Find places in Angola

Must-Haves

• Fortaleza de São Miguel (Baixa)
  A sixteenth century Portuguese fortress with azulejo tile panels and the best views over the bay.

Fun for Everyone

• Marginal de Luanda (Baixa)
  The palm lined seafront promenade where the whole city strolls at sunset.
• Boat to Mussulo (Mussulo)
  Short boat crossings from the mainland jetties to the peninsula's beaches.

Off the Beaten Path

• Ponte da Barra do Kwanza (Barra do Kwanza)
  The long bridge over the Kwanza estuary, a landmark on the coastal road south.
• Kilamba (Kilamba)
  A vast new satellite city of pastel apartment blocks that shows modern Angola's ambitions.

Must-Haves

• Museu Nacional da Escravatura (Morro da Cruz)
  A small, moving museum in a hilltop chapel where enslaved people were baptised before shipment.
• Mausoléu de Agostinho Neto (Praia do Bispo)
  The towering memorial to Angola's first president, with a small exhibition inside.
• Museu Nacional de Antropologia (Ingombota)
  Masks, musical instruments and crafts from Angola's many peoples in a colonial era house.

Off the Beaten Path

• Palácio de Ferro (Baixa)
  A prefabricated iron building often linked to Gustave Eiffel's workshop, restored in the heart of the old town.
• Igreja de Nossa Senhora do Cabo (Ilha)
  One of the oldest churches in Angola, a simple whitewashed chapel on the Ilha.

Fun for Everyone

• Ilha de Luanda (Ilha)
  A long sandspit of beaches, beach clubs and seafood grills facing the open Atlantic.
• Mussulo (Mussulo peninsula)
  A sandy peninsula of calm lagoon beaches reached by short boat ride from the mainland.

Must-Haves

• Miradouro da Lua (Belas)
  Eroded red and cream cliffs above the Atlantic that look like a lunar landscape.
• Parque Nacional da Quiçama (Quiçama)
  The closest national park to Luanda, where elephants and antelope were restocked after the war.

Off the Beaten Path

• Cabo Ledo (Cabo Ledo)
  A wide surf beach south of the city, popular with Luanda's small surf scene.

Must-Haves

• Mercado de Artesanato do Benfica (Benfica)
  The city's big craft market for masks, carvings, paintings and fabrics.

Fun for Everyone

• Belas Shopping (Talatona)
  A large mall with shops, a food court and a cinema, handy for supplies.
• Shopping Fortaleza (Baixa)
  A central mall below the fortress with shops and cafés.

Low Cost and Authentic

• Mercado de São Paulo (São Paulo)
  A busy local market for fabrics, food and household goods.

Great for Date Night

• Café del Mar Luanda (Ilha)
  A beach bar on the Ilha for cocktails at sunset over the ocean.
• Miami Beach Luanda (Ilha)
  A long running Ilha beach club and venue for dancing late into the night.

Fun for Everyone

• Chill Out Luanda (Ilha)
  A relaxed Ilha beach spot with music, drinks and a young crowd at weekends.

Must-Haves

• EPIC SANA Luanda (Ingombota)
  A large central hotel with a pool, several restaurants and reliable services.
• InterContinental Luanda Miramar (Miramar)
  A modern hotel on the hill with views over the bay and port.

Great for Date Night

• Hotel Presidente Luanda (Marginal)
  A landmark tower on the Marginal with sea views and a central location.

Fun for Everyone

• Talatona Convention Hotel (Talatona)
  A big hotel next to the convention centre in the newer south of the city.

Low Cost and Authentic

• Hotel Trópico (Ingombota)
  A well known central hotel within reach of the Baixa and the Marginal.

Must-Haves

• Carnaval de Luanda (Marginal)
  Angola's biggest carnival, with grupos parading in costume along the Marginal before Lent.

Fun for Everyone

• Festa da Ilha (Ilha)
  A popular festival honouring Nossa Senhora do Cabo, with processions, music and food.

Great for Date Night

• Live semba and kizomba nights (Luanda)
  Weekend music bars across the city where couples dance late.

Low Cost and Authentic

• Ilha muamba and grilled fish (Ilha)
  Simple Ilha eateries serving muamba de galinha, calulu and grilled fish.

Must-Haves

• Baía Azul (Baía Azul)
  A sheltered bay of clear blue water and pale sand, often called the best beach in Angola.
• Restinga do Lobito (Lobito)
  A long sandspit of beaches, seafood restaurants and bars between the bay and the ocean.

Fun for Everyone

• Praia Morena (Benguela)
  The town beach where locals gather for sunset, grilled fish and football.

Off the Beaten Path

• Praia da Caotinha (Caotinha)
  A quiet cove south of Benguela with calm water and few people on weekdays.
• Praia da Caota (Caota)
  A fishing village beach near Baía Azul, good for a quiet swim.

Low Cost and Authentic

• Baía Farta (Baía Farta)
  A working fishing town where you can watch boats come in with the catch.

Off the Beaten Path

• Estação do Caminho de Ferro do Lobito (Lobito)
  The Atlantic terminus of the historic Benguela Railway.
• Forte de Catumbela (Catumbela)
  A small hilltop fort guarding the Catumbela river crossing.
• Ponte da Catumbela (Catumbela)
  The historic arched bridge over the Catumbela river between the two towns.

Fun for Everyone

• Benguela old town walk (Benguela)
  Acacia shaded streets of faded pink and yellow colonial buildings, best explored on foot.

Must-Haves

• Igreja de Nossa Senhora do Pópulo (Benguela)
  One of the oldest churches in Angola, at the heart of colonial Benguela.

Off the Beaten Path

• Museu Nacional de Arqueologia (Benguela)
  Artefacts from Angola's prehistory housed in an old slave trading building.
• Cine Monumental (Benguela)
  A striking modernist cinema building from the colonial era.
• Cine Flamingo (Lobito)
  An open air modernist cinema by the water, a gem of Lobito architecture.

Must-Haves

• Hotel Terminus (Lobito)
  A classic hotel on the Restinga with bay views, linked to the railway's history.

Fun for Everyone

• Hotel Praia Morena (Benguela)
  A seafront hotel close to Benguela's town beach.

Low Cost and Authentic

• Hotel Mombaka (Benguela)
  A central Benguela hotel within walking distance of the old town.

Great for Date Night

• Restinga seafront restaurants (Lobito)
  A string of terraces on the Restinga serving grilled lobster, prawns and fish.

Low Cost and Authentic

• Praia Morena grills (Benguela)
  Simple beachside stands grilling the day's catch at sunset.

Fun for Everyone

• Festas da Cidade de Benguela (Benguela)
  The town's anniversary celebrations each May, with music and events.

Great for Date Night

• Restinga beach bars (Lobito)
  Bars along the sandspit for sundowners with views of the bay.

Must-Haves

• Cristo Rei (Lubango)
  A white statue of Christ above the city with sweeping plateau views.

Fun for Everyone

• Senhora do Monte (Lubango)
  A wooded hillside park and chapel where families picnic at weekends.

Off the Beaten Path

• Humpata plateau (Humpata)
  Cool farmland and big skies on the road towards Tundavala and Leba.

Must-Haves

• Fenda da Tundavala (Tundavala)
  A dramatic cleft where the plateau drops more than a kilometre to the plains.
• Serra da Leba (Serra da Leba)
  The famous hairpin pass seen from the viewpoint at the top of the escarpment.

Off the Beaten Path

• Cascata da Huíla (Huíla)
  A pretty waterfall outside the city, best after the rains.
• Parque Nacional do Bicuar (Bicuar)
  A remote woodland national park south east of Lubango, slowly recovering its wildlife.

Must-Haves

• Sé Catedral do Lubango (Lubango)
  The city's cathedral, a landmark of the colonial centre.

Off the Beaten Path

• Museu Regional da Huíla (Lubango)
  Exhibits on the peoples of the south, including Mumuila and Himba culture.

Off the Beaten Path

• Chibia market (Chibia)
  A rural market town where Mumuila women come to trade, best visited with a respectful local guide.

Must-Haves

• Festas da Senhora do Monte (Lubango)
  The city's big August festival, with a fair, music and pilgrims on the hill.

Must-Haves

• Grande Hotel da Huíla (Lubango)
  A long established hotel in the centre of Lubango.

Fun for Everyone

• Hotel Serra da Chela (Lubango)
  A comfortable central hotel named after the nearby mountain range.

Low Cost and Authentic

• Lubango churrasqueiras (Lubango)
  Local grill houses serving goat, beef and chicken with funje.

Fun for Everyone

• Lubango city centre cafés (Lubango)
  Portuguese style pastry shops around the centre, ideal for a morning coffee.

Must-Haves

• Arco (Arco)
  A freshwater lagoon framed by eroded rock arches in the desert south of town.
• Parque Nacional do Iona (Iona)
  Angola's largest national park, with dunes, gravel plains, oryx and springbok.
• Welwitschia mirabilis fields (Deserto do Namibe)
  Ancient desert plants that can live for more than a thousand years.

Off the Beaten Path

• Rio Curoca (Tombwa)
  A desert river oasis of green reeds and palms among the dunes.

Fun for Everyone

• Praia Amélia (Moçâmedes)
  A calm bay near town popular with local families.

Off the Beaten Path

• Tombwa (Tombwa)
  A fishing town on a desert bay, near the Curoca river and dunes.
• Deserto do Namibe (Namibe)
  Dunes, canyons and white cliffs best seen at sunrise with a 4x4 guide.

Low Cost and Authentic

• Moçâmedes seafront (Moçâmedes)
  A quiet promenade where fishing boats land the catch on the sand.

Must-Haves

• Fortaleza de São Fernando (Moçâmedes)
  A small colonial fortress on the cliffs above the town.

Fun for Everyone

• Igreja Matriz de Santo Adrião (Moçâmedes)
  The town's main church, a simple white landmark in the centre.

Fun for Everyone

• Hotel Chik Chik Namibe (Moçâmedes)
  A modern hotel in the town centre, a reliable base for desert trips.

Low Cost and Authentic

• Moçâmedes fish grills (Moçâmedes)
  Simple restaurants serving the morning's catch grilled with rice or funje.

Must-Haves

• Quedas de Kalandula (Kalandula)
  One of Africa's largest waterfalls by volume, roaring over a wide horseshoe cliff.
• Pedras Negras de Pungo Andongo (Cacuso)
  Giant black rock formations linked to Queen Nzinga and the Ndongo kingdom.

Off the Beaten Path

• Parque Nacional de Cangandala (Cangandala)
  The park created to protect the giant sable antelope, Angola's national symbol.
• Rio Lucala (Kalandula)
  The river above the falls, calm and lined with gallery forest.

Must-Haves

• Pousada de Kalandula (Kalandula)
  A lodge near the top of the falls, ideal for sunrise and sunset views.

Low Cost and Authentic

• Malanje town centre (Malanje)
  A busy plateau town with markets, cafés and colonial era buildings.

Low Cost and Authentic

• Malanje grills (Malanje)
  Local spots serving river fish, grilled meat and funje with gindungo chilli.