Angola Tourism - Luanda

 Africa is blessed with many touristic sceneries and activities that are spread out all through the 54 countries. With time we will be able to learn much of what Africa can offer in the different classifications in tourism. However, I chose to start this Journey with Angola and to be precise Luanda which is the capital city. Keep tuned, follow and share and let us learn together more about this beautiful country. 

What should you need know about Angola even before you visit? It´s a Portuguese speaking country and Portuguese is her National Language, however there are other native languages (e.g Umbundu, Chokwe, Kikongo, Kimbundu and Oshiwambo). Angola was colonized by Portuguese in 1975 and has a population of about 31.8 million people and the female population is more than the female population. Angola is bordered by Zambia to the Southeast, Namíbia to the South, Democratic Republic of the Congo to the North and Northeast, Republic of the Congo to the Northwest and the Atlantic Ocean to the West. For now we will stop there in regard to describing Angola but I will describe more as we discover Angola.  

                                                                     Source: Google 

Which are the different classifications of tourism? Do you have any idea? worry not I will mention a few and you will discover which is or are your favourites.  

They are :- Adventure Tourism, Atomic Tourism, Bicycle Tours, Beach Tourism, Cultural Tourism, Ecotourism, Geo Tourism, Industrial Tourism, Medical Tourism, Religious Tourism,  Rural Tourism, Sex Tourism, Space Tourism, Sports Tourism, Sustainable Tourism, Virtual Tourism, War Tourism, Wildlife Tourism, Educational Tourism, Marine Tourism, Historical, city tours and many more since tourism is growing each day from the different discoveries and events being discovered each and every day.

Today we look at Tourism in Angola and see what Angola has to offer in the Tourism world for you to have a sense of feeling in case you will make any travel plans to Angola in the future and which I say you should do that.  

For the short time I have interacted with Angola I feel she has so much to offer but her potential in Tourism has not been fully explored yet. There are many factors behind this and one of them could be traced back to the long time she was under civil war (about 22 years) which has made some touristic sceneries and activities remain unexplored because some areas are invested with land mines which the government is working so hard with the help of the experts to do away with.  

Another factor that could be hindering tourism is short of love of local tourism by the locals than they embrace international tourism. This cannot be entirely blamed on short of love for local tourism because there are factors behind it. Some of the aspects could be; inaccessibility to some touristic sceneries, high cost of transport both in land and air, insufficient information, high cost in accommodation facilities and last but not the least lack of interest. This is a personal view so it should not be linked to any sources.  

Let me for now focus only on tourism that one can experience if on a tight schedule. Meaning if you will visit Angola for a short period of time or if you are transiting Luanda the Capital City of Angola. With limited time you can experience the City Tour (Experience the Beach, Attractions in the city, Night Life, Food, Cultural nights, visiting the neighbourhoods near the city and many more) and before I forget you can get to Luanda by Road, Air or Water. 

As a leisure tourist what are you likely to come across when you plan for a city tour? We going to discover that right away. For Business Tourists I will be back with another full business package. You will feel the experiences in a city of a population of about 2.5 million people. Do not worry about what to wear because the climate is just perfect for a city bordering the ocean therefore it´s golden for the climate to go below 20º. Luanda is also the most populated cities in Angola, we will check what led to this as we explore more about Angola. 

Now lets look at what you will enjoy:- 

1. Ilha de Luanda         2. National Museum of Slavery         3. Fortress São Miguel 

4. Iron Palace               5. Church of our Lady of Remedies   6. Museum of Armed Forces 

7. Luanda Harbour       8. Museum of National History          9. Museu Nacional de Antropologia   

10. Ilha do Mussulo     11. Museu da Moeda                          12. Luanda Bay 

13. Mausoleum de Agostinho Neto                                         14. Museu Nacional da Escravatura    

Here are just but a few photos in some of the touristic sites. 

*The list is just endless but in case I have left out any top one of them I will be letting you know soon. 

I know after all the sight seeing some want to top it up with some shopping and some want to experience the night life. Here are some of the places one can do the shopping or where you would like to dance the night away. I have never experienced bad treatment by the people so if it happens that is something I cannot confirm but what I have experienced is love from the people. They are welcoming so you should not worry even if you do not speak Portuguese because you will always find someone who can speak a bit of it or fluent and you will always be able to manoeuvre but just like everywhere else security starts with you so you have to take care of yourself since everywhere in the world in most places tourists are always vulnerable even in the safest cities we know.                                                       So here we go:- Belas Shopping, Lookal Beach Club, Club S, Ginga Shopping, Equivalenza Palanca, Xyami Shopping, Tarvena do Morro,  Restaurante Switch and many more.  

The below photos are some of the foods you will encounter when you are on the move, yes the is also the other type the well packaged ones from the restaurants but going to the ground is what makes tourism fun. 

As you tour the city you will find that there is the areas for the well up and the areas for the middle and low income earners. Luanda is a very large city such that you cannot cover the whole of it in a single day. 

I know there are some who would have wanted to see the beach images but don´t worry they will be available on the next story when we now talk about Luanda as a city and not only as a tourist destination.  

Thank you for your time and keep tuned for more information about Angola as a destination before I touch on other African Countries.  

Your likes , more contributions if you have been to Luanda and what your memories were like and comments are well welcome. 

As the saying goes; ``Travel is the only thing that you buy that makes you richer´´ therefore I am sure wherever that time comes to select Angola as your next Tourism destination it will leave traces of the best memories in you.  

For your Travel Plans you can contact one of the Angolan Travel Agencies located in Luanda called Completsite Angola Lda as your ground service provider.  

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