Cabinda closed to vehicles

[steve.lorimer]

After a long fight with the Angolan embassy in Pointe Noire about letting us drive through Cabinda it has emerged they have very recently passed a law expressly prohibiting foreign vehicles to enter Cabinda.

It would seem the only west coast route open to overlanders is to drive Brazzaville, Congo - Kinshasa, DRC - Matadi, DRC - Angola.

Be warned that the road from Dolisie to Brazzaville goes through the Poule region which is still subject to rebel activity and recently 4 trucks were hijacked at gun-point on this road. We were in Dolisie when this happened, and why we came to Pointe Noire to try drive through Cabinda instead of to Brazzaville.

We are now trying to get our truck onto a train from Pointe Noire to Brazzaville so as to be able to continue. The train is notorious for theft though, but we're stuck between a rock and a hard place here so will have to chance it...

My advice is to drive to Franceville in Gabon, and from there to Akou or Ndongo and into Congo and take the road south to Brazzaville. Don't take the main north/south road through Lambarene in Gabon to Dolisie in Congo as you may well have issues getting to Brazzaville from there. I can't comment on what the Akou or Ndongo border crossings are like, since I didn't go that way, but if you can get through it could well save you a lot of trouble down the road...

Hope this helps
Steve
www.overafrica.org

[kirk.lynch]

Hi Steve. Got your website sent to me by a mutual friend. I'm a fellow Saffer in the UK and we are dept the UK in October to take on the same route as you guys till Nam then head east to enjoy the lighter side of Africa before zig zaging to SA.. Then off to South America to Alaska in 2011.

Thought I'd reply to your post and compliment you on your informtive posts. They are filled with concise and seemingly very accurate info. Thanks for taking time out to share this with all.

Look fwd to perhaps hooking up for a cold bevvie if you guys are back before we head off.

Thanks again.

Kirk

[silvie]

Hey Steve

Thanks for the update.
Kirk we'll see you enroute maybe. End October is one of our leaving dates.

Driving West Coast from UK to SA.
Good Times!

[indaba]

Thanks for the update.

Strangely we're hoping to head off on the same route about then as well

Adrian

[steve.lorimer]

Hi folks

I was told by a resident of Pointe Noire that there is a law that prohibits vehicles from entering Cabinda, but this is expressly commercial vehicles only... not tourists. Something about the Angolans wanting to promote local commercial transport rather than DRC's.

We have a 10-tonne truck, and getting it onto the train was going to take a month for a space, driving through the Poole region isn't advisable, and shipping around would also take too long... we have a deadline for arrival in SA.

In the end we decided to chance the border, and got through without a 2nd glance. Of course because the Angolan embassies in Pointe Noire and Brazzaville wouldn't help us with getting 2 entries, that used our entire 30-day visa for transiting Cabinda! We had to get a new visa (transit) in Matadi, so now only have 5 days to get through Angola... sux, but what can you do!?

Make sure you get a 2 entry visa where ever it is you get it... if they give you 1 entry and say it's good for 2... they are lying, you will have problems. Refuse to take it, and get them to change it to 2 entries. Don't bother trying to deal with the Angolan embassy in Pointe Noire - they are intent on being as unhelpful as they can.

Hope this helps someone!

Steve
www.overafrica.org

[rabidog]

Thanks Steve. Good info. What would happen if you "over-stay" yo iur visa? Will they throw you out of the country or what? Gl:confused1:re