The most apt term to describe the dunes that plunge into the Atlantic Ocean in the area of the Iona Park in Angola is surely ‘majestic’. A majestic cordon, a true undulating wall of sand, which directly collides with the ocean shores, delimiting them for about 40 to 50 km.
First a Reserve in 1937 and then a National Park in 1964, Iona is the oldest and largest nature area in Angola. Situated in the south-west of the country, in the Namibe region, its territory is a vast expanse of rocky mountains, hills and barren savannahs, inhabited by hyenas and antelopes in the hinterland, which give way to the Namib Desert as one approaches the coast, close to the Namibian border.
Here, the interplay of colour shades in the sand creates veritable streaks of colour, ranging from yellow to ochre, from brown to burgundy, just like the coat of a tiger, hence the name of the Baia dos Tigres, perhaps the most striking area in the entire park.
Following the rhythm of the low tide, walking along the narrow shoreline otherwise occupied by waves during the flood, amidst the mists caused by the oceanic humidity clashing with the dry and arid climate of the desert, one can admire this sensational bay lost and at the edge of the world, were it not for the wreck ‘Vanessa’, reminding us of the sporadic passage of sailors and fishermen along the coast. The vessel ran aground in 2006 and was gradually swallowed up by the sand, making it a tourist attraction today.
Continuing south, one arrives at an area that is particularly popular with flamingos, seals and turtles. About ten kilometres off the coast, one can take a boat to theIlha dos Tigres for a visit to Sao Martinho, a real ghost village, once inhabited by a thriving fishing community and now completely abandoned.
The remains of the church, the houses and the factory where fish was canned evoke a truly evocative spectral atmosphere. Just as suggestive is the motivation that led to the island’s abandonment. Until the 1960s, in fact, Ilha dos Tigres was united by an isthmus to the mainland, but the force of the ocean inexorably submerged its natural connection, condemning it to become a ghost island due to the lack of drinking water, thus forcing the population to return to the mainland.
The entire area of the Iona Park is apparently one of the most inhospitable parts of the earth, especially along the coast, but surprisingly attractive in terms of spectral and evocative atmospheres, naturalistic glimpses and environmental and faunal treasures, jealously guarded between the desert sands of the Namib, the Atlantic waves, the barren rocks of the hinterland and the boundless savannahs.
