Angola travel guide

Benguela was founded in 1617 by the Portuguese and was long an important port for the slave trade to Brazil and Cuba. There are still some fine colonial buildings left, including the churches of Saint Felipe and Saint António. Today, the city has a chilled vibe and the city's beaches are always popular with kids and teenagers.

You can buy all sorts of local products along any main road in Angola. Mostly it's just fruit, vegetables and palm wine, but once in a while you come across bushmeat. Anything from rodents to deers and monkeys are for sale and hang freshly killed along the road. They locals don't mind if you want to have a look, but ask before you take any photos.

Cabinda is the capital of the Angola exclave of the same name. It's, like the rest of Cabinda, a very quiet affair. It's located right on the shore and could have a beautiful waterfront, but the beaches don't seem to have a high priority. There are the usual selection of churches and a surprisingly high number of banks. Else, Cabinda is stripped of any significant sights.

Like Rio de Janeiro, Lubango also has a statue of Christ overlooking the city. Lubango's version was built in 1957 out of marble and is the exact same height (with pedestal) as the one in Rio de Janeiro (without the pedestal), namely 30 m high. Next to the statue stands another landmark clone, a huge Lubango sign strongly insprired by the one in Hollywood. However, what are truly unique up here are the Himba tribe ladies, who normally sits in the shade ready to posh for some kwanzas. Agree on the price before snapping away.

The road from Quibala to Gabela passes through some of Angola's scenic highlands. Mud brick villages on a backdrop of green hills and fascinating rock formations. The altitude is above 1000 meters above sea level, so the temperature is pleasantly cool and apparently suitable for coffee growing, because there are also a few plantations.

The Himba lives in northern Namibia and southern Angola. The women are easy recognisable with their red clay hair, which actually is made up by butterfat and ochre pigment. As they originate from the arid desert, where water is scarce, the paste is used for both protection from the heat and against mosquito and insect bites, but also as a cosmetic as it's usually perfumed with natural resin. Though it's not the perfect setting, it's possible to see Himba in Lubango, either just by walking around town or at the Cristo Rei Statue, where they pose for kwanzas.

The bright yellow iron mansion is known as Palácio de Ferro in Portuguese. It was probably built or designed by Gustave Eiffel (yes, that Eiffel). Not much is known about its construction, but it was probably pre-built in France in the 1890s and sent on a boat to Madagascar. However, the boat drifted ashore in Angola and the Portuguese rulers then claimed it and used it as a prestigious art center. During the Angolan Civil War it was damaged and then neglected for years. Today the fine building has been renovated and is again used for art exhibitions.

Thrilling and spectacular Kalandula Falls is the second largest waterfall in Africa by volume. There are two sections, a large single drop (105 m) one and a wide one which cascades down over rocks. The parking lot is at the top of the falls, where you also find the fenced off viewing platform with probably has the best view. But as nothing else is fenced off, you can explore the top of the falls by jumping from rock to rock. There are several big boulders with overhang, which offer the brave and fearless an opportunity to peer over the edge. Be careful, as it wouldn't be the first time someone falls down. Young local men will offer their guide service to take you either down to the bottom or further along the top to another breathing viewpoint right between the two sections (photo). Again, be super careful.

The Keve River waterfall (Cachoeiras do Binga no Rio Keve) is modest 28 meters high, but what it lacks in height, it has in power. Though it can be viewed from the bridge crossing Keve River, the best views are from the bottom across the river. Here are some restaurants located, but the river bank below can be reached by a short steep hike, which starts a bit up the road (across the road from the flat sandy area).

Nobody will put Kissama (Quiçama) National Park on the list of the top national parks in Africa, but it's the best in Angola and that's still something. After more than 25 years of civil war with wide-scale poaching there were hardly any wild animals left in Angola, so large game animals have been reintroduced to Kissama National Park - and with good results. Today the park is home for elephants, giraffes, zebras, kudos, wildebeests and many more - but no predators bigger than civet and mongoose. You can stay at the park, but a day trip from Luanda is also possible.