Things to do in Angola

25 things to do in Angola

Listed in full below. The running order is set by votes and loads with the page.

• Spot elephants in Kissama National Park

  Drive through riverine forests and open savannah in search of elephants, giraffes, and the rare giant sable antelope just a few hours from Luanda.

  Quiçama, Luanda Province

• Stand at the edge of Tundavala Gap

  Peer down the 1,000-metre sheer drop of the Tundavala escarpment, where the Huíla Plateau fractures into a dizzying abyss overlooking the Namibe plains.

  Lubango, Huíla

• Marvel at Kalandula Falls

  Feel the thundering spray of the 105-metre-high horseshoe cascade as the Lucala River plunges over dark basaltic cliffs, best seen during the rainy season.

  Kalandula, Malanje

• Stroll along the Luanda Marginal

  Join locals on the palm-lined Avenida 4 de Fevereiro promenade at sunset, watching ships glide across the Bay of Luanda with the Fortaleza de São Miguel towering above.

  Luanda

• Tour the Fortaleza de São Miguel

  Climb the thick bastions of this 16th-century Portuguese fortress to see colonial cannons, the tomb of Angola’s first president, and panoramic views over Luanda’s bay.

  Luanda

• Admire the moonscape at Miradouro da Lua

  Gaze at eerie, wind-sculpted orange-and-ochre cliffs plunging into the Atlantic, a lunar-like landscape formed by rain erosion just south of the capital.

  Near Samba, Luanda

• Catch waves at Cabo Ledo

  Ride consistent, uncrowded surf breaks at one of Angola’s best point breaks, where a long sandy spit juts into the Atlantic backed by red cliffs.

  Cabo Ledo, Bengo

• Climb the Pedras Negras of Pungo Andongo

  Scramble up gigantic black granite monoliths rising abruptly from the savannah, formations steeped in myths of Queen Nzinga’s kingdom.

  Pungo Andongo, Malanje

• Reflect at the National Museum of Slavery

  Enter the 17th-century chapel where enslaved people were baptised before being shipped across the Atlantic, a sobering memorial on the coast north of Luanda.

  Morro da Cruz, Luanda

• Wander the colonial streets of Cidade Alta

  Explore pastel-painted colonial-era buildings, the pink Presidential Palace and cobbled squares on the hill overlooking Luanda’s Lower City.

  Luanda

• Discover the abandoned ghost town of Baía dos Tigres

  Walk through the deserted streets of a former fishing town swallowed by shifting sands on a remote Namib Desert island, accessible only by boat.

  Baía dos Tigres, Namibe

• Kayak on remote Lagoa do Carumbo

  Paddle across a pristine freshwater lagoon fringed by papyrus and dense miombo woodland deep in Lunda Norte, watching rare birds and vervet monkeys.

  Near Dundo, Lunda Norte

• Track the giant sable in Cangandala National Park

  Join a safari to spot the critically endangered palanca-negra, Angola’s national symbol, in the park created specifically to protect this magnificent antelope.

  Cangandala, Malanje

• Browse the ethnographic treasures at Museu do Dundo

  Examine exquisite Chokwe statuary, masks, thrones and royal regalia from the Lundas, one of Africa’s finest ethnographic collections housed in a northeastern mining town.

  Dundo, Lunda Norte

• Feast on grilled lobster at Ilha de Luanda

  Savour freshly caught lobster, prawns and spicy rice at a seaside terrace on the sand-spit of Ilha do Cabo, just minutes from downtown.

  Ilha do Cabo, Luanda

• Marvel at the Eiffel-designed Palácio de Ferro

  Step inside a wrought-iron pavilion with intricate latticework, rumoured to be built by Gustave Eiffel, now housing a vibrant cultural space in central Luanda.

  Luanda

• Investigate the rusting shipwreck on Ilha do Mussulo

  Wade out to a stranded cargo ship carcass at low tide, its rusting hull half-buried in the sand of the long, car-free Mussulo peninsula.

  Ilha do Mussulo, Luanda

• Drive the hairpin bends of Serra da Leba

  Navigate the breathtaking mountain road that zigzags down a sheer escarpment, framed by jagged rock outcrops and panoramic views of the Namibe desert frontier.

  Near Lubango, Huíla

• Admire the view from Cristo Rei in Lubango

  Climb the hilltop statue of Christ the King, reminiscent of Rio de Janeiro, and soak in sweeping vistas of Lubango city and the surrounding highlands.

  Lubango, Huíla

• Chase the Binga Waterfalls in Cabinda

  Hike through lush equatorial forest to a multi-tiered cascade on the Lucola River, where the roar of water echoes through a remote corner of Angola.

  Near Buco Zau, Cabinda

• Hike through the Maiombe Rainforest

  Trek beneath towering hardwoods, lianas and giant ferns in one of Africa’s most intact lowland rainforests, listening for chimps and forest elephants.

  Cabinda

• Witness the Dala Waterfalls plunge into the gorge

  Stand on the rocky overlook as the Dala River drops over a wide basalt lip into a deep, mist-filled chasm near the diamond city of Saurimo.

  Near Saurimo, Lunda Sul

• Rappel into the Tundavala Rift

  Abseil down the vertical quartzite wall of Tundavala with a local operator, descending into the rift for a ground-level view of this geological wonder.

  Lubango, Huíla

• Glide down the Kwanza River on a boat safari

  Drift past mangroves, hippo pods and waterbirds as the wide Kwanza River meets the Atlantic, with stops at riverside communities and hidden beaches.

  Mouth of Kwanza River, Luanda/Bengo

• Dance kizomba at a beach bar on Ilha do Cabo

  Sway to sensual Angolan kizomba rhythms under palm-thatched roofs, feet in the sand, at the lively beach clubs lining Luanda’s island spit.

  Ilha do Cabo, Luanda