Angola

Luanda, as the capital of Africa's second largest oil producer, Angola, is a rising political and economic powerhouse. Luanda is a dynamic, albeit challenging, place to visit and one you're unlikely to forget.

The city doesn't have much in the way of museums and public parks, but it's worth walking along the recently refurbished Marginal, the seafood promenade that stretches from the local port to the Ilha, the peninsula jutting into Luanda Bay. Near Luanda, Mussulo Island is a spit of land with thatch-roofed restaurants and hotel bungalows on one side and miles of deserted beach, with fantastic waves, on the other.

Luanda is Angola's most populous and important city, primary port and major industrial, cultural and urban center. This orb has a metropolitan population of over 6 million is the world's third most populous Portuguese-speaking city, behind only São Paulo and Rio de Janeiro. The city is currently undergoing a major reconstruction, with many large developments taking place that will alter the cityscape significantly.

Kissama National Park is situated in Bengo province, occupies an area of 9,600 km² and is 75km away from Luanda. The park was established as a hunting reserve in 1938 and became a national park in 1957. Kissama is the only functioning national park in all of Angola and covers a 3 million acres territory.

The vegetation varies from the Kwanza riverbanks into the park: mangroves, dense woods, savanna, cacti, baobab trees,...Its diversified vegetation allows a rich and varied fauna. There are African manatee, red sable, talapoin monkeys and marine turtles. The park provides facilities for visitors, 'pousadas' and bungalows.

Kalandula Falls of Angola is a collection of waterfalls that when measured by volume, is one of the largest waterfalls in all of Africa. With a height of over 105 meters and a width of 400 meters, the falls are highly impressive.

Despite being a magnificent natural wonder of the world, it is very rare that you will run into many crowds when paying a visit to Kalandula Falls. However, nearly everyone who has decided to visit simply can’t say enough of its breathtaking beauty. If you don’t mind the rain, the springtime is the best season to experience the true splendor of this place.

Because the rains contribute to the strength of the waterfall, it makes for an even more magical show when gazing up at the massive Kalandula Falls. You can spend hours just walking and strolling along the rocks and taking in all that this world wonder has to offer.

Benguela is located in the central coast of Angola and borders Kwanza Sul, Huambo, Huila and Namibe. The population is mostly ethnic Ovimbundu and Nganguela and most widely spoken language in the region is Umbundo. Agriculture, fisheries and livestock are the main activities of this population.

Benguela is also known for its beautiful beaches, like Caota Beach -great for underwater diving-, Caotinha beach -a small beach with very clear water-, Blue Bay Beach -the blue waters gave it its name-. Benguela province is rich in fauna: zebras, lions, elephants, bushbuck, buffalo, among other animals.

The Benguela Railway: a tuly african experience, an authentic way to travel Angola.
The Benguela Railway links the Atlantic port of Lobito on the West to the Eastern border town of Luau, as well as to rail networks in the Democratic Republic of Congo, in Zambia and beyond.