Sights in Angola
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Parque Nacional da Kissama
Kissama (also spelt Quiçama), situated 70km (43.5mi) south of Luanda, is Angola's most accessible and well-stocked wildlife park. This huge swathe of coastal savannah punctuated by gnarly baobab trees is home to elephants, water buffalo, indigenous palanca antelopes and a precarious population of nesting sea turtles.
Inaugurated as a nature reserve in 1938 and upgraded to a national park in 1957, Kissama remains at the forefront of Angola's wildlife regeneration efforts despite of years of poaching and neglect during the civil war. It's thanks largely to a pioneering relief project known as Operation Noah's Ark. This extraordinary scheme, run in partnership between the…
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A
Museu de Antropologia
The Fortaleza de São Miguel guarding the entrance to the bay was constructed by the Portuguese in 1576 and is Luanda's oldest surviving building. Altered in 1664, whereupon it took its present star shape, the fort today houses the Museu Central das Forças Armadas and offers sweeping views of the city below. Other museums worth seeing are the Museu de Antropologia , with its African masks, musical instruments and indigenous hunting artefacts housed in an old colonial building, and the Museu de História Natural , which boasts two permanent exhibitions in its marine and mammal halls.
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Museu Central das Forças Armadas
The Fortaleza de São Miguel guarding the entrance to the bay was constructed by the Portuguese in 1576 and is Luanda's oldest surviving building. Altered in 1664, whereupon it took its present star shape, the fort today houses the Museu Central das Forças Armadas and offers sweeping views of the city below.
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C
Banco Nacional de Angola
The curvaceous sweep of the harbour-side Marginal makes an interesting stroll at any time of day. Look out for the striking domed pink façade of the Banco Nacional de Angola designed by architect Vasco Regaleira and inaugurated in 1956.
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D
Palácio de Ferro
Architectural buffs will also want to check the Palácio de Ferro , designed by Frenchman Gustave Eiffel (of Eiffel Tower fame) in the 1890s for the Paris Universal Exhibition. The construction was dismantled and brought to Luanda in 1902
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Tunda-Vala Volcanic Fissure
Largely unaffected by the war, Lubango provides access to the beautiful beaches of Namibe. En route, watch for the Tunda-Vala volcanic fissure, where you can climb to 2600km (1615mi) above sea level. The view of a sheer drop to sea level is quite spectacular.
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E
Igreja de Nossa Senhora de Nazaré
Luanda has a smattering of old colonial churches hidden among the skyscrapers. A bit of careful searching will reveal the diminutive Igreja de Nossa Senhora de Nazaré , dating from 1664.
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F
Igreja de Nossa Senhora dos Remedios
See the impressive double-domed façade of the Igreja de Nossa Senhora dos Remedios , built in 1655 and restored in 1995.
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Museu de História Natural
The Museu de História Natural boasts two permanent exhibitions in its marine and mammal halls.
reviewed