Luanda Travel Guide

Luanda, the capital of Angola, was designed to occupy around 30,000 people but today it is home to over 1.5 million, most of them refugees of the 20 years civil war raging through neighbouring towns. The instability residual from the war has not left the government with much time or resources to allocate to tourism. The city of Luanda is relatively safe if you follow the basic safety and survival precautions, especially staying home after dark, stopping at police check points and carrying your identification papers with you always. The civil war has also made it difficult to acquire the latest information so it is best to find out details from the consulate issuing your visa.

Luanda is situated in south Angola along the coast. It is the country’s largest city and second busiest seaport. In the surrounding region, many crops are grown such as coffee, sisal, cotton and palm. Unforeseen and unplanned urbanization of this coastal city has had its negative effects on the flora and fauna. The major brunt has been borne by the fragile marine life. There has been an effort on the part of the administration to build a natural sanctuary for animals in the Kissama National Park. There was a paucity of animals, so this game park became the proverbial "noah’s ark" importing elephants, tigers and other animals from neighbouring African countries.

Luanda is close to the equator and the climate is humid and hot during summer (October to May). The scanty rains also come at this time. Temperatures range from 25° to 30°C in summer and drop to an average of 18°- 22°C in winter (mid May to September).