Welcome to Angola

Where in Angola?

• In Luanda: The Mussulo island for clean tropical beaches and water sports, the Benfica Market for Kwanza River.
• Eco Tur Angola do various bespoke no tours Angola including Kissama with specialist game viewing vehicles.
• In Benguela: Baia Azul for beautiful desert beaches. Art deco architecutre in Beguela. Lobito City for the Restinga Penisnula and ice cold draught Cuca beer, the Benguela Rail road, and fantastic scenery!
• In Kwanza Sul - Cubal Canyon, Conde Hot springs and Cachoeiras / Binga Waterfalls, with the Cambambe Dam on River Kwanza. Waku Kungo plains has fantastic scenery!
• In Malange - Kalandula Waterfalls and Pungo n'Dongo Black Stones.
• In Huila - Serra de Leba, Tunbda Vala Gorge, Mumuila tribes people, fantastic scenery and much more!
• In Namibe - Arco Lagoon, beaches and a desert, and Mucubais Tribes People.
• In Huambo - City Tours, Alto Hama hot springs, and fantastic scenery.
• In Cunene – the Himba tribes, Ruacana Falls, and fantastic scenery.

Angola, like the rest of tropical Africa, experiences distinct alternating rainy and wet seasons. Summers are hot and dry, while winters are mild. Semiarid in south and along the coast; north has a cool, dry season (May - October) and a hot, rainy season (November - April).

The following items may be imported into Angola without incurring customs duty:

• 400 cigarettes or 500g of tobacco.
• 2L of wine and 1L of spirits.
• 3 x 250ml of eau de toilette or 50ml of perfume.
• 3 phones, 1 camera and 1 computer.
• General items for personal use, gifts or souvenirs up to the value of AOA142, 560 (around US$860).
• Alcohol and tobacco allowances apply to travellers aged 18 and over only.
• You must declare brand new electronic items.

220 volts AC, 50Hz. European-style plugs with two round pins are standard.

• Due to the poor road infrastructure in Angola, bus services are limited, however, a private bus company – TURA, operates an efficient bus network. Taxis (private) and minibuses (white-blue painted) are also available to move around. The Rail services are also erratic and tickets could be hard to purchase
• Luanda-based TAAG Angola Airlines operates flights within Angola. Private Jets and helicopters are also operated by some business interests particularly to and from the Cabinda enclave.
• The port of Luanda is Angola’s largest port and connects the country to the rest of the world by sea. There are no official ferry services to other countries available.

Medical facilities and services are available in Angola but are limited and often do not meet first world standards.  Payment for services is generally required before delivery of services, and medical providers will accept U.S. dollars or local currency.  A very small number of facilities accept credit cards.  

Portuguese is the official language. The recognised national languages are Kikongo, Chokwe, Umbundu, Kimbundu, Nganguela and Kwanyama.

The ‘Angolan Kwanza’ is the official currency of Angola. Notes are available in denominations of AOA2000, 100, 500, 200, 100, 50, 10, and 5. Until recently, it was illegal to attempt to take the Kwanza of the country as a souvenir. Credit Cards are not generally acceptable although ATMs can be found in major towns and cities especially in Luanda.

A valid visa is required before travelling to Angola. Also, passport must be valid for a minimum of six months on entry. 

Security in Angola has improved remarkably since the end of the civil war, however, caution should still be exercised when travelling to or moving around (walkin and driving) the country. Travel in most parts of Luanda is generally safe by day but travelling at night is not advised.

All of Angola uses the UTC+01:00 (West Africa Time) and has never observed Daylight saving time.

Tipping is not a standard practice in Angola, hwever, if you do leave tips, it shouldn’t be more than 10% of the total bill. Asides cash, cigarettes are also acceptable as tips.