Angola Travel And Vacation Guide

The nation of Angola sits in Southwest Africa and is starting to become a popular destination with visitors. It’s a former Portuguese colony so has a pretty strong European influence even though it gained its independence in 1975.

Angola Travel And Vacation Guide


The country has a fabulous South Atlantic coastline of over 1,000 miles that’s filled with lovely sandy beaches. The interior features impressive mountains, tumbling waterfalls, thick forests, forceful rivers, the Namibe Desert, deep gorges, wildlife reserves, and national parks. The country has a rich traditional culture that can be witnessed in its people and cuisine.

Angola has a population of about 17.5 million people and the capital city is Luanda, which is home to about three million of them. The official language is Portuguese, but several African languages are spoken by much of the population. Some of the other major cities are Lobito, Molongo, Malanje, Dondo, Golungo Alto, Dilolo, Menongue, and Namibe.

There are quite a few interesting sites to visit in Luanda, including the Museum of Armed Forces, the Museum of Slavery, the National Museum of


Anthropology, and the Humbi-Humbi Art Gallery. Luanda sits on a bay and features several excellent beaches just outside of the city. Hiking, camping and water sports are all popular and the fishing is great on the Mussolo Peninsula and in Santiago. Soccer, basketball, and sailing are all popular sports in Angola.

If you’d like to see some of the nation’s interesting wildlife, take a trip to the Kissama National Park, about 45 miles south of the city as it’s home to a multitude of wild animals. You can stay overnight as there are bungalows for rent in the park. Another spectacular site is the Calandula Waterfalls, which lie in the Malanje region.

Angola is quite a large country and the weather varies from region to region. The north is generally hot, wet, and tropical climate and it gets drier the further south you go. It’s drier and cooler between June and late September, with the hot, rainy summer between October and to May.

If you’re flying into the country, the major airport is in Luanda. Be aware there aren’t any taxis at the airport and you’ll have to be picked up by a hotel transport service. There are seaports in Luanda, Lobito, Namibe, and Molongo.

Once in the country, you can travel internally by air between the major cities. There are also a few train routes. Driving isn’t the best way to get around outside of the cities as the roads are a bit risky. There’s a pretty good bus service in Luanda.

The food is excellent as it features a Portuguese influence as well as African and quite a few dishes are made with palm oil beans. The seafood is plentiful and fantastic. Some of the most popular dishes are Calulu (dried meat or fish), Chicken muamba, fish seasoned lemon and pepper, and cooked manioc flour.

If you’re looking for something to do in town when the sun goes down, there are several cinemas and nightclubs in Luanda. The music if fantastic as it’s a mixture of Caribbean, African and Brazilian sounds.

Angola is slowly starting to see the number of visitors rise each year as it offers some superb scenery, wildlife, beaches, cuisine, history, and activities. Hotels are available in the larger cities as well as in the popular coastal and beach areas.



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