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Intro

Angola is a geographically diverse country with over 1,650 km of beautiful Atlantic coastline, exotic woods, savannahs and elevated plains. Tourism industry is therefore mainly based on the country’s natural beauty, including its rivers, waterfalls and scenic coastline. A Washington Post article on tourism in the country says that “Angola is a giant jigsaw puzzle of different climates, landscapes, cultures and colors.” As much of the country was destroyed during the post-colonial civil war which ended in 2002, Angola’s tourism industry is relatively new.

Weather

Although Angola is located in a sub tropical zone, its climate is not typical of such areas. The country has its own specific climate, with two distinct seasons: the rains, from October to April and the mist or “Cacimbo” from May to September, a much dryer season with lower temperatures.

The north of the country is hot and wet during the summer months (November to April); winters are slightly cooler and mainly dry. The south is hot throughout much of the year with a slight decrease in temperature in winter (May to October).

Language

Portuguese is spoken as a first language by 80% of the population, and as a second language by another 20%.  Although younger urban generations and some sectors of the Angolan society are moving towards the exclusive use of Portuguese, about 40% of Angolans speak Bantu languages as their first languages, including e.g. the native Kimbundu or Kikongo.

Tourist Attractions

Among the special untouched places that Angola offers their tourists are such places as magnificent waterfalls, thousands of kilometers of unspoilt and deserted beaches (for 365 days a year if you have the time!) and pristine bush.

Other tourist attractions are mostly centered around Luanda and include:

• Vibrant Luanda City
• Game fishing in World Record waters (tag and release only)
• Surfing in the warm waters at Cabo Ledo and all manners of other water sports in Mussulo Bay
• Visiting the Calandula Waterfalls, located in the Malanje area (the views are particularly mighty at the end of the rainy season!)
• The Serra de Leba pass in Huila
• Variety of forts, including the famous Fort Sao Miguel, built in 1789 to serve as a slave depot and residence for the Portuguese community.
• Magnificent scenery of Palmeirinhas, a long, deserted beach approximately 45km (28 miles) south of Luanda. Visitors should note that bathing here is hazardous.

In order to preserve and protect animal and vegetable life, natural parks and reserves have been created throughout the whole of Angola to particularly protect the species which are becoming threatened by extinction.  The most important parks are:

• The National Park of Cangandala: home of the palanca antelope.
• Cameia National Park: home of lions, leopards, chacals, elephants and antelopes
• Bicuar National Park: home of elephants, antelopes, elands, gnus and zebras
• Mupa National Park: home of ostrichs, elephants and hippos.
• Iona National Park: home of zebras, elephants, leopards and rhinoceros

• Mussolo Peninsula Kissama National Park: home of elephants, the wild boar and the rare black palanca Antelope, which can only be found in Angola. The coastline of the park is used as an egg laying ground for the sea turtles

Sources

http://www.puretravel.com/Guide/Africa/Central_Africa/Angola

http://www.angola.org/tourism.html

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Angola

http://www.eco-tur.com/

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