Although it’s difficult to get and travel through Angola, no doubt that there is something really special about this country that makes it worth all the struggle.
So let’s uncover some of Angola’s travel mysteries and have a look at what to expect while exploring this stunning country.
Markets
Markets are the place where everything happens, they buzz with life and are a great place to meet and talk to some friendly locals and of course, buy fresh produce.
Don’t expect anything fancy here, only a lot of dust, and very basic infrastructures made out of some sticks, mud, and fabrics. The markets are normally massive and depending on the location and time of the day, can also be very crowded, so be patient, and on guard.
It’s also usual to see women and children selling fruits, vegetables and gasoline on the side of the road. You can also see between the thousands of street sellers in Angola, people selling car spares, school manuals, toilet paper, toilet seats, cell phones, well… literary everything.
Beaches
Angola has beautiful, quiet and untouched beaches but also beaches full of life, people and loud music. Angolans love to have a good time, to drink, dance and listen to music being Kizomba, kuduro and Semba the most popular genres.
Angola’s Countryside
Angola’s countryside is the vision of a country that is suspended in time with a past of war that didn’t disappear from its walls.
Picturesque small settlements, baobab trees, rivers, mountains and deserts are the richness of this country. The small settlements tell stories of a resourceful population that makes everything from nothing.
Slams
Slams in Angola are called musekes (musseques), it’s impossible to count how many you will see spreading through the country. An image of a sad reality. Extreme poverty and social inequities.
Nature at its best
Angola is a country with immense natural beauty that changes drastically from north to south, east to west.
What to visit and where to go
- Namibe, beaches, a magnificent desert, and Mucubais Tribe
- Lobito, great beaches
- Benguela, architecture and beaches
- Malange, national park and waterfalls
- Serra de Leba, fantastic scenery
- Catumbela, scenery, river and crocodiles
- Cunene, Himba tribe and scenery
- Chibia, Muila (Mumuila or Mumuhuila) tribe and the Mukumba tribal market
- Lubango, colonial architecture
- Oncocua, traditional place where different ethnic groups live, the Himba, the Mucawana and the Mutua.
Have you ever been to Angola? Find here all you need to know before going on a trip to Angola.
photography – all rights reserved – Ana Rocha