Don't only worship the Ilha

Member since 03 April 2012

leierMember03 April 2012 14:05:53

Far from criticizing the social life that the Ilha do Cabo offers, I'd like to mention that it seems that a lot of expats only see the clubs and restaurants on the Ilha and central Luanda....oh, and occasionally Belas Shopping. Granted, if it's your fellow expats you're looking for, that is where you'll find them.

Now I'd like to mention one or 2 places that I've experienced near and around Luanda (I've not traveled Angola extensively and only move around near the city):

Mussulo: Grab a boat-taxi and pop over to Mussulo. No need to stay over night.... just head for one of the restaurants or pack a picnic basket and enjoy some peace and quiet, just a stones throw form the chaos of the city.

Barra do Kwanza: Situated at the Kwanza river (65km south of Luanda). Beautiful, relaxing, etc. Sure, not the cheapest spot to book into, but you'd be spending just about the same amount in one of the city night clubs.

Praia do Sangano (100km south of Luanda): An absolutely gorgeous retreat where you can just kick back and relax. Camp on the beach or rent a cottage for the weekend...... you'll head back to Luanda full of energy, ready to start complaining about the woes of living in the craziness of a city.

These are only 3 alternatives to the places in the city...please feel free to comment and suggest more sites and places.

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gulnaz Member

Member since 26 May 2010

gulnazMember27 April 2012 21:52:37

Hello Leier,
thanks for the useful information about Luanda. For a weekend I can also suggest Kalandula waterfall, its 5 hours far from Luanda by car. The waterfall is really beautiful and worth to see..and also the road from luanda till waterfall just smoothy, not like in Luanda..

Gulnaz

globalgypsy Member

Member since 30 September 2011

globalgypsyMember01 May 2012 07:07:05

Good suggestions there.

More info on Mussulo: Taxi boats are located at the Slave Museum (South of Benfica opposite the old and mostly disused golf course)and at Kaposoca(? spelling) (Turn off Rua De Samba at Imbondeiro compound just past Sonangol Recreation Complex on opposite side).

Bar Sulo is one destination I recommend you start with. The northern tip of the island is quite popular for a beach picnic. Be prepared if you do settle in - we have had drunk locals buzz us with quad bikes. Not so much fun when you have a quad bike at full flight only a couple of meters from your picnic spot.. There is also a small sand island not far from the slave museum. Get there early and you will have the place to yourself. Nothing there except ...er sand but is is a good place to relax and swim. The local populace start to arrive there later on in the day and the island can get quite busy with the boaties, kite surfers and the party set.

5hrs to Kalandula falls is on a good day once outside of the city. Plan to stay overnight. There is a Hotel in Kalandula but it is not of a high standard. Rooms are portable huts normally found in mining or construction camps. There are a few places to look at on the way. Great way to see the country side is with one of the tour companies. I've used Eco Turs a couple of times. Paul and Mario are brilliant to work with. Highly recommended.

My favorite place is the airport - to get out of Angola. It gets like that a lot of the time.