Once upon a time Angolans, Americans, Australians, Brazilians, Belgians, Italians, Namibians, Polish, Russians, Spanish, South Africans, and Zimbabweans congregated on the edge of a vertical cliff with a common goal.
Getting there
Driving from South Africa to the Climb Angola Festival took us four days – covering a distance of 2949 km. Crossing the border to Namibia on day one was straight forward and took 30 minutes (R445 road tax). We headed toward Spitzkoppe to climb single-pitch routes for most of day three.
On day four, reaching the Angolan border at 4:30pm felt like the crux of the trip. Two-hours and R800 later, we entered a whole new world in Santa Clara. Bustling with money lenders, street vendors, and a fuel station with a line going hundreds of meters down the main road. We dodged potholes in the dark for long enough before deciding to stay the night in Ondjiva.
Arriving at the festival on the 5th of June, my body began to feel at ease. Relaxing at the thought of 9 days spent rigging, highlining and climbing alongside new and familiar faces.
Sport Climbing in the Shade During the Day
Climbing at Serra da Leba offers more than 70 routes across 14 sectors. The Quartzite sandstone is solid and the well featured rockfaces feel similar to Waterval Boven. Sarah and I headed down to the Riverbank section on the first morning to christen my new rope – a Beal Zenith 9.5mm 70m rope from CityRock (Mountain Mail Order).
Leading Aardwolf (6a+) proved to be a tough warmup for me, failing on the third to last bolt. Monster Munch (6B) offered a beautiful face climb and roof which I thoroughly enjoyed as a back climb. In the distance we could see Karen, Mike, and Justin developing another two routes to the sector.
Next, we headed to the deep gulley and approached Jungle Run to setup top ropes for warm up climbs on some of the lowest grades. The routes ranged from 25 to 30 meters, with one topping out at 35 meters (Ape Escape 6A+). Fangfoss 5b, Flask of Rum 5c, Coka-Cola en Angola 6a, and La Fácil Fácil 6a+ proved to be great climbs with ledges and bomber holds leading you up the face.
Language Barriers and Buddy Checks
On the weekend, we joined a group of local climbers ranging in skill levels to tackle the easier routes. Despite a language barrier, we shared an energy filled morning with smiles and stoke that will not soon be forgotten.
As the sun appeared on the Western wall of the gully (Jungle Run) Hannes and I crossed over to The Cave sector to give Playing Mantis 6b+ a try. Immediately I felt stuck, coming down from the climb after clipping the first draw with a challenging layback move. Handing over the sharper end to Hannes he was able to figure out and finish the route.
Learning to Bolt with Justin Lawson
I jumped at the opportunity to learn about bolting climbing routes having only experienced glue-in and expansion bolts for highline anchors. The insight helped us to find a new appreciation for the hard-working route-setters who hang for hours seeking and solving problems.
In summary, always rely on two bolts for personal safety. Placing two top anchors lets you establish a route ‘top down.’ A favourable approach for areas like Serra da Leba where the access is from above and in many cases the bottom of the routes has yet to be developed or cleaned.
Establishing Three New Highlines in Angola
We tagged and bolted anchors for a 45-meter gap in front of the restaurant at Serra da Leba. The chill side anchor rests above the first bolted route, Des Manga 6C+. Rolling out on the line gives you a real sense of exposure, with more than 60 meters direct exposure and 200 meters of indirect exposure to the river below.
Photo: Georgi Dorward
The gulley, a 10-minute walk from the restaurant, offers a perfect gap for highlines. We established a 65-meter line across the narrowest point. The East side anchor required a short abseil to match the height of the western ‘chill side’ anchor. Leighton’s freestyle rig with bungees on both sides gave us an insane amplitude when bouncing.
A longer line spanned the gap diagonally, offering 115m on low-stretch webbing. The longer line proved to be a pleasure to walk – however it saw less activity. The exposure was remarkable with more than 100-meters to the forest below. There is potential for longer lines in the same gully, and across the cliff faces in front of the restaurant.
Sharing Meals Together
The early morning light entered my tent from 7 am, with the sun rising by 7:30 am. From first light the festival volunteers set out a breakfast buffet of fruit, pastries, granola, and a special treat of butter, yoghurt, and cheese from La Chalet farm in Lubango.
Before heading out for the day, we could grab a packed lunch consisting of two sandwiches and a granola bar. For those with a big appetite, the restaurant offers some tasty meals like fried chicken and chips.
A highlight of the festival were the shared meals in the evenings. The most memorable being a peanut curry, with chicken and funge (an Angolan variant of pap made with either maize or cassava flour). As a group of more than 60 hungry climbers, catering was no small feat.
Waterline across the Waterfall
The waterfall, a 15-minute walk from the restaurant, is accessible from a short scramble or a more approachable narrow path from a parking along the Serra da Leba pass. The water cascades down 10 meters and flows along the riverbank down a series of taller waterfalls.
Using cam’s and nuts, we made a three-point anchor 1.5 meters above the water on each side of the fall. The 20-meter-long waterline proved challenging to walk thanks to the movement of the water and the flow of air downstream.
Adam, Sarah, and I returned to bolt the anchors on Friday night at 9:30pm. Bolting and rigging the line in the dark proved to be a thrilling experience, with sparks visible from the tip of the drill. We left the line up for the rest of the festival. Viper slacklines donated a primitive slackline so you can find all the gear to setup the line stored at the restaurant.
Tour of Strawberry Farm, Tundavala, Le Chalet and Lubango City
The festival in partnership with its sponsors arranged for us to visit local businesses and sights on a day trip. This was an incredible opportunity to meet the owner of the largest strawberry farm, who shared his story of innovation with us. Turns out the same hot and dry climate we were enjoying is favourable for his fruit production too.
Tundavala Gap (Fenda da Tundavala) is located 18 km from the town of Lubango. While 50km from the festival venue, it is part of the same high-altitude escarpment of the Chela Mountain range. With a vertical drop of more than 300 meters at 1100 meters above sea level, a highline over the 60-90 meter gap would offer incredible views into the Namibe province.
Things to Do in Namibe Province
After the festival, Adam, Sarah, Francesco and I travelled down the iconic pass with our sights set on the sea. Each hairpin turn revealed new views of the massive cliff faces we had explored during the previous nine days. It helped us to appreciate the scale of the rockface available for climbing and other adrenaline-inducing sports.
Surfing Near Mocamedes
Arriving at the coastal town and capital of the province, Moçâmedes, felt like an oasis sprung up in the desert. Restocked with supplies and delicious papaya from the local market, we headed out of the town to stay and surf at the Angola Waves ‘três irmãos’ property.
Much to our surprise, we surfed in warm water with small waves breaking along the closer of the point breaks. We awoke with excitement to welcome the arrival of a 2-meter swell entering the bay, with waves breaking along the point, wedging into a 4-foot barrel.
Visiting Tombua
Heading south we parked off the gravel road 5km outside the town of Tombua and walked 1.5km to a sand bottom point break. Small waves ran more than 100 meters, with a local fisherman teasing us that it was bigger yesterday. The first 1km of the road looked passable, and parking closer would make carrying surfboards to the beach in the heat slightly more bearable.
Take caution when accessing the surf by car. The sand was compact when we arrived, but by the late afternoon the heat had turned it into a cake flour consistency. I chose the wrong tracks to follow, and we gradually came to a stop. Properly stuck. The saltpan manager and employers helped us with planks, spades, and six attempts to pull us out of the deep ruts.
In a final act of desperation, Francesco suggested “using the boards”. A genius idea. We removed the surfboards from the roof. Sacrificing not the boards, but the bags in front of the car created the perfect runway to reach more compact sand. We continued into town to savour a fresh fish, fungee, and seafood meal at restaurant Virei in Tombua.
Exploring the Canyons
The Arcs Lagoon (Lagoa dos Arcos) along the banks of the Curaco river is an oasis within the Namibe desert. Following the road to its end, we were greeted by the head of the house who is the areas tour guide (speaking only Portuguese) taking us along the 20-meter-high sandstone faces to see a natural arch caused by erosion.
We drove into the Colinas Canyon. Sculpted rock formations whose red walls ignite into fierey tones during the sunset.
The area outside of the lagoon is desolate, bar a sprinkling of Welwitschia mirabilis plants, the national plant of Angola.
Climbing at Sera Da Leba
Turning our direction back home, we headed up the Serra da Leba pass and spent two days savouring the dramatic views from the cliff edge. We climbed the new route on Jenga Wall – Caminho campesino (6B) opened by Matteo Poda, Ryan McCallum, and Francesco.
Nando, Sarah, and I rappelled twice to reach a ledge at the base of an obvious crack. Sarah led what proved to be a challenging route to follow.
Before the sun set, we took turns trying the Waterfall route (6b+) positioned next to the cascading river. Abseiling in, it was quickly apparent that the moves require fresh arms and dry climbing shoes.
A 2900km Journey Home
Setting off early in the morning, navigating through the large potholes, we crossed the Oshikango border to enjoy a pap and vleis (meat and maize) dinner during sunset in Omuthiya, Namibia.
The clean facilities at Kupferquelle campsite in Tsumeb felt luxurious, with private bathrooms and a 25-meter swimming pool. We set off early to Etosha National Park through the Namutoni Gate, camping at Halali, to exit the Anderson Gate the following day.
Other highlights from the journey through Namibia: the lion, cheetah, rhino, and python sightings in Etosha; the rock art and slab climbing in Omaruru at Erongo Rocks; and the single-pitch climbs on dolerite rock at Aussenkehr near the border to South Africa.
To savour the last leg of the journey, we travelled to Lamberts and Elands Bay to surf beach breaks and a personal favourite long left-hand point break.
A Life-Changing Experience
Thank you to everyone who helped to make this journey and the Climb Angola Festival possible. A big thank you to the Climb Angola team and volunteers. Nathan’s message in 2024, ‘want to rig a new highline in Angola’ and his contagious energy made this a dream journey.
You can find more information about the slackline and highline anchors on SlackMap.
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