Luanda, the capital of Angola is a land of stark contrasts with beautiful Atlantic Ocean views, busy ships and modern high rise buildings contrasted by little round huts accommodating the rapidly expanding city population. A fast growing modern city with high rise buildings, world class hotels and restaurants, an international airport and celebrated night life, her outlying islands in the Atlantic Ocean including Mussulo Islands are considered Africa’s the “Caribbean islands” for their white sandy beaches, great weather, restaurants, leisure and water sports as well as stunning African Sunsets. The entire city metropolis is perfect for holidaying, shopping, meetings and conferences, shopping and incredible yet fast, high end night life.

Some of her major land marks we see on a sightseeing city tour with an English and Portuguese speaking guide include the Sao Miguel Fort built in 1576, The Cathedral of the Holy Savior built in 1628, MuseuNacional de História Natural de AngolaThe National Museum of Slavery and The Museum of the Armed Forces which depicts the stories of Angola’s three major wars: the Independence War from 1961 to 1974, the Border War with South African from 1966 to 1991 as well as Civil War that lasted 27yrs from 1975 to the year 2002. You will also has an opportunity to tour the new city and see Angola’s peace time monuments and developments as well as meet and mingle with her wonderful and obviously resilient peoples; it is they who always leave the most lasting memory.

Kissama National Park is Angola’s principal National wildlife Park. Situated in western Angola75kms south of Luanda the capital, this 12,000 km² park founded in 1938 as a hunting block was proclaimed a national park in 1957. Once home to an abundance of large African mammals, it was scene of the 2001 'Operation Noah's Ark',the largest wildlife translocation in historywhere hundreds of animals especially elephants were moved fromoverpopulated parks in neighboring Botswana and South Africa to the park after being decimated in the 25yr Angola Civil War. Today, Kissama is home to some of Africa’s most sought after wildlife including elephants, buffalo, hippos and crocodiles, giraffes, zebras, a variety of antelopesincluding the wildebeest and eland, wild boars, sea turtles on her 120kms coastlineon the Atlantic as well as other terrestrial mammals all in a stunning baobab studded natural setting between the Atlantic Ocean, Cuanza River and the Longa River.

Malanje area must be one of Rwanda’s most stunning areas with numerous tourism attractions in her vicinity including the Cangandala National Park, Luando Game Reserve,Kalandula Waterfalls, the Black Stones of PungoAdongo as well as tall water falls, forests and nature areas; activities in the area include safari drives, rock climbing, canyoningand bungee jumping.

Cangandala National Park is situated in Malange, 375kms east of Luanda. Angola’s smallest national park, her 600 km² of undulating hills and pans of open grasslands mosaic, miombobushveld and savanna, it is home of the most rare antelope in the world; the beautiful and endangered giant sable antelope (also known as the black palanca), a subspecies endemic to Angola and that is the Angolan national symbol, the PalancaNegra, many other mammals as well as many species of birds.

The Kalandula Falls are a magnificent, horse-shoe shaped water fall on the Lucala River in Angola. Situated in Kalandula, 360kms/6hrs east of Luanda, the 105m tall x 400m wide falls are the second largest in Africa and considered one of the seven wonders of Angola. They are a sterling marvel to observe and major attraction for local and international nature lovers alike.

The Black Rocks of PungoAndongo area series of gigantic and bizarrely formed black rock formations, many with shapes resembling wild animals as well as the Male stone and the Female stone, all which stand spectacularly tall, some as high as 250m, upon the plain African savannah found in Malanje, 375kms east of Luanda.Formed by volcanic activity millions of years ago and considered the oldest frozen lava in the world, they are loaded with tribal myth and legend and are an absolute delight to see and hear about. There are opportunities for hiking with a local guide and one may also see the presumed foot prints of Queen ZingaMbandiNgola, one of Angola’s most famous legends and heroes, as well as the ruins of a Portuguese fort dating back to the 17thcentury.

Kameia National Park, in the far east of the country bordering Zambia and the DR Congo used to be home to lions, leopard, jackals, elephants and Antelopes. An expansivemiombo woodland fronted by lakes Cameia and Lake Dilolo (the largest lake in Angola) with extensive reedbeds and grassy swamps rich in aquatic birds including the endemic Angola Babble,the park is today mostly decimated with only a few wild animals remaining after the civil war.

Dala Waterfalls (sometimes also called Chiumbe River Falls) are a tall and spectacular waterfall on the River Chiumbe in LundaSul region of central Angola. They are a popular recreational site with many local tourists coming to marvel at her natural beauty from a specially built bridge below; sheer power, cloudy mist spray and thunderous roar as the waters crash 60m to the rocks below.

Bicuari National Park is situated in a miombo and Angolan Mopane woodland interspersed with dry savannah with sandy hills in southern Angola. A traditional habitat for elephants, antelopes, elands, gnus and zebras, the park was almost entirely decimated but efforts to rebuild and restock are ongoing and starting to bear fruit with some large mammals, including elephants and a variety of antelopes returning and even reproducing in the park.

Benguela and Benguela Bay sits on Angola’s Atlantic Ocean coastline somewhere between Luanda and Namibe and near the Lobito port. Founded in 1617 as São Filipe de Benguela, a Portuguese outpost with a fort, it was an important mining and slave trade center. Today, as well as being an important port city and railway link between Angola, South Africa, Zambia, Zimbabwe and DR Congo, it is one of Angola’s most important tourism destinations with beautiful beaches at Lobito, great sunshine, watersports including deep sea fishing as well as history and culture.

Lubango is a city in southern Angola near the border with Namibia and the Tundavala Fissure (Fendas de Tundavala), one of Angola’s most popular tourism attractions where you can hike and enjoy the incredible views of the canyon and the plains extending to the Atlantic. Other interesting attractions include the Boca do Humpata, The Serra de Leba as well as The Cristo Rei (Christ the King) monument with opportunities to climb to her base with panoramic views. Other attractions within easy reach include the BicuarNatinal Park, the resort town of Namibe as well as Namibe National Park. Lubango is easily accessed with daily flights from Luanda.

The Tundavala Fissure is an incredible volcanic gorge atop the 2600m Tundavala volcano which sits upon a flat plain at sea level between Lubango and Namibe towns in south-western Angola. Accessed via a winding road eked upon the volcano’s side, this elevated grand canyon-like featureofferssome of Africa’s most spectacular views into her sheer cliffs and the extensive plains at sea level and extending for miles as far as Namibe and the Atlantic Ocean. And that is before your adrenalin pumping descent back to sea level. Locally known as ‘fenda da tundavala’, it is certainly one of the most amazing physical features and most incredible views in Africa.

The Namibe desert area and adjacent Namibe National Reserve are home of the welwitshia, stunning beaches on the Atlantic Ocean as well as the TundavalaCanyon with her incredible cliffs and amazing views extending to sea level. Situated in south western Angola near the border with Namibia, they are a popular tourism attraction with guests coming to see her sand dunes, desert character, the ocean and beach, swimming, fishing as well as sample a variety of water sports, nearby Namibe and Iona wildlife national parks as well as just the amazing and endless Atlantic ocean in a remote yet incredibly stunning area of Africa.

Iona National Park in the far south east corner in Namibe on the Atlantic ocean coast and bordering Namibia is Angola’s largest national park; her 15,000km² magical world of sand dunes and arid savannah grasslands between the rivers Cunene and Curoca are a free roaming range for African wild mammals including mountain zebra, elephant, leopard, antelopes including oryx, springbok, kudu and rhinoceros as well as plants including carnivorous Welwitschia mirabilis which is endemic to the Namib desert in Angola/Namibia and is considered a living fossil; her roots can spread to a 30m diameter and some specimens estimated 1,000 to 1,500yrs old as well as the Imbondeiro, considered Angola’s national tree. On her outskirts you may encounter the Himba, Mucubal and Ambundutribespeople who practice their ancient cultural.

Mupa National Park, situated in southern Angola near Ondjivahas been home to the ostrich, elephant, lions, leopard, hyenas, wild dog, colonies of bats, schools hippos and many species of birds. Like the other parks in Angola, Mupa has, in the past, experienced a huge decline in wildlife numbers due to civil war, human encroachment and mining as well as a deterioration of the infrastructure. But now in peace, Angola has intensified the recovery efforts for her tourism product and infrastructure. Birdlife in the park is prolific including hornbills, warblers, and the miombo tit which is endemic to this wide area of area.

Huambo, Angola’s second largest city is situated 450km south east of Luanda in Angola’s central highlands. Besides being the capital of Huambo Province, an industrial and mining region and the hub for the Benguela railway, it is home of the 39km² Kavongue National Forest Reserve and theKuando Bayou Beach on Ngove Dam (on Cunene River) where you can swim, fish and canoe as well as the nearby Mt Mocothat is popular for rappelling and paragliding.

Cabinda province are a northern most Angolan territory sitting on the Atlantic Ocean but separated from the main country by a narrow strip of earth that is DR Congo territory which too extends to the Atlantic Ocean. A mostly forested land, it is home of the 400km² Maiombe Forest Reserve, a beautiful rain forest in her north-eastern corner that extends from the shores of the Atlantic ocean into the two Congo’s and further into Gabon. Commonly referred to as Africa’s Amazon, Maiombe is home to a startling array of animal and plant species including Western Gorillas, Central Chimpanzees, many other species of primates and monkeys, many species of birds and butterflies including some rare and endemic ones, insects, reptiles, antelopes and forest elephants. Her flora includes rare species of hard wood, flowers and shrubs.

The beautiful Saint Michael Fortress (Fortaleza de São Miguel), was first the administration base of Angola colony, later a hold for slaves destined for South America especially Brazil and in latter days, the commanding base for Portuguese armed forces until independence in 1975. Built in 1576 by Angola’s first Portuguese Captain-Governor Paulo Dias de Novais and now a UNESCO World Heritage site, it is a popular tourist site and her ornate wall tiles telling the story of Angola for over four centuries while in the courtyard, giant statues commemorate Portuguese greats from the first King of Portugal to Vasco Da Gama. Today, it also serves as the Museum of the Armed Forces.