Rio Kwanza Angola's Drowning Diamond

Paddling in Angola is intimidating. The horrific 27-year civil war that raged across its wild savannahs cut the beautiful country and its whitewater off from the outside world. Now, the doors of this incredible African country are open, and Angola is on track to become an adventure mecca; a destination full of towering mountains, untouched wilderness and endless whitewater. In 2018, despite the odds stacked against them, Mike Dawson, Dewet Michau, and Jake Holland embraced the challenge of Angola, beginning with Africa’s fourth-largest river: The Kwanza.

- Mike Dawson

This expedition was more than a kayaking trip – it was an adventure. An adventure that started by travelling across the remote, undeveloped regions of half a continent on the way to the putin. The journey took us, myself, New Zealander Mike Dawson, South African Dewet Michau and Brit Jake Holland through South Africa, Botswana, Zambia, and Namibia before entering Angola.

Countless rumours of incredible whitewater in Angola have circulated throughout the paddling community for many years, but it wasn’t until 2015 when myself and Aaron Mann led an exploratory trip to the wild west of Africa that Angola’s whitewater potential was first unlocked. Our objective for this mission was the Lauca Gorge of the Kwanza River-Africa’s fourth largest river system.

LAND OF PLENTY

Angola’s geography creates an abundance of rivers that drop off the edge of the Bie Plateau into the Atlantic Ocean, creating endless prospects for hydro-electric schemes and endless whitewater for those willing to explore. The Kwanza originates in the Bie Plateau, which feeds the Okavango Delta as well as three of Africa’s four major river systems –including the Congo and the Zambezi. The Kwanza winds its way along the Plateau before continuing its 960-kilometre journey through the heart of Angola to the Atlantic Ocean. Its crystal-clear waters are the lifeblood of Angola. The upper reaches provide fish, drinking water and irrigation for the local communities, while further west its role changes to supply energy via the countless dam projects in the lower sections. Fuck dams. One can only imagine what lies hidden below the man-made lakes.