.
Nestled in Angola's southwestern corner and separated from Namibia by the Cunene river, the vast Namibe area -- including the 12,000 sq km (7,450 sq mile) Iona National Park -- is already enticing some visitors, eager to explore Angola following the end of its 27-year civil conflict in April 2002.
Namibe, like most provinces in the former Portuguese colony, is economically underdeveloped. Most of its 250,000 inhabitants depend on fishing and farming for their survival.
"Nobody here is starving but most people are poor and our economy could definitely be doing better," said Alcides Gomes Cabral, provincial director for industry, commerce and tourism.
"We have other industries, like fishing, mining and agriculture. But tourism definitely has a massive potential."
Much of the province is an uninhabited desert with a lunar-like landscape and harsh climate. Those who venture into its hinterland, where roads -- if they exist at all -- are little more than dirt tracks, feel cut off from the world.
Alvaro Baptista, a tour guide and conservationist, has spent 40 years exploring the bush and is now taking intrepid sightseers on tours across his beloved land.
"People who visit are often surprised that Angola can be like this -- so peaceful and so beautiful," he said.
JURASSIC PARK
While many animals were killed or fled during the war, Namibe is still home to cheetah, leopard, mountain zebra and various breeds of antelope, and numbers are steadily increasing as peace takes hold.
The region is a birdwatcher's paradise and the site of what is believed to be one of Africa's oldest and largest welwitschias -- a strangely shaped plant with a short stem.
Visitors say Namibe's sand dunes, which stretch for 200 km (125 miles) from north to south, rival those of neighbouring Namibia where tourism is a major cash-earner.
A highlight of Baptista's customised and highly organised tours is an overnight camp at the foot of a sandbank, at what he terms "The 20,000-star Dune Hotel."
"I've lived in Luanda for two years now and I never imagined that I would see a landscape as extraordinary as this in Angola," said one expatriate, sipping a gin and tonic by the campfire. "I feel truly privileged to be here."
Its striking landscape apart, Namibe's desert is believed by locals to be one of the oldest in the world.
Palaeontologists recently discovered the remains of giant marine dinosaurs and the Tchitundulo district has rock paintings and engravings which experts say date back 20,000 years.
EXPENSIVE ADVENTURE
Baptista believes these finds could be just the tip of the iceberg. "I'm sure there are a lot more engravings and paintings in this area that haven't even been discovered yet," he said.
However, locals fear that the ancient art, which lies entirely unprotected, could be at risk from heavy feet and bounty-hunters as the number of visitors picks up.
"Of course, it is great to be able to get so close to our age-old heritage. But bits of the engravings have already gone missing and it can't be good for their protection if people continue to walk all over them," Baptista said.
The authorities want more research carried out to probe the origin and meaning of the art. They are pushing for the area to be registered with the United Nations cultural body UNESCO.
"Tourism in Namibe could definitely be big and it could even be the starting point for the industry in Angola," Cabral said.
But if t
