Angola Tourism

The River Kwanza is an amazing river which is very important to this country. In fact, the currency is also named after it. This river which flows through the Kissama National Park offers some spectacular sights to those who are interested in birds. You can come across various varieties of vultures, herons, kingfishers and eagles which can be found only in this region.

Since it was a Portuguese colony, much of its culture is influenced by the Portuguese culture. The official language is also Portuguese. Apart from this many African languages are also being spoken by Angolan people like Umbundu, Bantu, Kimbundu, etc.

The Iona National Park is Angola’s oldest as well as the largest national park. Situated at around 200 kms from the city of Namibe, this national park spans over 5850 sq. miles. Once immensely rich Natural Park now is on its way to recovery after years of destruction and illegal poaching of its wild animals. It is famous for its amazing rock formations.

The cafes and restaurants of the cities of Angola serve the local cuisine along with the national dishes of Angola. Luanda has a number of popular eateries which offer fine dining experience to locals as well as the tourists.

The cuisine of Angola is a combination of African and Portuguese cuisine. Since it was a colony under Portugal for such a long period it has deeply influenced its food and eating behavior. Its cuisine comprises of flour, beans, and varieties of vegetables, fish and chicken. They have various kinds of sauces and stews which are very popular among Angola people.

The capital city of Luanda offers some options for nightlife. The nightclubs of this city offer some live music which is fusion music of afro beats along with Caribbean and Brazilian beats.

The Angolan music is very popular among the tourists as well as the locals visiting the clubs in the cities. There are few clubs in Luanda which remain till late in the evening. Apart from these there are cinema halls whose tickets should be booked well in advance.

The cities of Angola have their own markets which offer to sell various local as well as imported products. For tourists, these markets also have sellers who deal in the local art and crafts. The local handicrafts can be best bought from these sellers as often the craftsmen sell their art work directly. Social courtesies should be followed while striking a deal. It will go a long way in this country. It is advised that the visits to these markets should be made during the day time. Often these markets are open only till 5pm in the evening.

Angola is an ideal destination for the adventure loving tourists. With its so many national parks and wildlife reserves, tourists are spoilt for choices. These national parks are the best place to for wildlife safari expeditions with the park rangers who can provide with the proper guidance. The African elephants, zebras and giraffes can be easily spotted in these national parks. Some of these also have ostriches and other birds.

The coastline of Angola is an attractive location for the beach lovers. The Ilha Beaches in Luanda is an ideal location to escape the chaos of the city and spend some relaxing time overlooking the Atlantic Ocean. The Palmeirinhas beach is a stretch of beach along the Angolan coastline. Bathing at this beach is however, disallowed. Apart from this, the Santiago beach is also a tourist attraction. Not only one can spend a laid back day at the beach, but you can go for some fishing as well.

The Fortress of Sao Miguel- Also, known as Saint Michael Fortress is a Portuguese fortress built in the city of Luanda. Built in 1576, this fortress served as the administrative centre of Portuguese Armed Force in Angola until 1975. It has thick walls which makes this fortress into an independent town protected by cannons. This fortress was also the point used for slave trade where slaves were being shipped of to Brazil. Today it is the Museum of Armed Forces.

The young travellers can learn a lot from visiting this country. This country being a European colony can offer some insights into the plights of societies which were colonized. The slave trade is another historic shame which was quite prevalent at one point of time. Not only historically, Angola can enrich young minds with its abundant natural heritage and its beauty. Its national parks have some of the rare species of flora and fauna.

Most of the populations of Angola are the followers of Christianity. Among these the majorities is Catholic and rest the Protestants. Although there is a considerable population of Muslims, but the government of Angola does not recognize this religion and does not allow any mosques to be built in this country. Any organization pertaining to Islam is often shut down.

The Cathedral of the Holy Saviour of Luanda is a Roman Catholic Cathedral which one of the premier institution in respect of religion in this country. Built in 1628, this is the seat of Archbishop of Luanda in Angola.

National Museum of Slavery - Angola has been one of the largest slaves providing country of Africa. So, this museum this dedicated to this inhuman practice and its grief which the people of this country had to bear for so many years. Founded in 1997, this museum stands on the erstwhile property of Alvaro de Carvalho Matoso, who was the largest slave trader of his time. His family for generations did this till it was banned in 1836. Now, this museum houses various items which were used in the slave trade and depicts the history of slavery of this erstwhile Portuguese colony.

Since this country has a rich natural heritage, it has a number of national parks dedicated to preserve its biodiversity. Kissama National Park or also known as Parque Nacional da Quicama is one among them. Situated just 70 kms from the capital city Luanda, this is one of the most well preserved national park which has a very good population of animals. This is Angola’s one of the most popular national park which can be accessed very easily. This wildlife reserve also faces the burnt of civil war, but under Operation Noah’s Ark its former glory is slowly being restored. Under this project, several animals like elephants, zebras, ostriches and giraffes were air lifted from South Africa and Botswana and shifted to this park. This replenished this national park’s heritage.

These falls are situated on the Lucala River in Kalandula. In terms of the volume of water, these waterfalls are one of the largest in Africa.