We are going to visit Angola in July! No they said, it is too dangerous. What we discovered was totally to the contrary. What a welcoming, friendly, happy nation that went out of their way to help whenever they could. At no time did we ever feel anything but safe, even whilst walking the streets of Luanda.
But I am getting ahead of myself. My two colleagues and I decided that Angola was an undiscovered country and we wished to be one of the first companies to offer this new and exciting destination. So off we went, flying in to Windhoek where we picked up a Toyota Fortuner and a guide who had been to Angola before. This was a definite benefit as not much English is spoken, mostly Portuguese.
In Namibia we stopped off in Kamanjab to visit the Himbas, popped in to the west side of the Etosha National Park (were lucky enough to see lions), visited the Ruacana Falls (we joked it should be called a ‘fall’ as there was only a small trickle), and spent our last night in Ondangwa close to the border, before entering Angola. Changing to driving on the right side of the road was interesting, but we soon got used to it. The drive to Lubango, the second largest town in Angola, was exciting as we came upon quite a few old tanks along the side of the road, having been abandoned after the war. They made for some great pictures.
The town of Lubango is overlooked by the Cristo Rei (Christ the King statue) perched on the hilltop. Just outside of town is Tundavala, a breathtaking gorge which plunges to the valley below and offers spectacular views.
Travelling to the coastal town of Namibe is via the breathtaking Serra da Leba mountain pass. This is one of the famous hair-pinned roads in the world with its 7 hairpin bends in just 1.7 kms. Namibe is a coastal desert town boasting sights such as Colinas, giant rock towers carved by nature in beautiful shades of red, orange and yellow, a natural masterpiece. A visit to Lake Arco, a freshwater oasis in the desert, is a must.
Travelling further north we stopped off at the coastal town of Lobito, situated on a 5km sandspit. The one side of the spit hosts the harbour and the other side a long beach with many restaurants.
Then it was up to the city of Luanda, the capital of Angola. A pretty seafront promenade runs alongside the bay and is joined by the Ilha do Cabo, a long thin peninsula that sports beaches, bars and restaurants. A city tour will take you to the 16th century Fortress of Sao Miguel as well as the Mausoleum of Agostinho Neto, but the real highlight for us was Shipwreck Beach, situated about an hour’s drive north of Luanda. The 2.5 km beach is scattered with disused ships such as tankers & cargo ships in various states of rusting. Some look like they have literally been parked on the beach.
Our last venture took us east to Malanje from where you can visit the Black Rocks at Pungo Andongo, mysterious rock formations that stand high above the flat savanna. Another highlight of our trip was the Calendula Falls, one of the largest waterfalls by volume in Africa. This was truly a spectacular sight and we were lucky enough to witness it from the top as well as the bottom (although that is a story for another time). The falls can be viewed from both sides of the river, the one side having a hotel with spectacular views of the hotel.
Angola for us was a true and beautiful adventure filled with varying climates, landscapes, cultures and colours. Angola is lacking in infrastructure and these are currently being addressed, but what did surprise us was the good standard (4 star) of hotel in all the towns we visited. Our suggested time to visit would be during the winter months from May to October as it is cooler.
For more information on this wonderful destination, please do not hesitate to contact us.
